Anaheim ReleaseMETHODS MAY CHANGE, BUT THE MESSAGE IS ALWAYS THE SAME: HARVEST WITH GREG LAURIE RETURNS TO ANAHEIM,
JULY 15 – 17
Since 1990, Nearly 2 Million Southern Californians Have Taken Part in What May Be the Longest-Running Annual Evangelistic Outreach in Modern History
RIVERSIDE, Calif., June 10, 2005—Fads may come and go, but the enduring message of the gospel remains the same. This summer, July 15-17, Harvest with Greg Laurie will return for its 16th season of outreach in Southern California, visiting Angel Stadium of Anaheim to again share the basics of the Christian faith while employing top trends like contemporary music, X-Games-level athletes, and the latest technology to help get the message across.
Laurie's Harvest Crusades may be the longest-running annual evangelistic outreach in modern history, with Harvest holding events in Southern California since 1990. Since that time, nearly 2 million people have flocked to the area to listen to timeless truths delivered by Laurie, and, consequently, some 162,925 people from all walks of life have committed their lives to Christ as a result of Southern California Harvest events.
"With Harvest, we intentionally engage popular culture, using it as a bridge to reach millions of people with the simple, timeless message that God loves us and wants a relationship with us," said Laurie.
Called "the evangelist of the future" by Rev. Billy Graham, Greg Laurie is the founder of the Harvest Crusades, evangelistic stadium and arena gatherings that have drawn more than 3 million people in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 1990.
Local Churches Join Together to Host Harvest
Since 1990, hundreds of churches have helped host the Southern California Harvest Crusades, with life-changing results. Of the tens of thousands of people who have committed their lives to Christ at Southern California Harvest Crusades, many of them have joined local churches as part of a church follow-up program. This year, 50 new churches from many different denominations will join the hundreds of churches already committed to help host the three-night Harvest event in Anaheim.
Local pastor Ray Huab from Cottonwood Christian Center in Los Alamitos said, "It has amazed me to see the different denominations come together for the purpose for which we were created—reaching people with a simple message of God's love."
Culturally Relevant Faith
During each Harvest event, Laurie draws on contemporary means to describe the relevancy of faith in today's world, but chooses to keep the message consistent and simple as he presents the gospel. Laurie's talks encompass topics that appeal to people of any age and answer questions like: Why am I here? Is God real? What happens when I die?
In addition to a nightly message from Laurie, the Southern California Harvest will feature Christian music spanning genres from alternative to rock to Gospel, and will include Grammy-winning musicians Steven Curtis Chapman and Jars of Clay, as well as popular artists Jeremy Camp, Delirious, Casting Crowns, Kutless, Crystal Lewis, and Toby Mac.
After breaking attendance records at the Augusta Civic Center in Georgia in April at its Harvest Jam youth night, Harvest will present a similar event in Anaheim, designating the Saturday night program as an evening for youth. The Harvest Jam program will feature a message from Greg Laurie and music from Kutless, Jeremy Camp, and Toby Mac, as well as a pre-concert and Freestyle Motocross exhibition by X-Games gold winner Nate Adams, X-Games qualifier Brian Dowdy, Dave Demangos, and Kyle Loza.
Techno-Savvy Faith
Each night of the Southern California Harvest will be broadcast live on the Internet and archived, and may be accessed on Harvest's award-winning web site at www.harvestcrusades.org. New this year, Harvest is also Podcasting Greg Laurie's daily radio program, A New Beginning. The program may be automatically received for free to iPods/MP3 players via the Internet.
Southern California Harvest Schedule of Events (all events free and open to the public)
| Friday, July 15 |
7 p.m. |
Southern California Harvest
Angel Stadium of Anaheim |
- Friday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Delirious and Casting Crowns.
|
| Saturday, July 16 |
Pre-concert 6:30 p.m.
Youth Jam 7 p.m. |
Harvest Youth Jam
Angel Stadium of Anaheim |
- The Harvest Jam program, geared specifically toward youth, will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie, music from Kutless, Jeremy Camp, and Toby Mac. The pre-concert will feature a Freestyle Motocross exhibition by X-Games Gold winner Nate Adams, X-Games qualifier Brian Dowdy, Dave Demangos, and Kyle Loza.
|
| Sunday, July 17 |
7 p.m. |
Southern California Harvest
Angel Stadium of Anaheim |
- Sunday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, and Crystal Lewis.
|
Nightly Southern California Harvest events begin at 7 p.m. and are free of charge. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and Angel Stadium charges $10 for parking. Each night of the event will be interpreted in Spanish, Korean, Arabic, and Vietnamese, and signing for the hearing impaired will be provided.
Greg Laurie serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the 15 largest churches in the U.S. His television program, Harvest: Greg Laurie, is the top-rated religious program in its timeslot on KTLA in Los Angeles. In addition to Southern California Harvest, Harvest hosted 2005 events in Augusta, Ga., Athens, Ga., and Santa Monica, Calif. Harvest will travel to Newcastle, NSW, Australia, Sept. 8 – 11.
Media Contact:
Laura Swickard McGowan
laura@lauramcgowan.com
(847) 328-8009 phone
(847) 866-9511 fax |
