Update:
Texas televangelist Joel Osteen has canceled the September stop at SunTrust Park where he and his wife Victoria were set to lead a group prayer and worship service.
His ministry confirmed in July that the change was due to “unforeseen technical issues.”
Learn about the cancellation on myAJC.com.
Original (published May 12, 2017):
Texas televangelist Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria announced Thursday that they plan to stop in Smyrna during their national "America's Night of Hope" stadium tour.
The couple leads Lakewood Church in Houston, which boasts 50,000 weekly attendees, according to the announcement. Their weekly television broadcast reaches 13 million people in the U.S.
"We're excited to be at SunTrust Park for the first time, and we believe everyone who attends will be uplifted and filled with an expectation that their best days are yet to come," Osteen said in the news release.
The doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m. on Sept. 30.
The “Night of Hope” tour began in 2009 at Yankee Stadium days after that ballpark opened.
The event's website says tickets cost $15, with programs usually lasting 2 or 2½ hours and featuring worship music, words from Joel and Victoria and time for group prayer.
Another aspect is the volunteerism.
On previous tour stops, Osteen's Generation Hope Project has worked with local nonprofit groups. In Detroit last year, volunteers made 3,600 sandwiches, packed thousands of pounds of produce, painted murals and created a children's playground.
This year, the Osteens’ “America’s Night of Hope” tour will be stopping at stadiums in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Detroit and Washington, D.C.
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