Megachurch Pastor Joel Osteen Hosts San Diego Event

The pastor of America's largest megachurch spoke to 10News about his appearance Friday at the Valley View Casino Center.Pastor Joel Osteen and his wife, Victoria, made a stop in San Diego Friday night. The pastor of the largest mega-church in the country, Houston's 40,000 member Lakewood Church, spoke to a nearly sold out crowd at the Valley View Casino Center (formerly the Sports Arena).Pastor Joel Osteen and his wife, Victoria, are considered megastars in the world of megachurches. Osteen is the pastor of the largest megachurch in the U.S. -- Houston's 40,000-member Lakewood Church. Outside the walls of Lakewood Church, the Osteens are seen by millions the U.S. and around the world every week.
"I watch him on TV… I'm real thrilled to come see him," said Carmen Talavera, who braved the heavy traffic to attend Osteen's event."He's so inspirational," said attendee Jacqueline Jackson. "He said, 'I'm coming here to get my hope for tonight and for the rest of my life.'"More than 14,000 attended the Osteen event. His message for San Diegans was vintage Osteen, pure positivity."God's a good God, that he's on our side and that when we believe no matter how difficult it is, he can bring us through," he told 10News.10News wanted to know more about how Osteen views the world. When asked about his take on the killing of Osama Bin Laden, he seemed to be somewhat conflicted in his answer."I don't necessarily celebrate his death, that's just a personal opinion. I think it's a sad thing when anybody leaves. When there's evil in the world, it's great to not see it here anymore," he said.According to several sources, Osteen's net worth is around $40 million. He added to that during his San Diego visit. If all 12,000 seats sold out at $15 a seat that would mean a haul of about $188,000. However, Osteen told 10News that the San Diego trip would end up costing about $200,000, so when all is said and done he said he'll actually lose money.Osteen has been compared to the Rev. Billy Graham, but Graham never charged for his revivals.Osteen told 10News he started charging a few years ago as a way to make sure that everyone who showed up at his event would be guaranteed a seat.