Back in 2014, Houston’s very own Lakewood Church was burglarized of $600,000, monies that were donated and tithed by its 43,000-member congregation. The discovery was made on Monday, March 10, 2014. An off-duty sheriff and church employee reported that someone broke into the church’s safe the proceeding Sunday.
“We were heartbroken to learn today that funds were stolen from the church over the weekend,” said a statement from Lakewood Church at the time of the incident. “This includes cash, checks and envelopes containing written credit card information, and it is limited only to those funds contributed in the church services on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, 2014.”
At the time, $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks and credit card donations were taken. Almost eight years later, it appears that a hired plumber has allegedly discovered some of the missing funds. The admission was reported during a call to country radio station 100.3 The Bull.
“There was a loose toilet in the wall, and we removed the tile,” the caller said. “We went to go remove the toilet, and I moved some insulation away and about 500 envelopes fell out of the wall, and I was like ‘Oh wow! I went ahead and contacted the maintenance supervisor that was there, and I turned it all in.”
Although lead pastor Joel Osteen has not personally confirmed the news, sources report that a spokesperson has “acknowledged” the discovery. The amount of money found has not been disclosed. The 2014 incident is still being investigated by the Houston Police Department.
