By Kate Miller, Philip Pirwitz and Liz Burlingame

You can’t miss it.

Driving into Houston, TX on the freeway, to your right, is the biggest church in North America, Lakewood Church. With over 30,000 members and an arena which the Houston Rockets used to call home, Lakewood seems more like a small city than a church community.

When pulling up to this massive building around 9 a.m. today, we noticed quite a scene outside, including television crews, multiple policemen, and none other than the secret service.

This was our tip to knowing something bigger was in play than just a great sermon. Joel Osteen, the head pastor and author of two bestselling books, is internationally-known, but we figured he wasn’t secret service worthy.

Phillip, Liz and I attended the 11 a.m. service this rainy Sunday morning. None of us had seen anything like it before.

People of all different walks of life, of a plethora of ethnicities and ranging from infancy to elderly were in attendance. Thousands upon thousands of people shuffled into the church, slowly but surely filling the arena.

Politics were on our minds, and we figured it might be an issue brought up. One middle-aged woman walked in with an Obama shirt on, and we overheard a few different groups of people discussing their political views. We were hopeful.

Alas, politics weren’t an issue heavily discussed within the sermon, although Pastor Osteen did speak about the importance of voting:

“The big election, the primary is this Tuesday, and if you haven’t voted, I know you wanna vote, and we never tell you how to vote, just search your own heart, and just vote for the one you think is right. The scripture says God will put the right one in office, so just get out and vote.”

President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton made an appearance at the 8:30 a.m. service (which explains the secret service), something the Pastor mentioned at our service. According to a staff member whom we spoke to after our 11 a.m. service, they came quickly and with very little notice, and were the first presidential political faces to come to a service this year.

Osteen, noted as “one of the most influential Christian voices of our generation,” touched lightly on the importance of voting and did not dive any deeper than that. As one church go-er told us after the service, “He doesn’t touch that (politics).”

With such a large, diverse congregation and an intense enterprise (including multiple books and c.d.’s featuring Osteen and his wife, Victoria), Osteen may not be taking a partisan stand so as to not alienate any of supporters.

The presence of the Clinton’s did seem to resonate with some church members.

Chioma, a young woman who attended the 11 a.m. service, said “I’m really upset I didn’t get to see the Clintons.” She went on to talk about how much she liked Sen. Clinton.

“I pray she wins,” she exclaimed.

Though the Clinton’s appearance screams political strategy, many church members who we spoke with were quick to defend Pres. Clinton’s reasons for coming.

“He didn’t come here for any other reason than to be blessed…shame on me for ever judging him,” Kay Macullum said.

Lakewood, and it’s Pastor’s influence on the community is apparent from the moment you walk through it’s massive doors. But politics was one issue not heavily present on the agenda.