Home Christian News ‘It Feels Like the Right Time’ to Reopen Lakewood, Osteen Says

‘It Feels Like the Right Time’ to Reopen Lakewood, Osteen Says

Interior Building Air Purification: The main Air Handlers that supply the Sanctuary are being upgraded along with Bi-Polar ionization technology designed to assist in purifying the air supply.  

Sanitizing High-Traffic Public Areas: Increased frequency and scope of all cleaning services including enhanced sanitization of high-traffic areas such as lobbies, hallways, elevators, bathrooms, counters, rails, doorknobs, and other frequently contacted surfaces in the church.

Despite all these precautions the church is taking, Osteen says they will reevaluate their approach to reopening if, in a couple weeks “things aren’t going well.” Indeed, Mayor Turner also indicated in his press conference announcing venues could reopen at 25 percent capacity that the city would be carefully monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases during this phase of their reopening plan. Turner said the infection rate, which is currently around 6 percent in Houston, needs to continue to trend downward toward 5 percent. If the infection rate increases, however, the provision for venues may be rescinded. 

Osteen Offers Encouragement in the Face of Pandemic

For Osteen, the pandemic offers an opportunity to trust God. “Sometimes we think we’re in control but really God is in control. That’s where you have to choose to live from a place of peace and a place of faith and not a place of fear,” Osteen told reporters.

The pandemic can also be an opportunity to reevaluate some things in one’s life, Osteen said. He called it a time of “rebooting” and opportunity to ask oneself: “What’s important in my life? Are my priorities in the right place? What changes do I need to make?”

He gave the example of Lakewood having to shift its model from in-person services to online-only services. Osteen said the number of people watching and listening to their worship services online has “more than doubled and doubled again.” He believes this is due to the fact that people are looking for hope and inspiration in the midst of a trying time.

One thing he’s told his congregation is that, “If you keep the right attitude, you’re going to come out better; you’re going to come stronger. You’re going to have another moment where you can trust the faithfulness of God. You can look back and say ‘Hey, you brought me through 2020 when everything shut down and here I am.’ He’s done it in the past and he’ll do so in the future.”