"If you don't laugh, you'll cry," Lakewood Church's Senior Communications Director Don Iloff tells Charisma News while standing outside in the pouring rain in Houston.
Though the megachurch has received some flak for not opening its doors as an emergency shelter, there's virtually no access to Joel Osteen's campus, which is considered one of the largest in the country. Instead, staff and volunteers are meeting through conference calls to coordinate efforts. The church, located in Houston's inner loop, is just a few miles away from the city's largest shelter, the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Although Harvey's damage was initially labeled as a once-in-500 years flood, Iloff says it's now closer to 1-in-800.
"We are this city," he says. "When you talk about 75,000-80,000 members of the church with 45,000-50,000 showing up on any given weekend, not to mention visitors, when you talk about Lakewood, you're talking about city. It's blacks, whites, Hispanics, rich and poor, everything. It's been interesting the last several days. We've had members and staff who have been rescuers, and members and staff who have been rescued. Nothing like this has ever occurred."
Though the megachurch has received some flak for not opening its doors as an emergency shelter, there's virtually no access to Joel Osteen's campus, which is considered one of the largest in the country. Instead, staff and volunteers are meeting through conference calls to coordinate efforts. The church, located in Houston's inner loop, is just a few miles away from the city's largest shelter, the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Although Harvey's damage was initially labeled as a once-in-500 years flood, Iloff says it's now closer to 1-in-800.
"We are this city," he says. "When you talk about 75,000-80,000 members of the church with 45,000-50,000 showing up on any given weekend, not to mention visitors, when you talk about Lakewood, you're talking about city. It's blacks, whites, Hispanics, rich and poor, everything. It's been interesting the last several days. We've had members and staff who have been rescuers, and members and staff who have been rescued. Nothing like this has ever occurred."