Harvest With Greg Laurie Returns To New York, June 13-14
After drawing more than 21,000 people to events at Madison Square Garden in 2007 and 2008, Harvest with Greg Laurie will return to New York this summer, holding its first-ever evangelistic outreach on Long Island. Called “Harvest 09 at Jones Beach,” the two-night event will take place at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, Long Island, on June 13 – 14.
Harvest 09 at Jones Beach will feature a nightly message from Southern California pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, as well as music from top Christian recording artists including: Grammy Award-nominated band P.O.D., Kutless, Delirious, and Jars of Clay. Each night of Harvest 09 at Jones Beach will be free, with no advance ticketing necessary.
More than 110 churches throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties, as well as Manhattan, will host Harvest 09 at Jones Beach, which is the first large-scale evangelistic outreach to visit the area since 1990.
“There is a new spirit of cooperation among the local churches on Long Island to work together for a cause that is bigger than any of us,” said Steve Tomlinson, pastor of Shelter Rock Church in Nassau County. “We believe the Harvest with Greg Laurie outreach at Jones Beach will help make an eternal impact on the community.”
Called the “evangelist of the future” by Billy Graham, Laurie will share a message of redemption and hope during each night of Harvest 09 at Jones Beach, drawing on contemporary means to describe the relevance of faith in today’s world. 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?
Greg Laurie founded the evangelistic Harvest events in 1990 and serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the largest churches in the U.S. Over the past 20 years, Harvest events have drawn more than 3.8 million people to stadiums and arenas in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Laurie also serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse.
G3 Training
Youth play a significant role in “getting the word out” about Harvest 09 at Jones Beach, and Harvest is making available youth evangelism training for local teens and young adults through a program called G3. G3 training is provided by the SWAT Team (Students with a Testimony)—a team of youth and pastoral staff from Greg Laurie’s church in SouthernCalifornia. SWAT Team members pay their own way to cities where Harvest events are held to join with local G3 groups in sharing the life-transforming message of the Gospel with people on the streets and in various locations around town.
Spots are available for 210 youth to attend G3 training, May 28 – June 1, at locations throughout Long Island and New York City.
Harvest 09 at Jones Beach Facts and Figures
As preparations are underway for the Harvest 09 at Jones Beach, facts and figures include:
· Some 110 churches are working together to host Harvest 09.
· Some 1,500 local volunteers will serve as follow-up workers and ushers, and will assist with set-up & tear down during the Harvest event. Another 50 volunteers from California will pay their own way to help at the event.
· Some 40,000 invitations to Harvest 09 are being distributed locally.
Harvest 09 at Jones Beach Schedule of Events (events are free and open to the public)
Saturday, June 13 7 p.m. (gates open at 5:30 p.m.)
- Saturday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Kutless and P.O.D.
Sunday, June 14 6 p.m. (gates open at 4:30 p.m.)
- Sunday evening will feature a message from evangelist Greg Laurie and music from Delirious and Jars of Clay.
Harvest 09 at Jones Beach begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, and at 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 14. Signing for the deaf will be provided.
Both evenings of the Harvest outreach are free of charge and will be broadcast live on the internet at www.harvest.org. Video podcasts and blog accounts of each message will also be available at http://blog.greglaurie.com/, and “behind the scenes” updates from Greg Laurie leading up to each Harvest event will also be available on Twitter at http://twitter.com/greglaurie.
