Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, was robbed of more than half a million dollars Sunday.
Authorities say $600,000 in cash, checks and credit card donations were discovered missing and presumed stolen sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. (Via Lakewood Church)
KRIV reports all $600,000 in donations were collected during church services Saturday and Sunday and then placed in a safe. But online donations are safe — the theft did not include any online data breaches.
According to Lakewood Church, the money lost in the theft is insured but the bigger problem might come from churchgoers who donated with their credit card information.
"There is an insurance policy on its collections so they are not expected to lose money. However, you can if your identity was stolen." (Via KHOU)
Lakewood released a statement Monday after the theft, which said in part: "We were heartbroken to learn today that funds were stolen. ... If you made a contribution ... we would encourage you to pay close attention to your accounts."
According to Outreach Magazine, Lakewood is the largest church in America with an average weekly attendance of more than 43,000 members.
