Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie returns to the 45,000-seat
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, California, celebrating 25 years of
evangelistic outreach in Southern California with a three-night
program called the "2014 SoCal Harvest."
Organizers say the event, planned for August 15-17, will feature
"the trademark message of hope that has been delivered by
pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie at every Harvest Crusades
event since 1990."
"For 25 years, it has been a privilege to deliver a message of
hope to millions of people across Southern California and around the world through the Harvest Crusades, and to watch God work in ways we never could have imagined," said Greg Laurie.
"The Gospel message we've delivered at each and every Harvest
event since 1990 is simple and unchanging, and as a result,
more than 421,000 people worldwide have made commitments to put their faith in Christ."
Founded by Laurie, who serves as senior pastor of Harvest
Christian Fellowship – with campuses in Riverside and Irvine –
and Pastor Chuck Smith, the Harvest Crusades began as a one-
time evangelistic outreach at the Pacific Amphitheater in Orange
County before moving the following year to Angel Stadium of
Anaheim, where it has become the longest running annual
outreach in U.S. history, according to Harvest Ministries.
Twenty-five years later, the impact of the Harvest Crusades has
launched from the outfield of Angel Stadium to reach more than
6.5 million people around the world.
This year's SoCal Harvest will feature a nightly message from
Laurie, as well as music from top Christian recording artists
including Billboard chart-topping band NEEDTOBREATHE and
San Diego native and vocalist Phil Wickham on Friday; Skillet,
Sidewalk Prophets and Phil Wickham on Saturday; and Grammy
Award winning singer-songwriter Chris Tomlin, for King &
Country and Grammy nominated vocalist and Orange County
native Crystal Lewis, who has performed at nearly every
Southern California Harvest Crusade since 1990, on Sunday.
In addition, during the Friday evening program, Laurie will
interview former mobster, Michael Franzese, who has been
described by media as the "Prince of the Mafia." Franzese will
share how he put his faith in Christ while serving time in federal
prison, and how Laurie's radio program "A New Beginning"
helped him to build that faith.
The Harvest with Greg Laurie events are known for relating to
audiences through contemporary means like top notch music,
live Internet webcasts and social media, but the crux of each
event is the nightly message presented by Laurie, said
organizers. 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?
More Than 5,000 Volunteers
Volunteers are an integral part of a Harvest Crusades outreach,
and this year more than 5,000 people will serve in a variety of
capacities at the 2014 SoCal Harvest. Volunteer roles include
ushers and follow-up workers, and a number of students will
also be on-hand to distribute a portion of the 597,000 SoCal
Harvest invitations printed this year, handing them out at
popular locations throughout Orange County and personally
inviting those they meet to attend.
Bobby Gilbert from Tustin, California, has served as an usher
supervisor and Harvest Crusades volunteer since 1990. "I'm an
amputee and it's never stopped me from serving at the Harvest
Crusades," said Gilbert. "I've volunteered at every Harvest
Crusade in Orange County over the past 25 years, and when
Greg Laurie gives the message and people respond and put their
faith in Jesus Christ, it's amazing to see."
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.
All three nights of the 2014 SoCal Harvest will be broadcast live
via the Internet at www.harvest.org and daily blog accounts of
the crusade will also be made available. "Behind the scenes"
updates about the Harvest outreach will be posted on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/harvestcrusades ), Instagram
(harvest_org or search #HarvestSoCal) and Twitter
(www.twitter.com/harvest_org ).
source: christianpost
No comments:
Post a Comment