[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5416-5418]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     WELCOMING REVEREND JOEL OSTEEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great amount of 
privilege today to welcome two humble spirits in Pastor Joel Osteen and 
Co-Pastor Victoria Osteen, and to recognize their entire family and 
their delightful children, Alexandra and Jonathan. Two humble spirits.
  As was reflected in his prayer, Joel Osteen has taught us to embrace 
God's grace and mercy, and for those who will listen, to stand in the 
sunlight of joy as one looks toward the hopefulness of the future.
  I am delighted that Lakewood started in a feedstock store in the 18th 
Congressional District. The story is told that there were spiders and a 
lot of dust, organized by his wonderful father, John Osteen, and his 
mother, Dodie Osteen, two who loved each other dearly but really loved 
the Lord.
  Out of that wonderful union came five children. And out of that 
wonderment, as John Osteen preached for over 40 years, as the love of 
his wife, Dodie Osteen, provided a comfort at his side, they built a 
wonderful church called the Oasis of Love.
  But John was taken from us suddenly in 1999. A young man by the name 
of Joel was at school. But, knowing how much he loved his family, he 
came home, just happening, a month or so ago or a few years before, 
working with his father's ministry, and gave a sermon for the first 
time one week before his father died. Maybe it was the father telling 
the son that now it is your time.

[[Page 5417]]

  As we look to the future, Pastor Joel Osteen, who has published many 
books, continues to be a humble spirit, is known to have the largest 
and most growing church in American history and, as well, continues 
with a humble spirit. His phrase that ``Our God is a good God who 
desires to bless those who are obedient and faithful to him'' is one 
that we're reminded of. He continues to ensure that those who are in 
need have a sense of inspiration and hope, and he continues to preach 
this word around the world.
  He asks for all of us, and he asks for America and the world, to 
become all that God created you to be, and continues to emphasize that 
we are better than we think. As he was the product of John and Dodie 
Osteen, he is now, along with his wife and along with his mother, 
continuing to shine a light.
  We're delighted to have him today because we need a light in America. 
As he reaches those who are seeking light, we ask Pastor Joel Osteen, 
in his books, in his message, to continue to bless us. He is, in fact, 
someone who warmly says: America is a great country, but we're better 
when we work together.
  Thank you, Pastor Osteen, for keeping the dream alive, that of your 
father and mother, of a church that was started in 1959. Thank you as 
well for opening the doors of your church to everyone that would come. 
But more importantly, every background, race, color, or creed is 
welcome in those pews, now some 16,000. And that was a former 
basketball stadium, or arena, but yet now people come and worship.
  I'm delighted to host Pastor Joel Osteen and his co-pastor, his wife, 
Victoria Osteen, for what they are doing not only for their church and 
their members, but really what they're doing for harmony and the spirit 
of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the achievements of a native 
Houstonian Joel Osteen, his wife of 21 years Victoria Osteen, as well 
as, Joel's parents John and Dodie Osteen. Their Church Lakewood was 
established in 1959 in my district the 18th Congressional District in 
Houston, Texas.
  Joel was born in Houston on March 5, 1965 and has become an 
internationally known televangelist, theologian, speaker and writer.
  He was born into a family dedicated to serving their community. In 
1959, six years before his birth, Joel's parents, John and Dodie 
Osteen, founded the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Joel bore 
witness to his parents' commitment to the church and the community that 
they served.
  Joel has married a woman who shares his level of commitment. His wife 
Victoria is also his co-pastor and together they have two children 
Alexandra and Jonathan.
  John Osteen was not only a founder but also the Pastor of Lakewood 
Church and as the years progressed he along with Dodie was able to 
develop a loyal local following. John was a prolific writer and 
authored 45 books and his wife, Dodie joined him in his passion for 
writing. She also published a book which described her battle with 
metastic cancer of the liver. Dodie's survival was a miracle and a 
blessing for all who heard her story.
  Joel, who has always been strongly committed to his family, left for 
university; however, he returned home early and continued to help his 
family with the church. Joel had found his calling in life, and gave 
his first sermon one week before his father's death. That moment set 
his future destiny--he was called to pastor Lakewood Church.
  Before that, Joel believed the next step for the church was 
television and he worked without ceasing behind cameras and as a 
producer of the church's broadcasts. Young Joel had a vision and the 
Osteens, as a family, worked towards that vision to bring their church 
into the homes of millions of people around the world as a conduit to 
deliver the word of the Lord.
  In 1999, Joel reached his 34th birthday and in that year he along 
with his family had already celebrated many successes. Sadly, they also 
had to come together that year to mourn the loss of their patriarch, 
John Osteen, who died of a heart attack.
  At the time of his father's death, Joel had to decide what to do 
next. He had spent his life dedicated to supporting the mission of the 
Lakewood Church. He could have chosen a different path in life but had 
remained steadfast in working with the congregation for so long.
  Instead of leaving the church upon his father's death, Joel decided 
to pick up the torch lit by his parents and stepped into his father's 
shoes as Pastor of Lakewood Church. The rest is history.
  Within the space of 9 years, Joel has transformed the Church and left 
his mark on history. According to reports, Lakewood Church under Joel 
Osteen's leadership has become America's largest and fastest growing 
church. The Osteen family has lived their vision; they are indeed being 
seen in millions of homes around the world.
  Currently Joel's services can be seen in nearly 100 countries. 
Lakewood Church is nondenominational--there are no crosses or other 
visual representations of Jesus--instead, the focus is on the message 
as delivered by Joel and his co-pastors. He wants to teach people on 
the redemption of Jesus Christ.
  Joel has been preaching to millions of people around the world. He 
has a strong message of unity and encourages diversity and acceptance. 
Joel is arguably the most popular preacher in the country. Lakewood 
Church is the largest congregation in the United States, averaging more 
than 43,500 in attendance per week. The congregation in Houston meets 
in a 16,000-seat former sports arena.
  On any given Sunday over 7 million people watch his services. And his 
ability to embrace technology has allowed even more viewers to witness 
his services. Currently the church has 48 million podcasts with over 1 
million people downloading their podcasts every week.
  I commend Joel Osteen, his wife Victoria, his family and his Lakewood 
Church team ministry who have worked together to put forward a message 
that has engaged the hearts and minds of millions.


