SoCal Harvest: What to expect at this year’s ‘Jesus Revolution’ in Anaheim

Greg Laurie calls himself a “delivery boy” for the gospel.

That’s what the well-known Evangelical pastor, who leads Bible study Sunday mornings in Riverside, will be doing at the 29th annual SoCal Harvest, coming to Angel Stadium of Anaheim Aug. 17 to 19.

Formerly known as the Harvest Crusades, SoCal Harvest is considered one of the largest Evangelical outreaches in the country. It draws an audience of about 100,000 over the course of the event annually, said John Collins, executive director of the Harvest Crusades. About 8.9 million people have participated by live webcast or in person since 1990.

The theme of this year’s SoCal Harvest is “reigniting a Jesus Revolution” in Southern California.

To explain, Laurie referred to the TIME Magazine “Jesus Revolution” cover of 1971, in which the publication describes a “spiritual awakening” in the 1960s and 1970s that saw an increase in hippies attending churches.

“You have a generation where it seemed like America was coming apart at the seams,” Laurie said. “People were coming back from Vietnam in body bags. There were riots in the street, racial tensions, deep political division and huge protest marches. After this, we had three significant American leaders – John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy – assassinated. It seemed like, to a young person, that the country was unraveling.”

In a statement released by the Harvest Crusades, Laurie, who was 17 when the spiritual movement began in earnest, said he sees “so many parallels” in contemporary culture and the height of the Jesus Revolution.

He added, in a later conversation, that it was through the movement that he found his own faith and that he sees the roots of a similar revolution among millennials.

“This culture is not going to help. This culture does not have the answers you’re searching for. It’s the blind leading the blind, as the Bible says. God has the answers,” Laurie said.

“It happened for a generation in the ’70s and it can happen again in this generation.”

A Pew Research Center study from 2016 indicated the millennial opinion on church and other religious organizations has become more negative since 2010, with only 55 percent saying they now feel these institutions have a positive impact on the country. The report also states millennials are less likely than older generations to become religious later in life.

Even so, Laurie said, people of all ages and backgrounds should come to SoCal Harvest – skeptics welcome.

“I understand. I, by nature, am skeptical as well. But, why would you reject something you haven’t looked into?” Laurie said.

“If you come into this event and give a fair listen, should you decide to reject it, at least it’s based on having heard what it is as opposed to what you may think it is.”

This year’s SoCal Harvest will feature Christian artists such as MercyMe, Passion and Chris Tomlin. It also will include a freestyle motocross show inside the stadium on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Also on Saturday, Laurie will interview actress Madeline Carroll, who co-starred in the film “I Can Only Imagine,” based on the story behind MercyMe’s song of the same name. The Harvest Crusades also will host a tailgate party on Saturday in the parking lot under the Big A.

“It’s a setting in which you hear a lot of great Christian music and have a relaxed, joyful time and then be able to listen to a message about some of the biggest questions we have in life,” Collins said. “‘Why are we here?’ ‘Is there life after death?’ ‘Is there hope in this world?’ Questions that I think people have in the back of their minds but don’t often address. This is a way of addressing them without coming into a church.”

Johnny Day, a resident of Orange and volunteer at the event since 2011, said he has been on other Harvest Crusades but feels a special connection with the Anaheim event.

“It’s your home turf. It’s a special time,” he said. “I look forward to Christmas and Easter and Fourth of July and the Anaheim crusade. It’s in my top four favorite things of the year.”

“I think it’s important because we’re sharing the word of God. We’re building his kingdom,” Day said. “This crusade and what Harvest does and how they launch it and get people involved in it – it’s for the nonbeliever. Greg preaches a great message, but there’s all these little parts that have to be involved also.”

Day said he has seen people greatly affected by the experience.

“You see people, you see their lives changing. You see them crying and you see them happy. That’s my favorite part. In reality, that’s what it’s about,” Day said. “The bands are great. The message is great. But seeing how God’s working and seeing what he’s doing, it’s awesome.”