Victoria Osteen

Victoria Iloff Osteen (born March 29, 1961; married April 41987) is the wife of Joel Osteen. Victoria, often called co-pastor, occasionally gives the sermon at the church which holds four services each weekend. Victoria and Joel have two children, Jonathan and Alexandra. Victoria leads the women's ministry at Lakewood. There are special programs presented each week with occasional guest speakers.

Success

The Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce named Victoria Osteen a Community Impact Award winner in 2006. Her activities include a regular feature on 89.3 KSBJ-Houston's afternoon drive show with Chuck Pryor and Amanda Carroll. She calls in every Wednesday to encourage and pray for children. She also supports the organizations Feed the Children and The Bridge, a shelter for battered women. Victoria and Joel were the featured cover story of the May/June 2006 issue of Texas Family magazine. She was also on the cover of Houston Pet Talk magazine, October 2006. Victoria will release her first book in Spring of 2008 which focuses on the influence of women. According to the church's website, "This new series promises to be a resource for parents who are seeking to raise children in the knowledge of God's Word.

Plane incident

On December 19, 2005, the Osteen family was asked to deplane a Continental Airlines flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston bound for Vail, Colorado due to an altercation between Victoria and a flight attendant, the FBI was notified but no charges were filed. The other passengers on the plane both corroborated and contradicted the statements by the fight attendants. A letter from Victoria was posted on the Lakewood Church website after the incident. Victoria stated that "it was truly a minor misunderstanding and did not escalate into what you saw or read in the news," and that she chose to leave the plane voluntarily. The official response from Lakewood Church claims: "The account of the event which has come to our attention is inaccurate and overblown. The misunderstanding was minor and was resolved when Victoria voluntarily removed herself from the situation." Despite this claim by Lakewood, nine months later the FAA fined Victoria $3,000 USD, claiming she "failed to comply with a flight attendants' instructions." Victoria later paid that fine but states it is not an admission of guilt.

In September 2006, Sharon Brown, one of the flight attendants involved, filed suit against Victoria claiming she was "elbowed [...] in the left breast while trying to get into the cockpit". The lawsuit states she "suffered pain and bruising." Brown is seeking "unspecified damages for the medical care, emotional pain and mental anguish". During the coarse of the lawsuits discovery, Brown's attorney requested documentation on the Osteen's wealth which the Osteens objected to. This documentation was later turned over to a judge, it will reveal the net worth of the Osteens in the event of a judgement.