Latest news with #DodieOsteen
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Dodie Osteen, Co-Founder of One of the Nation's Largest Churches, Dies at 91
Dodie Osteen couldn't get up. In October of 1981, she knelt to pray with a woman at Lakewood Church, the Houston congregation that she founded with her husband, John Osteen. When the prayer was over, she didn't have the strength to stand. So, she crawled over to a chair and pulled herself up.
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dolores Osteen, Lakewood Church Co-Founder and Joel Osteen's Mom, Dies at 91
The Lakewood Church matriarch died 'of natural causes, peacefully at her home,' according to her son Joel OsteenNEED TO KNOW Dolores "Dodie" Osteen has died at the age of 91, according to a statement shared by her son Joel Osteen on Wednesday, July 30 Dodie founded Lakewood Church alongside her late husband John Osteen on Mother's Day in 1959 "Together, we celebrate her amazing life and lasting legacy," Joel said in his statementDolores Osteen, co-founder of Lakewood Church, has died. She was 91. Her son, celebrity televangelist Joel Osteen, announced his mother's death in a social media post on Wednesday, July 30. Dolores, who went by the nickname 'Dodie,' died 'of natural causes, peacefully at her home,' according to her son. 'It is with a heavy heart that Victoria and I, along with our family, announce the passing of our cherished mother and grandmother, Dolores 'Dodie' Osteen,' Joel wrote in the statement. 'She was the beloved matriarch of Lakewood Church, an inspiration to millions of people around the world, and a faithful servant of God.' He continued, 'Known as 'Mama Dodie' to the entire Lakewood family, together, we celebrate her amazing life and lasting legacy.' Dodie and her late husband John founded Lakewood Church on the outskirts of Houston on Mother's Day in 1959, according to the church's website. Together, the husband and wife hosted a weekly television program that could be viewed in 100 countries worldwide. Dodie authored multiple books, including Healed of Cancer, described on the church's website as 'the story of her miraculous healing from metastatic cancer of the liver after being given up by doctors.' 'Her genuine warmth and compassion is one reason Lakewood is called An Oasis of Love in a Troubled World,' a message on the website continued. Dodie's husband John died in 1999. Their son Joel took over that same year, according to Chron. Three weeks ago, Dodie's daughter April Osteen Simons sat down with her mother for a YouTube video called 'Covering Your Kids in Prayer House of Hope.' In the video, the mother and daughter discussed 'how to cover your children in prayer, speak life over their future, and trust God's purpose for them, no matter what season of parenting you're in,' according to the video's description. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories 'You don't ever want to speak death and say, 'Well, if you do that, you're going to die.' Because that's not good,' Dodie said in the video. 'And Jesus said He gives us life and abundant life. So that's what we want for us and our children.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Yahoo
Lakewood megachurch founder and mom to televangelist Joel Osteen dies at age 91
The mother of televangelist Joel Osteen and one of the Lakewood megachurch founders has died at the age of 91. 'It is with a heavy heart that Victoria and I, along with our family, announce the passing of our cherished mother and grandmother, Dolores 'Dodie' Osteen,' Osteen wrote on X Wednesday. 'Dodie' Osteen was cherished by followers as a matriarch of Lakewood Church, Houston – one of the largest evangelical churches in the U.S. that boasts millions of Christian followers worldwide. 'Known as 'Mama Dodie' to the entire Lakewood family, together, we celebrate her amazing life and lasting legacy,' Osteen's statement continued. Osteen said that his mother died of natural causes. In 1981, 'Dodie' was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer, which doctors said was terminal, according to the family. She was given this week to live, according to a 2020 Washington Times feature. 'Dodie' said that she and her husband, John Osteen, both rejected the prognosis and turned to prayer. Her late husband, a former Southern Baptist pastor, founded Lakewood in the back of an old feed store in 1959. He hosted his weekly John Osteen television program for 16 years, laying the foundations for what was to become one of the most popular evangelical churches in the world. John died in January 1999 at the age of 77, paving the way for his youngest son to become the senior pastor. Osteen took the opportunity to rapidly expand his father's church. Since then, Osteen has become a prevalent figure in American life and Christianity worldwide. Last month, Osteen was faced with the news that Texas authorities were reopening an investigation into the murder of his elderly great-aunt, who was found bludgeoned to death inside her home nearly 20 years ago. Johnnie Daniel, 84, was found beaten to death inside her home in August 2006 with her face smashed and a copy of the New Testament and a pencil on her chest. A hammer was also found wrapped in a bloody towel beside Daniel, who was the aunt of Dodie Osteen. Back in 2006, authorities charged a then-29-year-old Houston man, Edric Wilson, with Daniel's murder. At the time DNA evidence linked him to Daniel's killing, Wilson was already in custody on a separate aggravated assault charge. Meanwhile, in February, Osteen's megachurch in Houston was targeted by a gunman who opened fire, injuring a 57-year-old man and wounding a seven-year-old boy, believed to be her son. The shooter, identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, was heard threatening to 'blow up' the church, police said. The Lakewood franchise has attracted big names in the past, including controversial rapper Kanye West, who brought his 'Sunday Service' to the Osteen megachurch in 2019. 'I know that God's been calling me for a long time and the devil's been distracting me for a long time,' he said before a crowd of about 17,000 at Osteen's church, the Los Angeles Times reported. 'Ye' has since faced severe criticism after expressing far-right views online and has been accused of glorifying Hitler and Nazism in this latest music. Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
31-07-2025
- The Independent
Lakewood megachurch founder and mom to televangelist Joel Osteen dies at age 91
