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16TH ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HARVEST CRUSADE DRAWS 150,000 IN PERSON AND VIA THE INTERNET TO HEAR THE GOSPEL
By Michael Ireland (Assist News)

Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie has hosted evangelistic crusade events in Southern California for the past 16 years. This year, the 2005 Southern California Harvest Crusade was no exception as 100,000 people of all ages and backgrounds poured into Angel Stadium in Anaheim, July 15 – 17, joined by more than 50,000 via Internet technology.

Laurie was accompanied by musical artists and X-Games athletes who presented the same life-changing message, through music, sports, technology, as he told the audience how they could get to know God personally.

In addition to those attending the crusade in-person, more than 50,000 people watched and listened via live Internet broadcasts and, for the first time, via podcasting technology, according to an e-mail press release received by ASSIST News Service (ANS).

The release states that during the weekend, more than 28,649 people from 61 countries, totaling over 3,767 hours of streaming, logged on to watch the crusade live on the Internet. "Hits" per night averaged 2 million. And during the past week, 22,581 requests have been received for Harvest’s podcast feeds at www.harvestpodcast.org.

Harvest Crusades says that while several people made decisions of faith in Christ through new technology, during the Southern California Harvest Crusade more than 8,500 people stepped onto the field of Angel Stadium to profess their faith.

HARVEST JAM YOUTH NIGHT PACKS THE HOUSE

The Saturday night Harvest Jam youth program not only rocked the house with high-impact music and X-Games-level sports, it packed the house with more than 48,000 people in attendance, according to information released to the media.

Youth lined up outside the gates of Angel Stadium on Saturday afternoon, anticipating the chance to hear a pre-crusade performance by Kutless and to watch a Motocross exhibition by riders including X-Games gold winner Nate Adams and X-Games qualifier Brian Dowdy, as well as favorites Dave Demangos and Kyle Loza.

By the time the evening Harvest Jam kicked off, virtually every seat in the stadium was filled, leading many to listen to Laurie’s message and music from Jeremy Camp and Toby Mac from the parking lot.

During each night of the Southern California Harvest Crusade, Laurie presented a clear, relevant gospel message, preaching on topics entitled "God’s Cure for Heart Trouble," "Are We Living in the Last Days?" and "How to Change for Good." In addition to Laurie’s talks, the crusade featured music from Casting Crowns, Delirious, Kutless, Toby Mac, Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Crystal Lewis, and Steven Curtis Chapman. 

NEW PODCAST TECHNOLOGY

For those not able to make it to Angel Stadium during the weekend, each night of the Southern California Harvest Crusade was broadcast live on the Internet (www.harvestcrusades.org) and, for the first time, portions of the crusade were available to upload to iTunes nightly.

Information released to the media states that in a partnership between Harvest Crusades, The GodCast Network, and Life Spring, a series of four podcasts were produced during the week prior to the crusade, providing a background on the message, the music, the people, and the experience of the Harvest Crusade.

Six podcasts were produced during the crusade weekend, including the nightly messages given by Laurie, and the unique sound-seeing tours of all aspects of the crusade events like interviews with attendees and musical guests. Finally, two additional podcasts will be produced after the crusade, focusing on the experience of those who attended. The podcasts can be found on the web at www.harvestpodcast.org.

Laurie, who founded the evangelistic Harvest Crusade events in 1990, also serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, one of the 15 largest churches in the U.S. During the past 16 years, the Harvest Crusades have drawn more than 3 million people to events in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

HUNDREDS OF LOCAL CHURCHES AND VOLUNTEERS INVOLVED

In inviting Harvest Crusades to a city, hundreds of local churches from various denominations unite to form a hosting committee to organize outreach efforts. After the Crusade, local churches follow up with attendees who made a decision to follow Christ and invite them to worship.

Hundreds of local volunteers help host each Harvest Crusade. Though many of the tasks are basic, helping with parking, passing out programs, manning canned food drive drop-offs, many volunteers report real, lasting benefits from the opportunity to serve.