Mark's Notebook

Anaheim Harvest Crusade

Orange County Register

by Scott Martindale

Increasing turmoil in the Middle East is just one sign that the world could be coming to an end, evangelical Pastor Greg Laurie told a crowd of 35,000 packed into the stands of Angel Stadium on Sunday night.

Other signs include disasters like Hurricane Katrina, the Southeast Asian tsunami, earthquakes and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Those disasters and their frequency were the topic of the last day of Laurie's three-day Harvest Crusade sermon, sponsored by the nondenominational Harvest Christian Fellowship church.

Laurie, who delivered the keynote address all three days, stressed that God gave meaning and purpose to people's lives. On Friday, he discussed the biblical reasons for human existence in a sermon called "What's your question?" The following day, Laurie discussed the meaning of life, a talk aimed at young people, whom he called upon to turn to God for direction.

Each night of the event, Laurie estimated that he converted about 10 percent of his audience.

Laurie, 53, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle rider and an occasional surfer, is known for his straight-talk sermons that resonate with 21st-century audiences. He sprinkles his messages with pop-culture references, and his sermons can be downloaded onto MP3 players.

The Harvest Crusades began during the summer of 1990, when Laurie teamed up with Pastor Chuck Smith of Costa Mesa's Calvary Chapel for a series of sermons inside Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa.

Laurie, who was raised without religion, dabbled in drugs as a teenager. At age 17, he stumbled across a high school Bible study group, transforming his life. Two years later, he founded Harvest Christian Fellowship, a Riverside-based ministry that has become one of the 15 largest churches in the United States.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/homepage/article_1242615.php

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Last updated Monday 3 August 2009