Harvest Online ::: News

So far delivering a message of hope to some 135,000 people in four U.S. cities this year, Harvest with Greg Laurie kicked off four nights of evangelistic outreach in Australia this week with a city-wide event at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre called Harvest '05. More than 9,300 people from Australia's Hunter region attended programs on Thursday and Friday nights, Sept. 8 & 9, that featured talks from Southern California evangelist and pastor Greg Laurie and music from Australian and international artists including Steve Grace, Rebecca St. James, Darlene Zschech & Hillsong, and Delirious. Harvest '05 continues Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10 & 11.

During his Thursday night message entitled, "God's Cure for Heart Trouble," Laurie talked about the amount of stress created by the frightening things occurring in the world today. "Is your heart troubled?" Laurie asked the crowd. "It may look like your world is falling apart and darkness is going to overtake you, but Jesus tells us, 'don't let your heart be troubled.'"

Laurie explained that God has given us three remedies for the anxiety we may feel, and urged the audience to first take God at his word by reading the Bible, the Christian's users manual for life. Secondly, he urged believers to take joy in knowing they will go to heaven, and lastly to be encouraged by the knowledge that Christ is returning for all believers.

Laurie concluded his message by explaining that God offers a free gift of salvation to all who will accept it, and provides the way to heaven. During the first two nights of Harvest '05, some 544 people walked to the front of the Newcastle Entertainment Centre to commit their lives to Christ.

Harvest Youth Jam

After filling Angel Stadium to capacity at its Southern California Harvest Youth Jam in July, Harvest will offer a similar event in Newcastle, presenting two programs on Saturday specifically for youth, at
3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Harvest Youth Jam program will feature a message from Greg Laurie and music from Delirious and Planetshakers. Due to the large turnout during the 2003 Harvest event, organizers are preparing for another capacity crowd at Harvest '05 and have made arrangements for an additional "overflow" building that will include premium sound and lighting, a stage with a live house band, a live choir, and most importantly, additional seating.

Laurie, who founded the evangelistic Harvest 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. Since 1990 the Harvest events have drawn more than 3.2 million people to arenas and stadiums in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

In addition to Harvest '05 in Newcastle, Harvest hosted 2005 events in Augusta, Ga., Athens, Ga., Santa Monica, Calif., and Anaheim, Calif. The final Harvest event for 2005 will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand on Sept 14.

MEDIA NOTE:
Harvest '05 begins at 7:30 P.M. each evening, and is free of charge. Gates will open at 6 P.M. and Newcastle Entertainment Centre charges $5 for parking.