Nearly 50 years after the Jesus Movement—one of the greatest spiritual awakenings of the 20th century—came to life in Southern California, local pastor and evangelist who was himself brought to faith in the movement, Greg Laurie is seeking to spark a similar revival in the Southland. Dedicated to sharing a message of God’s love and igniting a “Jesus revolution” in a new generation, Laurie will bring the Harvest Crusade back to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Aug. 17 – 19. During the 2018 SoCal Harvest, Laurie will be joined by chart-topping Christian artists each night.
The 2018 SoCal Harvest is open to the public and admission is free.
The Jesus Movement of the 1960s and 1970s began in Southern California during a historically tumultuous time in the U.S. and brought spiritual awakening to the most unlikely characters—hippies and iconoclasts who rejected social standards and didn’t fit in with cultural norms. “There are so many parallels between the culture during that time and our current culture—racial unrest, political divide and drug problems,” says Laurie. “During the Jesus Movement, people prayed and God intervened. God transformed an unlikely generation, and He can do it again. America needs a spiritual awakening, and I strongly believe that we need to again pray toward that end—a Jesus revolution for a new generation.”
Laurie, who founded the Harvest Crusades evangelistic outreach in Southern California in 1990, has returned to Orange County annually for the past 29 years to deliver the simple, life-changing message of the hope that can be found in Jesus Christ, making the Harvest Crusades the longest-running evangelistic outreach in U.S. history. Called the “evangelist of the future” by the late Billy Graham, Laurie’s talks encompass topics that appeal to people of any age and answer questions like: Why am I here? Is God real? What happens when I die?
Laurie will be joined onstage by top Christian musicians including Grammy winning songwriter and worship leader Chris Tomlin (the “most sung music artist in history”), Grammy nominated MercyMe (I Can Only Imagine), worship band Passion, Phil Wickham, Jordan Feliz, hip hop artist Andy Mineo and renowned guitarist Lincoln Brewster. In addition, during the Saturday evening program, Laurie will interview actress Madeline Carroll, who most recently co-starred in the film I Can Only Imagine.
Laurie has partnered with co-author Ellen Vaughn to tell the story of the Jesus Movement in a new book called Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today, which will be released by Baker Publishing in September.
The 2018 SoCal Harvest begins at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (gates open at 5 p.m.) and at 6 p.m. on Sunday (gates open at 4 p.m.). A tailgate party will take place on Saturday from 3 – 5 p.m. in the parking lot under the “Big A” sign. Angel Stadium of Anaheim charges $15 for parking fees for cars and $30 for buses. Each night the event will be interpreted in Spanish and signing for the hearing impaired will be provided.
All three nights of the 2018 SoCal Harvest will be broadcast live at harvest.org and daily blog accounts of the crusade will also be made available. Updates about the Harvest outreach will be posted on Facebook, Instagram (search #HarvestSoCal) and Twitter.
2018 SoCal Harvest Schedule of Events
All events will take place at Angel Stadium of Anaheim and are free and open to the public. Gates open at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Friday, August 17, 7 p.m.
- ·Message from evangelist Greg Laurie
- ·Music from MercyMe, Passion and Phil Wickham
Saturday, August 18, 7 p.m.
- ·Message from evangelist Greg Laurie
- ·Music from Lincoln Brewster, Andy Mineo, Jordan Feliz, Phil Wickham and an interview with actress Madeline Caroll
- ·A tailgate party will take place from 3 – 5 p.m. in the parking lot under the “Big A” sign
Sunday, August 19, 6 p.m.
- ·Message from evangelist Greg Laurie
- ·Music from Chris Tomlin and Phil Wickham
Greg Laurie is the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside and Irvine, California, and Maui, Hawaii, and founder of the Harvest Crusades events, which have been attended by more than 8.9 million people worldwide since 1990, both in-person and via live internet broadcasts. Laurie serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
