HOUSTON (news agencies) — Celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch held a special service Sunday dedicated to healing and thanksgiving a week after a woman opened fire in one of its hallways before being gunned down by security officers.
Osteen’s Lakewood Church has not had services since the Feb. 11 shooting that sent worshippers scrambling for safety. On Sunday, Osteen, his wife Victoria Osteen and members of the church staff who lead Lakewood’s Spanish ministry sat in chairs on the stage and spoke about the shooting, how it has impacted Lakewood’s community and how the church was moving forward.
Osteen told parishioners it has been a difficult time with “a lot of trauma.”
“You just got to know Lakewood is strong and it keeps getting stronger,” he said. “Fear is not going to win. Faith is going to win. We are going to move forward.”
Church leaders thanked the security staff and others who responded during the shooting and protected parishioners. Osteen invited Houston Mayor John Whitmire and police Chief Troy Finner to the stage and thanked them for their help after the tragedy. Attendees gave officers and security staff a standing ovation.
“After the tragedy of last week, (God) had a purpose in bringing us together to show how united our city is,” Whitmire said during a fiery and emotional speech.
As Osteen and others spoke, people in the audience could be heard saying, “Amen” and “Thank you, God.”
“What today is about is reclaiming what is ours, reclaiming the space that God has provided for all of us” Victoria Osteen said.