The north campus of The Lighthouse Church, led by Pastor Keion Henderson — husband of Shaunie Henderson, ex-wife of Shaquille O’Neal — sustained extensive damage from Hurricane Beryl, which struck Texas earlier this week.
Located at 6650 Rankin Rd. in Humble, the campus is now “indefinitely closed” due to significant structural issues. It is one of four church campuses scattered across the south, southeast, north, and west parts of Houston.
Lighthouse spokesperson Brian Smith stated on July 10 that the leadership assessed the damage and deemed the facility unsafe.
“Although we’re still assessing the complete extent of the damage, we know our building will not be usable in the foreseeable future. From what we’ve determined so far, the roof has collapsed in several locations, including the sanctuary. There is water damage to many rooms of the building, and much of the electrical system is compromised,” Smith explained in a statement on behalf of the church.
The hurricane resulted in multiple fatalities and left millions without power. Church staff expressed gratitude that no congregation members were injured during the storm.
Henderson, who experienced severe backlash earlier in the year for shushing a woman during worship service, took to social media to share images of the destruction. He assured the community that while the north campus is closed, the church remains open and committed to its mission. “We are resilient and strong, and with God’s grace, we will overcome this,” he stated.
Although the north campus cannot be used, Lighthouse is not closed. We are here for our community. We are resilient and strong and with God's grace and strength, we will overcome this.#HurricaneBeryl #PrayForHouston#CommunitySupport #GodsGrace #LHNation pic.twitter.com/AiF9NicT8F
— Keion D. Henderson (@PastorKeion) July 10, 2024
A video shared by Shaunie, Henderson and the church highlighted the storm’s devastation throughout the city, with Henderson urging followers to keep the church and Houston in their prayers. “No one expected it to be this bad,” he remarked about the Category 1 storm, recalling recent weather challenges faced by the city.
According to Henderson, the storm may have a deeper significance. “Either God wanted to get our attention or usher us into a new season. Whatever his decision was we know we cannot make it without Him,” he emphasized.
He also called for prayers for the city, noting the extensive power outages and community suffering caused by the storm.
On July 11, Shaunie shared an inspirational post that read, “Move like everything is gonna work out because it is.”
Support flooded in from various corners, including rapper Trae the Truth, who offered cleanup assistance. Known for his community work, he and his team, “The Relief Gang,” have been helping Houstonians recover from the impact of the multiple storms the city has faced over the past few months.
He volunteered, “We can assist with clean up bro.”
Bishop T.D. Jakes also extended his support, reminding Henderson that “it is in your darkest of hours that God shines the brightest of lights. @tphdallas will do anything we can!!”
Celebrities such as Tamar Braxton, DeVon Franklin, Phaedra Parks, Roland Martin, and more joined the chorus of encouragement, dropping either prayer hands or warm words.
The Hendersons were reportedly on a “scheduled sabbatical” when the hurricane struck, according to the Houston Chronicle, but have shifted their focus to community assistance.
In light of this outreach, the pastor issued a warning against scams targeting those looking to donate. “We are aware of fake messages attempting to solicit funds in the name of The Lighthouse Church,” a post on social media read. “This is appalling, and we pray no one is robbed by these deceitful individuals.”
The church clarified that it does not solicit donations through platforms like CashApp or PayPal. They have established “The Resiliency Fund” as the only official source for contributions, utilizing secure platforms designed for nonprofit fundraising.
Community members have actively reported fraudulent solicitations, prompting the church’s social media team to respond, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are working on it.”
As of four days post-hurricane, over 870,000 CenterPoint customers in the Houston area were still without power, Houston Public Media reported. The company anticipates restoring power to 80 percent of affected customers by the end of the weekend, following an initial peak of over 2.2 million outages.
With rain forecasted over the weekend, further recovery efforts may be delayed. The community remains focused on rebuilding and supporting one another in the wake of this disaster.
