Kanye West, Tyler Perry, and Mariah Carey are on board to participate in Joel Osteen’s Easter service. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the broadcast will be streamed in its entirety online to respect social distancing requirements to keep everyone safe.
What We Know:
- The Houston-based mega church will virtually host its “Hope is Alive” Easter Service on Sunday.
- Church officials said the Easter service will be pre-recorded on Friday and local officials, including Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo and Houston Fire Chief Same Pena, are set to tape prayers for the city.
- Osteen is reportedly not giving his Easter message from his Lakewood Church in Houston, instead opting to come to viewers remotely from his home, according to Deadline.
“I have known Mariah from years past, and we’d talked about doing some things. They actually contacted us because she wanted to show some support and honor to the first responder… and do her part to bring hope and uplift the nation.” – Osteen
- The preacher admits that he is not sure what Kanye is going to do with his airtime, but this isn’t the first time the pair have worshipped together. Last November, Kanye West brought his popular Sunday Service to the church and then again earlier this year for an event at Yankee Stadium hosted by Osteen and his wife Victoria, that time with Kanye’s choir.
- Perry is expected to offer words of hope and encouragement to Osteen’s global viewers. Osteen says his congregation will be thrilled to see his longtime friend back again. “He’s a very powerful speaker,” he says. “People at Lakewood love him.”
- Osteen hedged his opinions on other American ministers who have defied lockdown orders in their states, including one pastor who died of the coronavirus after criticizing the “mass hysteria” of the virus and preaching to crowds in New Orleans.
You can watch via the church’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page. You can also catch it on Roku, AppleTV and SiriusXM Channel 128.
