2006 Southern California Harvest Release
HARVEST WITH GREG LAURIE RETURNS TO SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA FOR 17TH YEAR, AUGUST 11–13
Tech-Savvy Harvest Crusades, Which Have Drawn More than 2 Million Southern
Californians since 1990, Take Message from Southland to the World
RIVERSIDE, Calif., July 7, 2006—Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie, the evangelistic event that has become a mainstay in Southern California’s annual summer lineup over the past 17 years, will return to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Aug. 11 – 13, with the 2006 Southern California Harvest. Partnering with more than 300 local churches, Harvest with Greg Laurie has drawn more than 2 million people throughout Southern California to crusade events since its inception.
The three-night outreach will feature straight talk about faith from Harvest Crusade founder and evangelist Greg Laurie and music from some of Christian music’s most popular artists, including newsboys, David Crowder Band, Joy Williams, Todd Agnew, Kutless, Crystal Lewis, Hawk Nelson, and MercyMe. The Southern California Harvest will also include a Saturday evening event called Amplify, designed especially for teens and young adults.
Technology: Taking the Message From California to the World
Last year’s Southern California Harvest drew some 100,000 people to Angel Stadium, while another 50,000 globally watched or listened to the event via virtual webcasts and podcasts during the course of the weekend. This year’s Harvest outreach in Anaheim is also expected to draw a significant number of participants due to its growing tech presence, which includes expansion into video podcasting. The video podcasts will include nightly messages from Greg Laurie and a “behind the scenes” look at the Harvest Crusade events.
“As we reach people locally in Southern California, we’ve also tapped into a spiritual hunger that transcends borders,” 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.”
“Thanks for providing the podcast,” said one man from Washington—one of 50,000 people from 61 countries who logged online to participate in last year’s Anaheim Harvest Crusade. “I am a busy tech support guy, so the ability to get the podcast onto my iPod to listen to on the road or at times of leisure is truly a gift from the Lord.”
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. In addition to serving as founder and evangelist for Harvest Crusades, Laurie also serves as pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the 15 largest churches in the U.S.
SWAT Team: Taking the Message to the Streets of Southern California
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. The SWAT Team outreach is an important aspect of each Harvest Crusade, and students pray with hundreds of people through the course of the week leading up to each crusade event. Some 100 students from Laurie’s Harvest Christian Fellowship, as well as students from youth groups as far away as Texas and Oregon, will take part in this year’s events in Southern California.
This year, for the first time, Harvest is making a template called “My Story” available on the Internet so SWAT Team students can type in and print out their own stories of faith. The students can then distribute their personalized cards to friends, family members, and other people they meet. In addition, the SWAT Team, along with local youth groups, will distribute 125,000 invitations to the Amplify youth night on the Saturday night of the Harvest Crusade.
Due to the interest expressed by several youth leaders and pastors throughout Southern California to replicate the SWAT Team evangelism model with their own youth groups, and to become involved with the Southern California Harvest through evangelistic outreach, Harvest SWAT Team leaders will lead an evangelism training session for area youth groups on Saturday, July 22, in Huntington Beach.
Southern California Harvest Schedule of Events (events are free and open to the public)
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Friday, August 11 at 7:00 P.M.
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Southern California Harvest (Angel Stadium of Anaheim)
Friday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Crystal Lewis, Todd Agnew, Joy Williams, and the Harvest Crusade Band.
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Saturday, August 12 at 7:00 P.M.
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Amplify (Harvest Youth Event) Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Amplify, a Harvest concert event, will feature the David Crowder Band, Kutless, and Hawk Nelson, as well as a message from evangelist Greg Laurie.
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Sunday, August 13 at 6:00 P.M.
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Southern California Harvest Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Sunday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from the newsboys, MercyMe, and the Harvest Crusade Band.
The Southern California Harvest begins at 7 P.M. on Friday and Saturday nights (gates open at 5:30 P.M.), and 6 P.M. on Sunday night (gates open at 4:30 P.M.), and is free of charge. Angel Stadium charges $10 for parking. Each night of the event will be interpreted in Spanish, Korean, Arabic, and Vietnamese, and signing for the deaf will be provided.
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).
Media Note: For more information about the Southern California Harvest event or Greg Laurie, or to schedule an interview with a Harvest representative, please make use of the contact information at the bottom of this page.
Media Contact:
Laura Swickard McGowan
Laura@lauramcgowan.com
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(847) 328-8009 |
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(847) 866-9511 |
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