Annual Harvest Crusades Outreach Will Take Message of Hope from Angel Stadium to 1,200 Locations Across U.S.
"2012 Anaheim Harvest" on Aug. 25 – 26 Will Feature Nightly Message from Evangelist Greg Laurie, Top Christian Music, and National Broadcast/Webcast
Riverside, Calif., July 24, 2012—This year, Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie is thinking locally and acting nationally. Returning to Orange County for the 23rd year running, August 25 – 26, the "2012 Anaheim Harvest" will bring its contemporary brand of evangelistic outreach to crowds gathered at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, as well as to people who will convene at more than 1,200 additional locations across the U.S. to watch the crusade live.
A Southern California mainstay since 1990, the 2012 Anaheim Harvest will feature a nightly message from local pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, as well as music from Third Day, Güngör, David Crowder, Jeremy Camp and MercyMe. New this year, the Angel Stadium outreach will also serve as a launch pad to share a message of hope with an even wider audience on its second night, Sunday, August 26, during a free live satellite broadcast and live streaming webcast called Harvest America. Harvest America will take the Harvest Crusades program to host sites from California to the Carolinas and to venues that include churches, auditoriums, parks, and theaters.
"The Harvest Crusades held in Orange County have served as our cornerstone events for the past 22 years," said Greg Laurie. "With this in mind, we believe Angel Stadium is the perfect location to launch Harvest America, a new model for mass evangelism—relevant for our times—in which an event is produced in one location, replicated and broadcast to live host sites across America. Harvest America takes the concept of the old-fashioned tent revival to a new level as people across the country gather virtually for a singular event."
More than 7,000 people representing some 200 area churches will volunteer at the 2012 Anaheim Harvest. Harvest Crusades will also host a full-scale outreach in Los Angeles when it returns to Dodger Stadium this Sept. 8 – 9 for the "2012 Los Angeles Harvest" (www.harvestcrusades.org). Last year marked Harvest's first visit to Dodger Stadium, where some 50,000 people attended a one-night event.
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?
2012 Anaheim Harvest Schedule of Events
All events will take place at Angel Stadium of Anaheim and are free and open to the public.
Doors open 90 minutes in advance of each program.
Saturday, August 256 P.M.
- Saturday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Third Day, Güngör, and David Crowder.
Sunday, August 264 P.M.
- Sunday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Jeremy Camp and MercyMe during the national Harvest America broadcast/webcast.
The 2012 Anaheim Harvest begins at 6 P.M. on Saturday (gates open at 4:30 P.M.), and 4 P.M. on Sunday (gates open at 2:30 P.M.), and is free of charge. Angel Stadium of Anaheim charges $15 for parking fees for cars and $30 for buses. Each night of the event will be interpreted in Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. Signing for the deaf will be provided.
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.
Video podcasts and blog accounts of each evening of the 2012 Anaheim Harvest 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 Facebook and 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 4.4 million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990. Laurie also serves as senior pastor of one of the largest churches in America, Harvest Christian Fellowship, which has campuses in Riverside and Irvine, Calif. He serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Media Note: For more information about the 2012 Anaheim Harvest, contact Laura McGowan at (847) 328-8009 or lauramcgowan@comcast.net. For more information about Harvest America, contact Kelly Wells or Alison Geist at (770) 813-0000 or visit www.DeMossNews.com/HarvestAmerica.