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For Easter 2020, Joel Osteen is hosting a star-studded Sunday church service, to be live-streamed for people observing the religious holiday to enjoy from the comfort and safety of their homes. In addition to Joel and Victoria Osteen, the Easter service will be supported by two A-listers: Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry.
Originally, Kanye West and his “Sunday Service” gospel choir were supposed to participate as well, but they had to back out after determining there was no safe way to perform without breaking social distancing protocol and putting the health of the group’s over 100 members at risk. Per TMZ, the original plan had been to record the choir in Los Angeles and keep them in protective masks, spaced 6 feet apart; ultimately, West decided against the vision. He is not expected to participate in the service in any capacity.
Of the star-studded Easter service, Osteen told Fox News “It’s all virtual, but it’s just going to be a very uplifting couple of hours that we can hopefully, you know, keep people in the right perspective and just let them know again that God is still in control.”
If you are interested in watching the service, it begins at 9:30 a.m. EDT. There are a number of options for live-streaming the special Easter event, which you can find here.
Mariah Carey Is Expected to Perform Her Song ‘Hero’
According to TMZ, Mariah Carey reached out to Joel Osteen about wanting to participate in the service. She is expected to sing her song “Hero” as a tribute to the healthcare workers and first responders as they continue to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic..
On Good Friday, ahead of the service, Carey uploaded a video singing “Hero.” On Instagram, she wrote “Sharing a tribute of hope and gratitude with you on this holiday weekend. Thank you to our heroes.”
At the start of the recording, she said “I’m just doing my best to try and celebrate with you this Easter, this holy week. Quite the unique time in history – a time that doesn’t allow us to be together in person and to be festive and worship with one another.”
Osteen Said Tyler Perry Will Deliver a Personal Message During the Service
According to TMZ, Joel Osteen said that Tyler Perry will speak a special message to all those who tune in to the Easter mass, noting that Perry is a good friend of the Houston-based church and also a powerful public speaker.
Ahead of the Easter service, Perry has been offering his social media followers faith-based messages and videos through the quarantine. One video, which featured Mariah Carey, Usher, and a number of other celebrities singing “He’s Got the Whole World,” was captioned by Perry “To me this song is a prayer of humility. It’s telling the world how small we really are in all of this and how we have to trust that it’s all in God’s hands!! So here’s round two as we keep praying for the world!! Feel free to join us!!”
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