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"Black Hills Harvest 09" with Greg Laurie to visit Rapid City's Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, May 15 – 17
More Than 80 Black Hills Churches Join Together to Host Area-Wide Outreach Featuring Message from Greg Laurie and Music from Third Day, Relient K, Others
RIVERSIDE, Calif., April 7, 2009—As the downward-spiraling economy causes many to tighten their belts, more than 80 churches throughout the Black Hills area are making sure that local residents have a chance to hear a life-changing message of hope—free of charge. After a year of planning and working together cross-denominationally, the churches will host the Black Hills Harvest 09, featuring Southern California pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, at Rapid City's Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, May 15 – 17.The Black Hills Harvest 09 is the first large-scale evangelistic outreach to visit the area in ten years, and will feature a nightly message from Laurie, as well as music from top Christian recording artists including: Third Day, Relient K, Jeremy Camp, and The Katinas. Each night of the Black Hills Harvest will be free, with general admission seating available.
"Bumper stickers are popping up around the area, and a lot of people are asking, 'Who's Greg Laurie?'" said local organizer Jeff Anderson, pastor of First Assembly of God church in Rapid City. "It's exciting to see so many pastors and business leaders working together to reach out and touch the Black Hills area with the love of Christ. By the end of the Black Hills Harvest, people will know who Greg Laurie is, but it's really our prayer that they know who God is."
Called the "evangelist of the future" by Billy Graham, Laurie will share a message of redemption and hope during each night of the Black Hills Harvest 09, 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.
Greg Laurie founded the evangelistic Harvest events in 1990 and serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the largest churches in the U.S. Over the past 20 years, Harvest events have drawn more than 3.8 million people to stadiums and arenas in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Laurie also serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse.
G3 Training
Youth play a significant role in "getting the word out" about the Black Hills Harvest, 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 in Southern California. SWAT Team members pay their own way to cities where Harvest events are held to join with local G3 groups in sharing the life-transforming message of the Gospel with people on the streets and in various locations around town.
Some 125 local youth are currently registered to attend G3 training, April 4 – 7, at Alternative Fuel Coffee House in Rapid City.
Black Hills Harvest 09 Facts and Figures
As preparations are underway for the Black Hills Harvest 09, facts and figures include:
- Some 80 churches are working together to host the Black Hills Harvest.
- Some 1,500 local volunteers will serve as follow-up workers and ushers, and will assist with set-up & tear down during the Harvest event. Another 150 volunteers from California and 15 volunteers from Washington State will pay their own way to help at the event.
- Some 12,000 bumper stickers and 125,000 invitations to the Black Hills Harvest are being distributed locally.
Black Hills Harvest 09 Schedule of Events
(events are free and open to the public)| Friday, May 15 | 7 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.) |
|---|---|
| Friday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Third Day and The Katinas. | |
| Saturday, May 16 | 7 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.) |
| Saturday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Relient K and The Katinas. | |
| Sunday, May 17 | 6 p.m. (Doors open at 4:30 p.m.) |
| Sunday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Jeremy Camp and The Katinas. | |
The Black Hills Harvest 09 begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16, and at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 17. Signing for the deaf will be provided.
All three evenings of the Harvest outreach are free of charge and will be broadcast live on the internet at www.harvest.org. Video podcasts and blog accounts of each message will also be available at http://blog.greglaurie.com/, and "behind the scenes" updates from Greg Laurie leading up to each Harvest event will also be available on Twitter at http://twitter.com/greglaurie.