Six hundred thousand dollars in cash, checks, and credit card info were reportedly taken from Lakewood Church in Houston where Joel Osteen holds religious services Sunday.
Theft from cash included $200,000 and $400,000 in checks out of the building's safe during early afternoon Sunday, and Monday morning according to Victor Senties of the Houston Police Department The Houston Chronicle reported.
The church notified its congregation about the $600,000 theft via e-mail following a worker at the church noticed the contributions were missing The Chronicle reported Tuesday.
"The funds were fully insured, and we are working with our insurance company to restore the stolen funds to the church," Lakewood Church said in a statement The Chronicle reported.
"Lakewood Church is working in conjunction with the Houston Police Department to investigate this matter. We do not want to compromise the investigation by commenting at this time," Donald Ilof Jr., a spokesman at the Church told The Chronicle.
Individuals concerned that their money or information is affected can contact the church at 713-491-1506 according to The Chronicle.
"We were heartbroken to learn today that funds were stolen from the church over the weekend," the church said in the e-mail posted on Fox Television station KRIV in Houston.
"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. If you made a contribution during these weekend services, we would encourage you to pay close attention to your accounts over the next several days and weeks and report any suspicious activity to your financial institution or credit card company immediately," the church said in the e-mail posted on KRIV.
The information of church-goers who donated via one of the building's drop boxes, on the internet, and other methods was not harmed according to the e-mail KRIV reported. The e-mail also says the incident not a security hack.
The church is investigating the case with the police department, and collaborating with the religious organization's insurance company to bring back the money to the organization according to the e-mail KRIV reported.
