Joel Osteen, a public figure for the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, which can seat over 16,000 people, is under fire for not yet opening up the church doors for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
The pastor’s father-in-law Donald Iloff released a statement on behalf of the church, saying the doors were never closed.
“We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need,” Donald told CNN. “We are prepared to shelter people once the cities and county shelters reach capacity. Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of this storm in helping our fellow citizens rebuild their lives.”
The church came under fire when their Facebook page directed people to other shelters due to the church being “inaccessible due to severe flooding.” Social media users fired back, proving that the church was actually accessible.
