Despite Illness, Greg Laurie Hits 'Home Run' at Angel Stadium Crusade
Dan Wooding
ASSIST News Service
August 8, 2007
Some 9,521 Make Professions of Faith During Three-Night Crusade at Angel Stadium of Anaheim as 32,959 Watch Event by Internet
ANAHEIM, CA -- American pastor and evangelist, Greg Laurie, hit a “home run” for Christ during his annual “Southern California Harvest Crusade with Greg Laurie” that attracted some 102,000 people to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, representing more than 30 countries around the world.
But it was touch and go as to whether Laurie would be able to speak at the event that has been a fixture in Orange County since 1990.
He told the first night crowd on Friday (August 3) that he had been very sick for a few days. “I had bronchitis and also then got an inner ear infection that caused vertigo,” he said.
But despite his double sickness, he preached his heart out and was thrilled when some 9,521 made professions of faith during the three-night Crusade, as 32,959 watched the event by Internet.
After the final meeting, Laurie said on his blog, “Whew! What a weekend. I can’t remember a time when I have had more physical challenges in any crusade I have ever done than this weekend for Harvest 07 here in Southern California.
“As you know, I got bronchitis, which was followed by a serious case of vertigo. I never really did get over the vertigo, but I got through everything.
“I was dizzy pretty much every night, but when I spoke, I did not feel it at all. In fact, preaching was the one time of relief. I thought about just staying at the pulpit till the next night!
When I led people in prayer at the back of the stage each night, I was careful to not stand too close to the edge so I would not fall over!
“I was reminded of the Scripture where Paul wrote that God’s strength was ‘made perfect in weakness,’ and that certainly was the case for me this weekend. I was totally dependent on the Lord each night to get up and do something I take for granted- preach.
“The Lord blessed and I want to thank ALL of you for your prayers and kind words as well to via e-mails and this blog as well. We are all in this together, and I am thrilled to already be hearing stories of how God is working in your lives and the lives of those you brought.”
He went on to say, “Friday night, we had a great beginning with over 2000 responding to the invitation. Saturday night was incredible with some 4000-plus coming forward. And Sunday was very strong with some 3,600 responding.
“What can I say, but praise the Lord!
“Please remember in prayer our upcoming crusade in Modesto at the end of the month. I am taking a little time off, but I will be back in the pulpit at Harvest Christian Fellowship on August 19 with one of the artists who was with us in Anaheim-Phil Wickham. So if you are in the area, come join us.”
Although the Harvest Crusade took place in a ball park that usually packs in crowds of Angels’ fans, The Orange County Register reported, “Another type of cheering pierced Angel Stadium...Baseball took a back seat to the start of the Harvest Crusade, a Christian revival that has been drawing big crowds in Orange County for 18 years.” (August 4, 2007)
And the Southern California Harvest Crusade seemed to provide the spiritual revival that many people longed for, with crowds filling Angel Stadium each night for straight talk about God’s love and forgiveness from Riverside, Calif. pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie and music from popular Christian bands.
Each night of the Harvest Crusade featured a talk from Greg Laurie with topics including, “How to Find Eternal Life,” “Do You Want to Change Your Life?” and “A New Beginning.” The overarching message presented by Laurie throughout the weekend was simple: Christ’s love and forgiveness is available to all who come to Him and believe in Him. “You don’t have to the religious type to come to God tonight,” Laurie told the crowd gathered for the Saturday night crusade. “You have to be the sinner type.”
Laurie continued, “Jesus doesn’t see a crowd in this stadium. He sees you here tonight. Do you want to change your life? You can leave this place a different person if you give your heart to Christ.” Laurie concluded each night’s program with an invitation for those in attendance to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Over the course of the weekend, 9,521 people walked down to the field of Angel Stadium to make such a profession.
Music lent support to the talks presented by Laurie each night at the Harvest Crusade, reinforcing the message of God’s love. From raucous hip-hop and rock from multi-platinum band P.O.D., to lively pop-infused music and dance steps from tobyMac, to an audience sing-a-long with the David Crowder Band, the Christian music represented at the crusade kept audiences on their feet. Other crusade musicians included Leeland, Crystal Lewis, Phil Wickham, and Dennis Agajanian.
The Saturday night Harvest Amplify program, designed specifically for youth, featured music from P.O.D. and Leeland and topped out as the largest night of the crusade with more than 42,000 in attendance. “Listen up, guys,” urged Sonny Sandoval, lead singer of P.O.D. “The Harvest Crusade made a big difference in my life many years ago, so listen to what Greg Laurie has to say.”
While more than 102,000 people attended the Southern California Harvest Crusade, another 32,959 people watched live Internet broadcasts of the event at www.harvest.org, with 71 of those viewers indicating professions of faith in Christ. For the first time this year, a Harvest Crusade blog (http://cc.harvestlive.net/) gave readers up-to-the-minute information about the crusades and gave opportunity to post feedback. The Internet broadcasts are archived and available for viewing. In addition, the Harvest Crusade may be viewed via podcast at www.harvest.org/podcast.
Greg Laurie, who founded the evangelistic Harvest Crusade events in 1990, also serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the 15 largest churches in the U.S. During the past 18 years, the Harvest Crusades have drawn more than 3.5 million people to events 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.
In addition to crusade events that have taken place in Raleigh and Anaheim this year, in 2007 Harvest will make first-time visits to Modesto/Turlock, Calif. (Aug. 24 – 26), New York City (Sept. 23), and Wellington, New Zealand (Oct. 26 – 28).
A Personal note from Dan Wooding: I would like to share with you the news that have just taken on a new and very exciting project - to create a "Christian News Service" for Safe Worlds IPTV. Safe Worlds IPTV is a global IPTV* service that will launch in October this year that I expect to become a major new voice for the Church throughout the world.
Safe Worlds IPTV is being established to support/promote the release of Safe Worlds - a breakthrough e-business system that is going to be distributed worldwide for free - to be used on a low cost, pay-as-you-use basis. The objective of Safe Worlds is to enable people all over the world to do e-business in privacy and security. Alan Metcalfe, the principle designer of the system and founder of the company is a Christian.
I was delighted on Friday night; (August 3), to participate in our first news story for Safe World IPTV at the Harvest Crusade led by Greg Laurie at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, along with Jason Smart and Joanna Repsold, Director of Youth Programming, Safe Worlds IPTV.
Between us we were able to interview people like John Collins, director of his Harvest Crusades, who said, "It was Pastor Chuck Smith, who first came up with the idea for the Harvest Crusades and we have come a long way since those early crusades."
We also interviewed Kay Poland, Operations Manager for KWVE radio and Dave Spiker, the voice of Greg Laurie's radio program, A New Beginning. They hosted the live radio broadcast for KWVE.
Also, veteran broadcaster, Warren Duffy who had previously been at the stadium when he was doing PR with the Beach Boys and contrasted the two events.
Joanna Repsold was able to interview singer Phil Wickham and do a video feature on the Webcasting of the crusade.
MEDIA NOTE: For more information about the 2007 Harvest with Greg Laurie events, contact Laura McGowan at (847) 328-8009 or laura@lauramcgowan.com, or access the Harvest Newsroom at www.newsroom.harvest.org.
© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission