Megachurch pastor Joel Osteen is not letting the coronavirus stop him from holding an Easter Sunday service for the ages.
The Lakewood Church pastor just revealed to TMZ that he is planning to hold a star-studded virtual service on Sunday that will include the likes of Kanye West, Mariah Carey, and Tyler Perry. While Osteen and West have been longtime friends and collaborators, this marks the first time that Carey is teaming up with him.
“You know, I had known Mariah from years past and we had talked about doing something,” Osteen explained. “They actually contacted us because she wanted to show some support and honor to the first responders.”
As for West, Osteen said that all he knows is that the rapper will be bringing his Sunday Service choir to perform at the church.
“He’s handling that part,” Osteen said of West’s plans. “I’m not so sure exactly what he’s going to do but he sent me a couple of pictures where it looks like they’re going to keep the social distancing. I don’t know, Kanye is one of a kind. He’ll figure out some way to do it.”
Osteen also had words of praise for Perry, an actor, producer, and director.
“Tyler has spoken at my church before,” he said. “He’s a very powerful speaker so he sent us a five-minute clip where he’s just encouraging everybody through this difficult time. He’s just a very powerful speaker and a very loving man and a very generous man.”
During this interview, Osteen was asked about some of the other pastors who have broken social distancing guidelines in favor of holding services during the coronavirus pandemic. Though he said that he has been following the guidelines himself, he stopped short of condemning those who have made different choices.
“I don’t want to judge anybody else because people feel strongly about their faith,” he said, adding of his own decision, “It’s not a lack of faith that we’re not having services, it’s a respect to mankind.”
We applaud Osteen for continuing to give Christians everywhere something to look forward to during this pandemic. We can’t wait to see what his Easter service is like on Sunday!
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
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