Posted: 08/11/2012 at 5:59pm | IP Logged

RIVERSIDE, CA (ANS) -- In a strong show of unity, some 430 Christian churches throughout Los Angeles County have worked together for more than a year to bring the Harvest Crusades back to Dodger Stadium.

These churches represent a diversity of cultures and denominations throughout the region -- from Angelus Temple to Rolling Hills Covenant Church to Chinese Evangelical Church -- and are represented by the 4,000 volunteers who will participate in the 2012 Los Angeles Harvest.

Greg Laurie speaking last year at Dodger Stadium

The City of Angels will play host to some 'straight talk' about God when the Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie return to Dodger Stadium for the second year running, Sept. 8 - 9.

After participating in Start! Rallies, free one night events taught by local pastors that focus on personal evangelism, volunteers will have the opportunity to serve in a variety of ways, including decision follow-up workers, ushers, or stage set-up workers. Start! Rallies will be held in various locations across Los Angeles County now through mid-August. For more information call (951) 687-6595 or visit www.la.harvest.org .

In addition to those volunteering their time at Dodger Stadium, more than 200 students and youth (ages 15 - 26) across Southern California 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 2012 Los Angeles Harvest. Training sessions will take place in August.

Drawing a crowd of 50,000 people to a one-night event at Dodger Stadium in 2011, this year's evangelistic Harvest Crusades outreach, called the "2012 Los Angeles Harvest," is relying upon the involvement of 4,000 volunteers representing some 430 churches throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

The 2012 Los Angeles Harvest will feature a nightly message of hope from Southern California pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, as well as music from Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder, Steven Curtis Chapman, Phil Wickham, and the Katinas. Nick Vujicic, a man born with no arms and no legs who founded the organization Life Without Limbs, will also join Laurie on Sunday to discuss both suffering and the source of his joy and zeal for life.

A long-time fixture in Southern California, Harvest Crusades has held events throughout the area since 1990, most notably visiting Angel Stadium of Anaheim each year for the past 22 years. This year's outreach at Angel Stadium will take place Aug. 25 - 26 and will feature a national broadcast called Harvest America, which will take the crusade to more than 1,300 host sites across the U.S. (www.harvestamerica.com ).

ANS founder Dan Wooding with Greg Laurie after Dan had interviewed Laurie for his Front Page Radio program.

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 Los Angeles Harvest Schedule of Events

All events will take place at Dodger Stadium and are free and open to the public. Doors open two hours in advance of each program.

Saturday, September 8 6 p.m.

Ø Saturday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder, and the Katinas.

Sunday, September 9 4 p.m.

Ø Sunday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Steven Curtis Chapman, Phil Wickham, the Katinas, and special guest Nick Vujicic.

The 2012 Los Angeles Harvest begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday (gates open at 4 p.m.), and 4 p.m. on Sunday (gates open at 2 p.m.), and is free of charge. Dodger Stadium charges $10 for parking fees for cars and $35 for buses. Each night of the event will be interpreted in Spanish, Korean, and Mandarin. 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles Harvest, contact Laura McGowan at (847) 328-8009 or lauramcgowan@comcast.net , or access the Harvest Newsroom at www.newsroom.harvest.org .

Source: (ANS) www.assistnews.net