                              Joel's Story

  Joel Osteen is currently in negotiations with a major network to 
anchor a primetime reality series based on the inspirational themes of 
his Sunday sermons. The show will orginate from Lakewood Church and 
tell the stories of ordinary people meeting extraordinary challenges.
  Joel Osteen is a native Houstonian and the Pastor of Lakewood Church, 
which according to Church Growth Today is America's largest and fastest 
growing church.
  On July 16, 2005 after completing $95 million in renovations, Joel 
moved Lakewood Church into its new 16,000-seat home--the former Compaq 
Center. It is the largest regularly-used worship center in the United 
States.
  Each week Joel delivers God's message of hope and encouragement to 
more than 38,000 attendees.
  According to Nielsen Media Research, Joel is the most watched 
inspirational figure in America.
  His weekly sermon is broadcast into every U.S. television market 
where it is viewed by 7 million Americans each week and more than 20 
million each month. His weekly broadcast is also seen in almost 100 
nations around the world.
  In 2004, his first book, Your Best Life Now, was released by Time 
Warner debuting at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List and 
quickly rising to #1. It remained on the New York Times Bestsellers 
List for more than 2 years and has sold more than 4 million copies.
  Joel was named as one of Barbara Walters' ``10 Most Fascinating 
People of 2006'' and he was selected as the ``Most Influential 
Christian in 2006'' by the readers of Church Report Magazine.


                       prepared for god's calling

  Joel, the son of John Osteen, a highly respected minister of the 
Gospel and the founder of Lakewood Church, attended Oral Roberts 
University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he studied radio and television 
communications.
  In 1982, Joel returned to Houston and founded Lakewood's television 
ministry where he produced John Osteen's televised sermons for 17 years 
until January 1999 when his father passed away suddenly from a heart 
attack.
  For many years, John Osteen encouraged Joel to preach, but he always 
declined preferring to work behind the scenes. But, in early 1999 Joel 
felt compelled to accept his father's invitation and he preached his 
first sermon on January 17th of that year. Little did anyone know that 
would be the last Sunday of John Osteen's life. Two weeks later, Joel 
began preaching and later that year was installed as the new Senior 
Pastor of Lakewood Church.


