ANAHEIM, CA (ANS): In preparation for the 21st annual Southern California Harvest campaigns at Angel Stadium of Anaheim from August 6 to 8, some 6000 volunteers will be mobilised, 100,000 bumper stickers handed out, and more than 12,000 Bibles given away.
These multiple efforts all point back to a single message of hope that will be delivered by Riverside, California, pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie during each night of the “2010 Southern California Harvest”.
The theme of “hope” will run throughout the event, culminating with a special Sunday evening programme called, “A Night of Hope” where Laurie will team up with Grammy Award-winning musician Steven Curtis Chapman to address issues of sorrow and the hope we have in Christ in the midst of crisis. Both Chapman and Laurie lost children in automobile accidents in 2008, and share a common desire to offer encouragement to people who are suffering loss of any kind.
Focus on the Family founder, broadcaster, best-selling author, and family expert Dr James Dobson will also join Laurie for an interview on the Sunday evening to discuss suffering.
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. His talks encompass topics that appeal to people of any age and answer questions like: “Why am I here?” “Is God real?” and “What happens when I die?”
In addition to nightly talks from Laurie, the 2010 Southern California Harvest will feature performances from some of the top names in Christian music, including: the David Crowder Band; Phil Wickham; Sanctus Real and The Katinas.
Laurie’s Harvest events have drawn more than four million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990. Some 300 churches throughout Southern California are working together to host the August event.
More than 100 church youth and young adult groups (age 16 to 26) are participating in Harvest’s G3 evangelism training programme so they can share the Gospel with people on the streets and in various locations around town leading up to the campaign.
Laurie also serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse.
