Harvest With Greg Laurie Returns to Southern California for 17th Year This Weekend, August 11 - 13

Harvest With Greg Laurie Returns to Southern California for 17th Year This Weekend, August 11 - 13

Tech-Savvy Harvest Crusades, Which Have Drawn More Than 2 Million Southern Californians Since 1990, Take Message From Southland to the World

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie, the evangelistic event that has become a mainstay in Southern California's annual summer lineup over the past 17 years, will return to Angel Stadium of Anaheim this weekend, Aug. 11 - 13, with the 2006 Southern California Harvest. Partnering with more than 300 local churches, Harvest with Greg Laurie has drawn more than 2 million people throughout Southern California to crusade events since its inception.

The three-night outreach will feature straight talk about faith from Harvest Crusade founder and evangelist Greg Laurie and music from some of Christian music's most popular artists, including newsboys, David Crowder Band, Joy Williams, Todd Agnew, Kutless, Crystal Lewis, Hawk Nelson, and MercyMe. The Southern California Harvest will also include a Saturday evening event called Amplify, designed especially for teens and young adults.

Technology: Taking the Message From California to the World

Last year's Southern California Harvest drew some 100,000 people to Angel Stadium, while another 50,000 globally watched or listened to the event via virtual webcasts and podcasts during the course of the weekend. This year's Harvest outreach in Anaheim is also expected to draw a significant number of participants due to its growing tech presence, which includes expansion into video podcasting. The video podcasts will include nightly messages from Greg Laurie and a "behind the scenes" look at the Harvest Crusade events.

"As we reach people locally in Southern California, we've also tapped into a spiritual hunger that transcends borders," said Laurie. "It's fantastic to think how many people all over the world can now hear the gospel message of hope in Christ through local Harvest Crusade events. It's literally as easy as downloading a podcast onto your MP3 player."

"Thanks for providing the podcast," said one man from Washington -- one of 50,000 people from 61 countries who logged online to participate in last year's Anaheim Harvest Crusade. "I am a busy tech support guy, so the ability to get the podcast onto my iPod to listen to on the road or at times of leisure is truly a gift from the Lord."

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 Crusade events have drawn more than 3.3 million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990. In addition to serving as founder and evangelist for Harvest Crusades, Laurie also serves as pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the 15 largest churches in the U.S.

The Southern California Harvest begins at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights (gates open at 5:30 p.m.), and 6 p.m. on Sunday night (gates open at 4:30 p.m.), and is free of charge. Angel Stadium charges $10 for parking. Each night of the event will be interpreted in Spanish, Korean, Arabic, and Vietnamese, and signing for the deaf will be provided.

Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie is slated for events in three cities in 2006, including the recent Christchurch, New Zealand (April 28-30) event, and upcoming events in Anaheim, Calif. (Aug. 11-13), and San Jose, Calif. (Oct. 13-15).

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Greg Laurie http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=484507

Source: Harvest Crusades

CONTACT: Laura McGowan for Harvest Crusades, +1-847-347-5206,
laura@lauramcgowan.com

Web site: http://newsroom.harvest.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about the Southern California Harvest event or Greg Laurie, or to schedule an interview with a Harvest representative, contact Laura McGowan at (847) 347-5206 or laura@lauramcgowan.com , or access the Harvest Newsroom at newsroom.harvest.org

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