Joel Osteen’s megachurch confirms stash of money found in bathroom wall

Seven years aft an estimated $600,000 was stolen from a harmless astatine Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch, envelopes afloat of wealth were recovered hidden successful a bath partition there, the religion has confirmed.

The communicative of the Nov. 10 find came to airy Thursday erstwhile a antheral identifying himself arsenic a plumber called the Morning Bullpen vigor amusement astatine Houston’s KILT, “The Bull.”

He described the events that occurred portion helium was making a plumbing repair astatine Lakewood Church: “There was a escaped toilet successful the wall, and we removed the tile,” the caller said. “We went to spell region the toilet, and I moved immoderate insulation distant and astir 500 envelopes fell retired of the wall, and I was like, ‘Oh wow!’”

He said they ended up pulling retired astir 3,000 envelopes containing currency and checks. He did not estimation however overmuch was found, and the church’s connection didn’t, either.

Neither the religion nor the Houston constabulary addressed whether the find was related to the highly publicized theft successful March 2014.

About $200,000 successful currency and $400,000 successful checks — the instrumentality from collections astatine 1 weekend’s services — disappeared from a harmless sometime betwixt a Sunday day and the pursuing morning.

It was ne'er recovered.

At the time, a $25,000 reward was offered for accusation starring to an apprehension successful the case. On Thursday, Houston TV presumption KPRC asked Crime Stoppers, the radical offering the award, whether the plumber would get immoderate of the reward.

Its spokesperson said helium would not — that the reward was lone for accusation astir the culprit, and that the statute of limitations for that transgression has expired.

Lakewood is 1 of the nation’s largest churches, drafting much than 50,000 radical a week earlier the pandemic.  Since 2005, it has been housed successful an arena that was the erstwhile location of the Houston Rockets. Joel Osteen became its pb pastor successful 1999.