Harvest Crusade Expecting 180,000

Harvest Crusade, an evangelical festival famed for its blend of Christian teachings and pop culture, is expected to draw 180,000 faithful from more than 1,150 churches next week in Anaheim.

The crusades were started in 1990 by Riverside pastor Greg Laurie, a self-described “culture current evangelist” who spices his sermons with quotations from Hollywood stars and sports celebrities. Laurie, minister of Harvest Christian Fellowship, will use prayer, song and sermon to explore timeless questions on the meaning of life and the afterlife during the rallies, which begin at 7:30 p.m. at Edison International Field from July 23 to 25.

Harvest Jam--the crusade’s highlight aimed at teenagers and Generation Xers--will feature alternative Christian rock bands July 24. Musicians include Supertones, Crystal Lewis, Small Town Poets, Big Tent Revival, Jennifer Knapp and Harvest Crusade Band.

The free, three-day event will also be relayed live on the Internet at https://www.harvest.org. All services will be translated into Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Korean and Vietnamese. Since 1990, the crusades have drawn more than 2.1 million people. Information: 800-CRUSADE.