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Posted: 09/02/2015 at 1:40pm
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Some 105,000 People Gather at Angel Stadium Over Weekend for 26th Annual SoCal Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie
10,759 People Make Decisions of Faith During 2015 SoCal Harvest
By Dan Wooding, Founder of the ASSIST News Service
RIVERSIDE,
CA (ANS -- August 31, 2015) -- Angel Stadium of Anaheim lived up to its
name this past weekend, August 28 – 30, 2015) as participants at the 26th annual
Southern California Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie experienced some holy
moments of their own.
According to a news release from Laura McGowan, some 105,000 people gathered
at the stadium for the 2015 SoCal Harvest, coming to hear music from top
Christian artists like Phil Wickham, THIRD DAY, Citizens & Saints, Lacey
Sturm and Jeremy Camp, as well as a message of hope from local pastor and
evangelist Greg Laurie.
Laurie
gave his nightly talk from a stage adorned with a verse from the Bible that
could be seen from the stands far away: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth
and the life and no one comes to the father except by me.’—John 14:6.” This
message was repeated throughout the weekend as Laurie spoke to the crowds
gathered about eternity in messages entitled, “Happiness: What it is and How to
Experience It,” “The Point of No Return,” and “Hope for the Afterlife.”
Laurie said to the audience on Sunday night, “Life’s going to come to an end,
but the good news is that the soul lives on. You need to think very seriously
about that, because once you die and enter the afterlife, you can’t change your
destination. You want to think now about where to spend eternity, and you have
two choices: heaven or hell.” Laurie continued, “Heaven is not for good people,
heaven is for forgiven people, and you can be forgiven tonight. I believe many
of you have an appointment with God tonight; now it’s up to you to believe in
Him and put your faith in Him, and leave this place a brand new person on the
inside.”
“At the end of his message each night, Laurie gave an invitation to those in
attendance to make their way to the outfield of Angel Stadium to put their faith
in Christ, and 10,451 people did just that over the course of the weekend.
Another 308 people made professions of faith via the live Internet broadcast of
the Harvest Crusade,” said the news release.
“This really is Angel Stadium tonight because the angels are watching and
rejoicing over every person who comes to repentance!” said Laurie as crowds
streamed down from the stands.
Taking the Message to the World
While tens of thousands gathered at Angel Stadium over the weekend, many more
listened to the 2015 SoCal Harvest through a variety of media options. A large
audience across the U.S. and around the world were able to participate in the
2015 SoCal Harvest via live and archived Internet broadcasts (www.harvest.org),
as well through radio broadcasts (450 stations carried the Harvest Crusade
live), live and pre-recorded television programs, digital media like Roku,
podcasts and live blog updates, and various forms of social media including
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
All nights of the 2015 SoCal Harvest were broadcast on the Internet, and
there were 122,922 webcast views from people in all 50 states and 142 countries
around the world. In addition, 308 Internet viewers made professions of faith in
Christ after watching the Harvest Crusade online. The 2015 SoCal Harvest is
archived and available for viewing at www.harvest.org.
With
a trademark ability to present a clear 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 been attended by more than 7
million people worldwide since 1990, both in-person at stadium and arena events
and via live Internet broadcasts. Laurie 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.
Next year, Harvest with Greg Laurie will simulcast a coast-to-coast
evangelistic outreach called Harvest America from AT&T Stadium in Dallas
(March 6, 2016).
MEDIA NOTE: For more information about the 2015 SoCal Harvest events, or to
arrange an interview, contact Laura McGowan at (847) 347-5206 or at lauramcgowan@comcast.net , or access
the Harvest Newsroom at newsroom.harvest.org
Photo captions: 1) Greg Laurie speaking during the crusade. 2) Councellor
prays with couple. 3) Part of the crowd at Angel Stadium worshipping. 4) Dan
Wooding pictured with Greg Laurie after he had interviewed him. Source: Assist News
Service
Edited by News Room on 09/02/2015 at 1:46pm
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