During a week when America struggled to make sense of the hatred and violence perpetrated by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, more than 92,000 people gathered at Angel Stadium of Anaheim this past weekend, Aug. 18 – 20, to hear a message of hope and unity in Christ presented by Pastor Greg Laurie at his annual Southern California Harvest Crusade outreach. Another 46,972 attended the crusade via a live internet broadcast.
Now in its 28th year, the 2017 SoCal Harvest featured a nightly message from Laurie about the hope that can be found in a relationship with Christ, and his Friday-night talk titled “A Second Chance for America” gave mention of current events. The Los Angeles Times (Aug. 19, 2017) wrote, “Laurie began his evening—the highlight of the event—by addressing the racial and political division that’s troubled the nation this week. He spoke about the tensions of the 1960s and his own troubled past, doing drugs and being ‘filled with hate.'”
“When you become a Christian, those barriers come down,” he said. “Racial barriers come down, prejudice comes down.”
During his message, Laurie said, “Our country is divided. For a follower of Jesus Christ, there is no place for racism, bigotry or prejudice of any kind. I see these people carrying crosses, wearing swastikas, talking about white supremacy. There is no superior race. We are all part of the human race.”
According to a news release from Laura McGowan Communications, Laurie was joined throughout the weekend by top Christian music artists including Crowder, Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Lecrae, Jeremy Camp, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, Andy Mineo, American Idol finalist Danny Gokey, NBC’s The Voice finalist Brennley Brown and worship leader Phil Wickham.
At the heart of each of Laurie’s messages during the 2017 SoCal Harvest was an invitation for those in attendance to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. “Deep down inside you’re longing for God, you’re longing for peace, for the forgiveness of sin,” said Laurie to the crowds gathered at Angel Stadium. “God holds the missing peace for you tonight, but you must come to Him and believe. You’re a sinner, but the Good News is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and paid the price for you.”
By the end of the three-night outreach, 10,071 people made decisions of faith, including those in attendance at Angel Stadium and those viewing the live SoCal Harvest program online.