"Fear is not going to win": Joel Osteen addresses crowd at Lakewood Church's resumed Sunday service a week after shooting that left 7-year-old injured

Services at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church resumed on Sunday morning, February 18, 2024, after the shooting that took place on February 11. As the shooting left a 7-year-old and a 47-year-old injured, the services at Osteen’s church began with the presence of heavy security.

The opening was announced beforehand, as Joel Osteen stated that he would be hosting a "special service for healing, prayer and unity." During the service, Joel prayed for the well-being of the child and the man who had been shot, as they were still in the hospital.

“You just got to know Lakewood is strong and it keeps getting stronger. Fear is not going to win. Faith is going to win. We are going to move forward," Joel said, as per the National Desk.

The suspected shooter at Joel Osteen’s Houston church was reportedly identified as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, who was shot and killed in self-defense by law enforcement officers, as per CNN.

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The suspected shooter's child was reportedly shot in the head: Details explored as Joel Osteen addresses shooting

As services resumed at Lakewood Church in Houston, Joel Osteen addressed the shooting of the suspected shooter's kid, 7-year-old Samuel, who suffered severe head injuries. Joel also got emotional as he prayed for the boy’s recovery and said:

"I just ask you, Lord, to heal the hurts in that family. It was traumatic, you know, for a lot of people that were here and even people that weren't here, because this is our church and this is what God has given us. For somebody to come in and kind of, not kind of, but to violate and do something crazy — but you know what? Like we singing in all these songs, we trust in God."

ABC News reported that the 7-year-old’s grandmother, Walli Carranza, informed that Samuel had lost "a portion of his frontal lobe," as she said:

"Half of his right skull had to be surgically removed during two surgeries done in less than 24 hours. He was in cardiac arrest multiple times and no one can determine whether he has significant brain activity.”

Carranza, who is also the shooter’s mother-in-law, claimed that Genesse Ivonne Moreno had severe mental health issues. She also claimed that Moreno had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, as per CNN. The suspected shooter was reportedly shot and killed by an off-duty officer and an investigation into the case is currently underway.

The Lakewood Church was founded by John Osteen in 1959. However, following his death in 1999, the church is now taken care of by his son, Joel Osteen.