Harvest Online ::: News

RIVERSIDE, Calif., March 17, 2005—Thousands will gather in azalea-covered Augusta this April, but for God, not golf. Augusta will host the first-ever Greater Augusta Harvest with Greg Laurie, April 17–20, at the Augusta Civic Center.

"This will be our first community-wide evangelistic event in nearly 20 years ago, and we are excited to see what God has in store," said local event organizer Pastor Mark Harris from Curtis Baptist Church. "Some 137 area churches of many denominations have worked over the past year to plan the Greater Augusta Harvest."

Harvest Crusades, known for presenting traditional Christian beliefs in a culturally relevant way, employing of-the-moment methods like Internet technology, ultra-hip Christian music, and current event references, has drawn more than 3 million people to stadiums and arenas in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 1990. Each Harvest Crusade event features a message from Riverside, Calif., pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie.

"With Harvest, we intentionally engage popular culture, using it as a bridge to reach millions of people with the simple, timeless message of the gospel," said Laurie. "We're especially glad to work alongside Augusta-area churches to offer this life-changing message that is relevant to adults, teens, and children alike."

Music for the Masses

The Greater Augusta Harvest will feature a sampling of Christian music's hottest talent, spanning genres from rock to pop to bluegrass. Musicians will include Mercy Me (whose hit "I Can Only Imagine" has been played on pop stations nationwide), Grammy winning band Jars of Clay, Jeremy Camp, Crystal Lewis, The Katinas, Doyle Dykes, Dennis Agajanian, and an Augusta community-wide choir.

The four-night event will include a Monday evening Harvest Jam, designed especially for teens and young adults, with music by top Christian musicians Mercy Me and Jeremy Camp. Volunteering at the Harvest Jam will be groups of teens from Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif. These SWAT Teams (Student With a Testimony) travel to each Harvest Crusade to encourage local youth spiritually by teaming up with local church youth groups to pass out invitations to Harvest events.

Greater Augusta Harvest Schedule of Events (all events free and open to the public)

Sun., April 17 – Wed., April 20 7 p.m. Greater Augusta Harvest
Augusta Civic Center
The Greater Augusta Harvest will feature music by Mercy Me, Jars of Clay, Jeremy Camp, Crystal Lewis, The Katinas, Doyle Dykes, Dennis Agajanian, and an Augusta community-wide choir.

Mon., April 18 7 p.m. Harvest Youth Jam
Augusta Civic Center
The Harvest Jam program, geared specifically toward youth, will feature Mercy Me and Jeremy Camp.

Nightly Greater Augusta Harvest events begin at 7 p.m. and are free of charge. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and parking is free. Interpretation will be provided for the hearing impaired. The Greater Augusta Harvest will be archived on the Internet and video may be accessed at www.harvest.org within 24 hours of the event.

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. In addition to the Greater Augusta Harvest, Harvest will host 2005 events in Athens, Ga. (April 22); Santa Monica, Calif. (June 3–4); Anaheim, Calif. (July 15–17); and Newcastle, NSW, Australia (Sept. 8–11).

MEDIA NOTE: For more information about the Greater Augusta Harvest or Greg Laurie, or to schedule an interview, contact Laura Swickard McGowan at (847) 328-8009 or laura@lauramcgowan.com, or access the Harvest Newsroom at newsroom.harvest.org.