                  a new vision for the new millennium

  Almost immediately, weekly attendance began to grow at an 
extraordinary rate and in 2005, Joel moved Lakewood Church into its 
present location, the former Compaq Center, a 16,000-seat arena that 
was once home to the Houston Rockets professional basketball team. Now, 
with his wife Victoria, and the leadership staff at Lakewood, the 
innovative church is poised for the new millennium.
  Joel's extraordinary success can be found in his core message: ``That 
our God is a good

[[Page 5418]]

God who desires to bless those who are obedient and faithful to Him 
through Jesus Christ.''
  It is Joel's deepest desire that his own life be an example of that 
principle and that everyone who hears this message of hope and 
encouragement would choose to accept God's goodness and mercy and to 
become all that God wants them to be.


                           joel's background

  Born in Houston, Texas, Osteen married Victoria L. Iloff on April 4, 
1987. They have two children, Jonathan and Alexandra.
  Joel, son of John and Dolores (Dodie) Pilgrim, is one of five 
children. His older siblings, Paul, Lisa, and Tamara, and his younger 
sister, April, are also involved in full-time ministry.
  Joel's half-brother Justin does missionary work out of New York.
  Joel's father, John Osteen, a former Southern Baptist pastor who 
became Charismatic in the late 1950s, founded Lakewood Church on 
Mother's Day, 1959.
  Osteen's father developed Lakewood into a body of approximately 6,000 
members with an active television ministry, conferences, missionary 
support and food distribution.
  Currently, Osteen and several Lakewood Church personnel travel across 
the nation, presenting programs in large arenas. The event, titled ``A 
Night of Hope,'' includes worship music led by the church's music 
ministry, a testimony by Joel's mother Dodie and a sermon from Osteen. 
In 2007, the tour expanded to include stops in several other countries, 
including Canada, England, Northern Ireland and Israel.

                       Mission/Vision of Lakewood


                            lakewood church

       Vision Paragraph: Lakewood seeks to become a vibrant 
     community for God growing deeper in faith, knowledge, love 
     and relationship with Him. We desire to express the spirit of 
     Jesus through the individual members of the body; through 
     uplifting public worship and intimate small group fellowship; 
     and through committed prayer and dedication to God's will. We 
     strive to offer a welcoming environment for truth-seekers 
     irrespective of knowledge, experience, and background. We 
     want to follow God wherever He leads to make a difference in 
     others' lives by identifying individual talents and preparing 
     people for kingdom service locally, nationally and globally. 
     We desire to do this with humility and love giving God the 
     glory!
       Community: God wants me to be a MEMBER of His family--This 
     is the purpose of fellowship. Following Christ is not just a 
     matter of believing; it also includes belonging. The 
     Christian life is not a solo act. God has given us the church 
     as a spiritual family for our own benefit. Your are members 
     of God's very own family . . . and you belong in God's 
     household with every other Christian (Ephesians 2:19).
       Loving God: God wants me to be a MAGNIFIER of His name--We 
     are called to worship God. O Magnify the Lord with me, and 
     let us exalt His name together (Psalm 34.3). There is an 
     inborn urge to worship in every human being. If we don't 
     worship God, we will find a replacement. We may worship our 
     job, family, money, a sport, or even ourselves. That is why 
     the very first commandment says. ``Thou shalt have no other 
     god's before Me.'' (Exodus 20:3)
       Loving Others: God wants me to be a MESSENGER of His love--
     Once we have been born again, we become messengers of the 
     Good News to others. It is part of the job description for 
     every believer. For God was in Christ, restoring the world to 
     himself, no longer counting men's sins against them but 
     blotting them out. This is the wonderful message He has given 
     us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors. God is using 
     us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were 
     here pleading with you, receive the love He offers you--be 
     reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).
       Loving Others: God wants me to be a MINISTER of His grace--
     A responsibility of every Christian is service. God expects 
     us to use the gifts, talents, and opportunities He gives us 
     to benefit others. Each one should use whatever gift he has 
     received to serve others, faithfully administering God's 
     grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10).
       Imitating Christ: God wants me to be a MODEL of his 
     character--The goal of discipleship is becoming just like 
     Christ. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them 
     to become like His Son (Romans 8:29). In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul 
     describes specific areas where we are to model the character 
     of Christ . . . set an example for the believers in speech, 
     in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. Notice that 
     maturity is not measured by one's learning but by one's 
     lifestyle.

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