Harvest Ready to Reach Thousands in New Zealand
Nearly 100 churches throughout the South Island of New Zealand are partnering with Harvest Ministries to host one of the largest evangelistic outreaches ever to be held in the area.
Pastor Greg Laurie, whom the Rev. Billy Graham had called the evangelist of the future, is moving to a larger venue in New Zealand for this year's Harvest Crusade. From the some 2,000-seat Christchurch Town Hall to the more than 8,500-seat Westpac Centre, Harvest '06 is ready to bring large crowds to Christ Apr. 28-30.
Nearly 100 churches throughout the South Island of New Zealand are partnering with Harvest Ministries to host one of the largest evangelistic outreaches ever to be held in the area. Local residents have taken an active role to do what Laurie encourages at every crusade - to pray, invite and bring.
Monthly prayer meetings have been preceding the annual regional outreach, local communities have distributed more than 10,000 Harvest '06 bumper stickers, and pastors from across New Zealand plan to attend the crusade at Christchurch.
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New Zealand churches have invited Harvest several times in recent years. A two-night crusade was held in Auckland in September 2003 and Laurie has spoken in the Christchurch Town Hall in October 2004 and again in September 2005.
With one month left before this year's three-night event, Christians are again called to pray for friends, family members or co-workers who do not yet know Christ, and to invite and bring them to what thousands have experienced in the past three years.
"With Harvest, we intentionally engage popular culture, using it as a bridge to reach millions of people with the simple, timeless message of the gospel," said Laurie in a released statement. "We're especially glad to work alongside Christchurch-area churches to offer this life-changing message that is relevant to adults, teens, and children alike."
The stage for Harvest '06 had already been set with a launch rally held in September where 2,300 gathered at Christchurch Town Hall. The rally featured music from award-winning artist Rebecca St. James and an evangelistic message by Laurie.
More top Christian artists are slated to hit the Harvest stage in April, including Steven Curtis Chapman, Audio Adrenaline and the Katinas. A special night called Amplify will be held to especially target teens and young adults on the Saturday of the crusade.
Since 1990, Harvest has drawn more than 3.3 million people to stadiums and arenas in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Evangelist Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California - one of the eight largest churches in America.
The Harvest Crusades are scheduled to hit Anaheim and San Jose, Calif. on Aug. 11-13 and Oct 13-15, respectively.
