Pastor Greg Laurie’s multiday SoCal Harvest evangelistic event was attended by 50,000 people and led to more than 8,600 being called to make decisions to follow Christ.
Held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim last weekend, SoCal Harvest drew approximately 50,000 in-person attendees, an additional 160,000 people watching online, and was carried by around 600 social media pages and radio stations, according to stats shared with The Christian Post.
Musical performances at the two-day event featured notable contemporary Christian music stars, including Jeremy Camp, Phil Wickham, the Newsboys, Andy Mineo and Crowder.
Laurie preached at the gathering, telling those gathered at Angel Stadium and watching online that “God changed the course of my life, and He can do that for you.”
“My hope tonight is not in politicians or world leaders. It’s not in technology, money or possessions. It’s not even in religion,” said Laurie. “What we are all looking for is not something you hold in your hand. It’s something that happens in your heart in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”
The gathering also incorporated themes from the upcoming movie “Jesus Revolution,” a film based on the real-life Christian revival movement that took place in the 1960s and 1970s in Southern California.
The movie centers on how the revival movement personally impacted the life of a young Laurie, who was influenced by a street preacher named Lonnie Frisbee.
The film stars Kelsey Grammer as Pastor Chuck Smith, Jonathan Roumie as Frisbee, and Joel Courtney portraying a young Laurie.
In a statement shared with CP earlier this year, Laurie said the film was “about how Jesus moved and sent a spiritual awakening in our lives that is still being felt today.”
“I am honored to have such a talented, venerated cast and crew tell this story that is so near to my heart and changed my life and our country for eternity,” he said.
“The Jesus Movement was the last great American spiritual awakening. Some historians have said it was the greatest revival of all time. Now, I’m praying for another in our time.”
SoCal Harvest is an annual evangelistic event that boasts of having had more than 6 million attendees and at least 600,000 professions of faith since it was first held in 1990.