[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. ____________________