Following a wave of criticism, Joel Osteen finally opened his Lakewood Church in Houston to people displaced by Tropical Storm Harvey
Following a wave of criticism that made his name the top-trending item on Twitter, Joel Osteen finally opened his Lakewood Church in Houston to people displaced by Tropical Storm Harvey.
On Tuesday morning the church’s official account tweeted: “Lakewood’s doors are open and we are receiving anyone who needs shelter.”
Osteen came under fire Monday after it became known that the 16,000 capacity megachurch had closed its doors as a result of the flooding afflicting Houston. While other nearby venues including religious organizations had accepted flooding victims, Lakewood, formerly a sports arena known as the home of NBA team the Houston Rockets, canceled services on Sunday and locked up with a message posted to social media that the building was “inaccessible due to heavy flooding.”
Also Read: Joel Osteen Slammed for Not Opening Megachurch to Hurricane Victims
A Lakewood Church spokesperson told ABC News Tuesday its doors have always been open and the church is waiting for city officials to designate it as a shelter. (The spokesperson said the church doesn’ t have showers or a kitchen.) But in a statement Monday, Lakewood said it would only receive people once “cities and county shelters reach capacity, ” which resulted in even more backlash.
The criticism increased after the Twitter account belonging to Osteen began blocking people who asked why the church wasn’ t opening its doors.
Read original story Joel Osteen Opens Megachurch Doors to Hurricane Victims After Harsh Criticism At TheWrap
