Harvest Crusades With Greg Laurie Delivers Singular Message of Hope to Some 2.8 Million Southern Californians over Past 20 Years
A Fixture in the Southland Since 1990, Annual "Cornerstone" Harvest Crusade Event to Take Place at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, August 14-16
RIVERSIDE, Calif., July 2, 2009—Known for its high-energy events that have drawn some 2.8 million people throughout Southern California to stadiums, fairgrounds, and amphitheatres in locales like Orange County, Ventura, and San Diego, Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie will mark 20 years in the Southland this summer with its annual evangelistic outreach at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, August 14 – 16. Founded by Riverside, Calif., pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie in 1990, the Harvest Crusades have been a fixture in Southern California since that time, and its cornerstone event held at Angel Stadium each year is the longest-running annual outreach in the U.S.
Although the format of the Harvest Crusade programs has changed with the times—past events have featured music from groups as diverse at P.O.D. and Randy Travis, exhibitions from X-Game-qualified athletes and technological feats like live video webcasting—the singular message of hope presented by Laurie at each event has remained the same.
"The message I have presented at Harvest Crusade events in Southern California—and around the world—over the past 20 years has not changed, but lives have," said Laurie. "God loves us and wants to have a relationship with each one of us."
"Southern California Harvest 2009" Program
In addition to a nightly message presented by Laurie, this year's Harvest Crusade at Angel Stadium, known as "Southern California Harvest 2009," will feature a line-up of top Christian musicians including Third Day, Relient K, Skillet, Chris Tomlin, and the Katinas.
Called the "evangelist of the future" by Billy Graham, Laurie will share a message of redemption during each night of Southern California Harvest 2009, drawing on contemporary means to describe the relevance of faith in today's world. 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? These topics are particularly meaningful to Laurie in light of the death last year of his 33-year-old son, Christopher—a personal tragedy he hopes will point others toward faith in God.
G3 Training
Youth play a significant role in "getting the word out" about Southern California Harvest 09, and Harvest is making available youth evangelism training for local teens and young adults through a program called G3. G3 training is provided by the SWAT Team (Students with a Testimony)—a team of youth and pastoral staff from Greg Laurie's church, Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif. Some 300 youth from 30 churches throughout Southern California are currently registered to attend G3 training, July 11 – August 8, at Calvary Chapel Refuge in Huntington Beach.
Southern California Harvest 2009 Facts and Figures
As preparations are underway for the Southern California Harvest 2009, facts and figures include:
- More than 200 churches are working together to host the Harvest Crusade.
- Some 5,000 local volunteers will serve as follow-up workers and ushers, and will assist with set-up & tear down during the Harvest event.
- Some 100,000 bumper stickers and 700,000 invitations to the Harvest Crusade are being distributed locally.
Southern California Harvest 2009 Schedule of Events
(events are free and open to the public)| Friday, August 14 | 7 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Friday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Third Day, the Katinas, and Dennis Agajanian. | |
| Saturday, August 15 | 7 p.m. |
| Saturday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Relient K and Skillet. | |
| Sunday, August 16 | 6 p.m. |
| Sunday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Chris Tomlin and the Katinas. | |
The Southern California Harvest 2009 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 fees for cars and $20 for buses. Each night of the event will be interpreted in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese. Signing for the deaf will be provided.
In addition, Southern California Harvest 2009 will host a food drive during the weekend event to collect food for the homeless in Los Angeles County through the Fred Jordan Mission. Those attending are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the "Boxes of Hope" drive.
All three evenings of the Southern California Harvest 2009 will be broadcast live on the Internet, and video podcasts and blog accounts of each message will be made available at http://blog.greglaurie.com/. "Behind the scenes" updates from Greg Laurie leading up to each Harvest event will also be available on Twitter at http://twitter.com/greglaurie.
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 events have drawn more than 3.8 million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990. Laurie also serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the largest churches in the U.S., and serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse.