Belief is unshaken by crash

Harvest Christian Fellowship leader Greg Laurie told followers Sunday that the death of his son last week in a car accident hadn’t shaken his faith.

“I still believe,” he said. “This faith we hold in Jesus Christ is real.”

He said the day of the accident “was the most devastating day of my life. I felt like time stood still.” He said that he’d trade spots with his son if he could, but that he took solace in knowing that his son was in heaven.

“I just said: ‘Lord, he’s yours. I dedicated him when he was a little boy, and I dedicate him back to you now.’ ”

Laurie made the comments Sunday morning at Harvest Christian Fellowship church in Riverside, not far from where his son died.

Christopher Laurie, 33, was driving alone Thursday morning “at a high rate of speed” in the carpool lane of the eastbound Riverside Freeway in Corona when his station wagon hit a California Department of Transportation tractor, the California Highway Patrol said.

Laurie was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are still investigating what happened.

The pastor said it was difficult driving past that spot Sunday morning on his way to the church. “Driving up here, honestly, was very hard.”

In the wake of Christopher’s death, there has been an outpouring of support for the Laurie family. The pastor’s personal blog has amassed more than 17,000 comments from around the globe offering condolences and prayers, and Laurie said he was deeply touched by the messages.

“I’m doing OK,” he added later. “The Lord is with me. I can’t be afraid of suffering. I will continue on with greater commitment. . . . I have a task to do and I am going to do it.”

Laurie is scheduled to lead the Harvest Crusade, an annual Christian revival, Aug. 15-17 at Angel Stadium.

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rene.lynch@latimes.com