The mother of televangelist Joel Osteen and one of the Lakewood megachurch founders has died at the age of 91. 'It is with a heavy heart that Victoria and I, along with our family, announce the passing of our cherished mother and grandmother, Dolores 'Dodie' Osteen,' Osteen wrote on X Wednesday. 'Dodie' Osteen was cherished by followers as a matriarch of Lakewood Church, Houston – one of the largest evangelical churches in the U.S. that boasts millions of Christian followers worldwide. 'Known as 'Mama Dodie' to the entire Lakewood family, together, we celebrate her amazing life and lasting legacy,' Osteen's statement continued. Osteen said that his mother died of natural causes. In 1981, 'Dodie' was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer, which doctors said was terminal, according to the family. She was given this week to live, according to a 2020 Washington Times feature. 'Dodie' said that she and her husband, John Osteen, both rejected the prognosis and turned to prayer. Her late husband, a former Southern Baptist pastor, founded Lakewood in the back of an old feed store in 1959. He hosted his weekly John Osteen television program for 16 years, laying the foundations for what was to become one of the most popular evangelical churches in the world. John died in January 1999 at the age of 77, paving the way for his youngest son to become the senior pastor. Osteen took the opportunity to rapidly expand his father's church. Since then, Osteen has become a prevalent figure in American life and Christianity worldwide. Last month, Osteen was faced with the news that Texas authorities were reopening an investigation into the murder of his elderly great-aunt, who was found bludgeoned to death inside her home nearly 20 years ago. Johnnie Daniel, 84, was found beaten to death inside her home in August 2006 with her face smashed and a copy of the New Testament and a pencil on her chest. A hammer was also found wrapped in a bloody towel beside Daniel, who was the aunt of Dodie Osteen. Back in 2006, authorities charged a then-29-year-old Houston man, Edric Wilson, with Daniel's murder. At the time DNA evidence linked him to Daniel's killing, Wilson was already in custody on a separate aggravated assault charge. Meanwhile, in February, Osteen's megachurch in Houston was targeted by a gunman who opened fire, injuring a 57-year-old man and wounding a seven-year-old boy, believed to be her son. The shooter, identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, was heard threatening to 'blow up' the church, police said. The Lakewood franchise has attracted big names in the past, including controversial rapper Kanye West, who brought his 'Sunday Service' to the Osteen megachurch in 2019. 'I know that God's been calling me for a long time and the devil's been distracting me for a long time,' he said before a crowd of about 17,000 at Osteen's church, the Los Angeles Times reported. 'Ye' has since faced
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Fresh probe into murder of Joel Osteen's great-aunt Johnnie Daniel who was found bludgeoned to death
Authorities in Texas are reopening the investigation into the murder of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen's great aunt nearly two decades after she was found bludgeoned to death inside her home. Johnnie Daniel, 84, the aunt of Osteen's mother, Dodie Osteen, was found dead in her home in eastern Harris County in August 2006 - with her head smashed in and a copy of the New Testament and a pencil on her chest, Chron reports. A claw hammer in a bloody towel lay beside the elderly woman. The Harris County Sheriff's Office charged Edric Wilson, then 29, with capital murder for her death three months later - pointing to DNA evidence they said linked him to the scene. But after he spent 18 years languishing in state mental facilities and prisons without a trial, prosecutors last year determined the DNA test result concluding Wilson must have been the murderer was weaker than they originally thought, according to the Houston Chronicle. Wilson was ultimately released from prison in March of this year, and his case was dismissed on April 3. Now, Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland said Daniel's 'capital murder case from 2006 is open and very much active, and is currently assigned to our Homicide Unit. 'The Harris County Sheriff's Office remains steadfast in its commitment to securing justice for the Daniel family,' he added. The elderly woman's brutal murder shocked her community, with one neighbor telling ABC 13 that 'It's sad someone would do that to an old, defenseless lady.' A family member also said Daniel was 'kind hearted and just a wonderful lady,' with Dodie - the now 91 year old mother of the famed Lakewood Church pastor - releasing a statement at the time describing her aunt as a 'kind and generous woman who lived her life with mercy, compassion and a deep love for the Lord. 'She was dearly loved by me and my family and will be greatly missed.' Police also struggled to figure out what may have led to the elderly woman's beating, as it did not look like anyone had forced their way into the house or had stolen anything. Authorities were then left without answers for weeks, until officers arrested Wilson for an unrelated stabbing of a neighbor in September and he was required to provide a DNA sample. That sample was then entered into a national database, and was compared to DNA found under Daniel's fingernails. Forensic analysts then determined that the chances the DNA found under the victim's fingernails belonged to someone other than Wilson was just one in 73.1 million, the Chronicle previously reported. But when prosecutors decided in 2023 to re-examine the cases of people who have been languishing in prison for decades, they re-tested the DNA sample - and found that the probability the genetic material under Daniel's nails belonged to someone other than Wilson was just one in 15,830. Experts said that could indicate an 'accidental match.' The DNA had not been re-examined earlier because Wilson's case was perpetually put on hold after he was found 'incompetent to stand trial in 2009.' From there, the Chronicle reports, Wilson was caught in an 'endless loop' of psychological assessments and waitlists for treatments beds while his attorneys argued over his competency to stand trial. Throughout that time, there was no incentive to re-examine the evidence against him. 'I think there were failures at every level,' said Sean Teare, who was sworn in as Harris County District Attorney a few months after the charges against Wilson were dropped. 'It's a tragic case and the thing that it spells out is people can fall through the cracks.' His office has now said it will 'assess the case and determine whether or not anyone should face charges' should the Harris County Sheriff's Office uncover new evidence. In the meantime, Wilson remained on parole after pleading guilty to the unrelated aggravated assault charge - which a judge noted he has already served 20 years behind bars for.
