Harvest Online ::: News

TECH-SAVVY HARVEST CRUSADES WITH GREG LAURIE "GOES GLOBAL" IN 17TH YEAR

Featuring Live Podcasts and Webcasts, Harvest Heads to Three Cities
This Year Bringing Its Unique Blend of Faith and Culture

Packed House at Angel Stadium for the 2005 Harvest Event in Anaheim, California [Click to Enlarge]

A packed house at Angel Stadium for last year's Southern California Harvest
[ Click to Enlarge ]

Building on its growing tech presence from year-to-year, Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie will continue to "go global" this summer, reaching hundreds of thousands of people by providing virtual webcasts and podcasts of its crusade events online.

"Harvest is adapting new technologies to spread the gospel to a worldwide audience," said Harvest Crusade founder and evangelist Greg Laurie. "In essence, these are becoming global crusades. The events are local, but through technology, the message is going global."

Number of "Virtual" Attendees Skyrockets
At its annual Southern California event last year at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Harvest drew 100,000 attendees in person and 50,000 virtual attendees. This year's 17th annual Southern California Harvest, Aug. 11–13, is also expected to draw a significant number attendees, both in-person and virtually.

"Last year, people from 61 countries logged onto our Web site to view or listen to the crusade events remotely," said Laurie. "It's fantastic to think how many people all over the world can now hear the gospel message of hope in Christ through local Harvest Crusade events. It's literally as easy as downloading a podcast onto your MP3 player."

Barna Research reveals that 85 percent of Americans now have a personal computer, and one in five adults owns an iPod or MP3 player, allowing them to enjoy music and video whenever and wherever they choose.

"Thanks for providing the podcast," said one man from Washington. "I am a busy tech support guy and the phone is constantly ringing and interrupting any radio show I listen to at work. The ability to get the podcast regularly onto my iPod to listen to on the road or at times of leisure is truly a gift from the Lord."

Another man in Kyabram, Australia wrote to Harvest, "Please do not underestimate the resources you are making available on podcast. A sincere thank you for both the MP3's and the new video I can download through podcasts—they are fantastic. The teaching we are receiving is fantastic as I have never received spiritual teaching in this format before."

Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie is slated for events in three cities in 2006, including the recent Christchurch, New Zealand (April 28-30) event, and upcoming events in Anaheim, Calif. (Aug. 11–13), and San Jose, Calif. (Oct. 13–15).

With a trademark ability to present a straightforward gospel message in a culturally relevant format, drawing on the latest in current events, contemporary Christian music, and technology, Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusade events have drawn more than 3.3 million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990. Laurie also serves as pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the 15 largest churches in the U.S.

SWAT Teams Personalize "My Story" Template Online
For each Harvest Crusade, a group of SWAT Team (Students with a Testimony) teenagers pay their own way to travel to the crusade city to share the message of the Gospel with people on the streets, on the beach, in coffee shops, malls, and other hot spots where youth hang out.

This year, for the first time, Harvest is making a template available on the Internet so that SWAT Team students can type in and print out their testimonies. The students can then distribute their personalized cards to friends, family members, and other people they meet.

Remaining 2006 Harvest Crusades:

Anaheim, California, Angel Stadium, August 11–13
- Musical guests include newsboys, David Crowder Band, Joy Williams, Todd Agnew, Kutless, Crystal Lewis, Hawk Nelson, and MercyMe
San Jose, California, HP Pavilion, Oct. 13-15
- Jeremy Camp, Salvador, newsboys, Kutless, Chris Rice, Todd Agnew, Crystal Lewis, Ericson Alexander Molano, and Seventh Day Slumber

Media Contact:
Laura Swickard McGowan
Laura@lauramcgowan.com

Phone:		(847) 328-8009
Fax:		(847) 866-9511