Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie to Hold First Dodger Stadium Outreach on September 10
Coinciding with 10th Anniversary Weekend of 9/11 Attacks, Evangelist Greg Laurie Will Deliver Message of Hope at "Los Angeles Harvest"
RIVERSIDE, Calif., August 18, 2011—Riverside, Calif. pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie will deliver a message of hope to thousands of people gathered at Dodger Stadium on September 10 when he brings his Harvest Crusades outreach to the Los Angeles venue for the first time. Speaking just a day before the 10th anniversary of the horrific attacks of 9/11, Laurie will address issues of suffering, mortality, and forgiveness head-on in a talk entitled, "Why Tragedy?"
"The message of hope that will be presented at the Harvest outreach at Dodger Stadium is for everyone, from gangbangers to corporate CEOs, and from atheists to the devoutly religious," said Laurie. "The message of the gospel is especially appropriate during a weekend that will commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 since it's a weekend when people are reminded of their own mortality and are seeking answers about why terrible things happen in the world."
The one-night evangelistic outreach, called the "Los Angeles Harvest," is being hosted by more than 330 churches throughout Los Angeles County and beyond, and will utilize 4,000 volunteers. In addition to the message presented by Laurie, the Los Angeles Harvest will also feature music from top name Christian musicians Chris Tomlin, Kirk Franklin, Jeremy Camp, and The Katinas, and an interview with special guest Louis Zamperini, a World War II prisoner of war survivor and a former American Olympic long-distance runner (1936, Berlin), who will share his story of faith. The Saturday evening program will conclude with a "virtual" candlelight vigil (via Smart Phone downloads) to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11.
A long-time fixture in Southern California, Harvest Crusades has held events throughout the area for more than two decades, most notably visiting Angel Stadium of Anaheim each year for the past 21 years. This year's outreach at Angel Stadium took place Aug. 12–14, drawing some 115,000 people. The Harvest Crusades last brought a full-scale event to Los Angeles in 1996, holding an outreach at Universal Amphitheater that drew 22,000 people over four nights.
Founded in 1990, the Harvest with Greg Laurie events are known for relating to audiences through contemporary means like top notch music, live Internet webcasts and hosted video podcasts, but the crux of each event is the nightly message presented by Laurie. Called the "evangelist of the future" by Billy Graham, Laurie draws on Scripture, flavored with personal and cultural examples, 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?
Fred Jordon Mission
A drive will be hosted 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.
G3 Student Evangelism Training
Church youth and young adult groups (age 15–26) across Los Angeles County are participating in Harvest's G3 evangelism training program so they can share the life-transforming message of the gospel with people on the streets and in various locations around town in preparation for the Los Angeles Harvest. G3 training sessions took place at NOKIA Plaza on August 20, and additional locations and dates are still to be announced.
Los Angeles Harvest Event Details
The Los Angeles Harvest will take place at Dodger Stadium and is free and open to the public
Saturday, September 10, 6 p.m.
- The Los Angeles Harvest will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Chris Tomlin, Kirk Franklin, Jeremy Camp, and The Katinas.
The Los Angeles Harvest begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10 (gates open at 4:30 p.m., and the parking lot opens at 3:30 p.m.) and is free of charge. Dodger Stadium charges $15 for parking fees for cars and $35 for buses. The event will be interpreted in Spanish and Korean, and signing for the deaf will be provided.
The Los Angeles Harvest outreach will be broadcast live on the internet at www.harvest.org. "Behind the scenes" updates from Greg Laurie will be posted on his blog at blog.greglaurie.com, as well as on Twitter at twitter.com/greglaurie and on Facebook at facebook.com/harvest.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 4.2 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.