Raleigh 2007

RIVERSIDE, Calif., June 25, 2007—Although North Carolina is considered part of the "Bible Belt," many of its residents still seeking spiritual answers flocked to the Triangle Harvest 07 at Raleigh's RBC Center over the weekend to learn more about God's love and lasting spiritual change. More than 41,000 people attended the Triangle Harvest 07 over three nights, June 22–24, coming to listen to a straightforward message of faith from Southern California pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie and the best in Christian music from bands spanning a variety of genres. Hosted by more than 225 local churches, the Triangle Harvest is the largest Harvest event ever to be held outside of Southern California.

The long-term community prayer and preparation was evident over the weekend as the Triangle Harvest grew in size each evening, drawing 10,500 on Friday evening, 14,500 on Saturday for the Amplify youth event, and filling the stadium to capacity on Sunday evening with more than 16,500 in attendance. The News & Observer in Raleigh reported, "The event, more than a year in the planning, sparked palpable excitement. Crowds jumped to their feet the moment the Harvest Crusade Band hit the stage with a staple of Christian praise: "It's not for us; it's all for you." (June 23, 2007)

The Triangle Harvest featured revved up music from Christian bands and artists as diverse as Andraé Crouch, The David Crowder Band, tobyMac, Leeland, and Third Day that literally had audiences on their feet, dancing and singing along. But the highlight of each evening was the talk given by evangelist Greg Laurie, who spoke on topics including: "How to Change for Good," "What is the Meaning Life?" and "God's Cure for Heart Trouble."

Addressing the audience on Sunday evening Laurie explained that there is only one true cure for heart trouble—a relationship with Jesus Christ. "The Bible doesn't say that you'll get into heaven by being good. It's not going to happen by us trying, because we all fall short. Jesus would not have suffered and died on a cross if all roads lead to God," said Laurie. "Our hearts should not be troubled if we know that God's Word is true, have the assurance that we are going to heaven, and believe that Jesus will come again."

At the end of his message each night, Laurie offered those in attendance an opportunity to pray with him to enter into a relationship with Christ. Some 2,470 people indicated their new-found faith publicly by walking to floor of the RBC Center throughout the course of the weekend. Hundreds more Triangle residents indicated faith by praying with teams of youth called Students with a Testimony (SWAT) on the streets of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and surrounding areas where the teens passed out Triangle Harvest invitations.

Community participation in the Triangle Harvest 07 was unprecedented as more than 225 local churches from a variety of denominations worked together in a show of unity to host the event—the area's first large-scale evangelistic outreach in 13 years. Pastors and community leaders from a variety of denominational backgrounds forged new relationships as they distributed more than 405,000 event invitations, 3,500 bumper stickers, and volunteered to lend their time to filling more than 3,000 jobs at the RBC Center during the event weekend.

In addition, media coverage of the Triangle Harvest 07 was overwhelmingly positive and plentiful with 15 unique television stories produced and aired and front page coverage in the local newspaper, The News & Observer. News 14 Carolina reported on Sunday evening, "When Laurie stepped onto the stage, he put the spotlight on the message of Jesus, and emphasized the theme of his crusade—how to change for good. The message hit home for Robert Bell and his daughter, Hannah Fuller. 'Crusades just don't come through here very often, so it was just a great opportunity to invite a friend, bring someone close and share the good news with them,' said Bell, who lives in Cary." (June 24, 2007).

While more than 41,000 people attended the Triangle Harvest 07 at the RBC Center, another 14,000 people watched live Internet broadcasts of the event at www.harvest.org. The Internet broadcasts are archived and available for viewing. In addition, the Triangle Harvest may be viewed via podcast at www.harvest.org/podcast.

Greg Laurie, who founded the evangelistic Harvest Crusade events in 1990, also serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the 15 largest churches in the U.S. During the past 18 years, the Harvest Crusades have drawn more than 3.4 million people to events in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Laurie also serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse.

In addition to its visit to Raleigh, in 2007 Harvest will return to Anaheim, Calif. (Aug. 3–5) for its 18th consecutive Harvest Crusade in Southern California, and will make first-time visits to Modesto/Turlock, Calif. (Aug. 24–26), New York City (Sept. 23), and Wellington, New Zealand (Oct. 26–28).

• Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusade Wraps Up - ABC 11
• Greg Laurie, Anne Graham Lotz Point Over 41,000 to Heaven - The Christian Post

Miss the live webcast? You can view archives of all three nights of the Triangle Harvest from your computer.

If the Triangle Harvest has affected your life, we'd love to hear your story! Click here to tell us about it.

Stay connected with the Harvest Crusades with the Crusade Connection Blog. Get the latest updates from Harvest Crusades event locations, along with prayer requests from Greg Laurie and the rest of the Crusade team from onsite.