Harvest Crusade Opens to Nearly Packed House

The 11th annual Harvest Crusade opened Friday with more than 32,000 spirited participants nearly filling the stands at Anaheim’s Edison International Field to hear the rock band Big Tent Revival, singer Crystal Lewis and evangelist Greg Laurie.

“Of course, it’s going to be fun to be around all the Christian people,” said Justo Marquez, 19, of Fontana. But the point of the crusade, he said, is to bring a non-Christian friend or someone who wants to reconnect with the faith.

The crusade drew people of all ages to the stadium for the spiritual pep rally and the opportunity to listen to the music and to celebrate with those of like mind.

“I believe that God will touch me,” said Ancy George, 21, of Anaheim, a Christian attending the crusade for the first time at the invitation of her friend, Lydia Jesudass, 22, of Whittier.

Crusade veterans like Paul De Long, 45, of Anaheim have been coming every year since the Crusade started in 1990.

“I look forward to this every year,” De Long said. “It’s the highlight of my summer. It’s really a blessing.”

The only hitch was that popular Christian rock band Jars of Clay, which was scheduled to play, got stuck on a broken-down bus. They were rescheduled for Sunday night.

Laurie, who founded the annual event, encourages people who have no church or have lost faith to come onto the field to accept Jesus Christ, said John Collins, director of the crusade. Last year, more than 11,000 made professions of faith.

“The moment of conversion is a miracle,” Collins said. “It’s a person who’s going from death to life.”

The cost of the crusade, with its sophisticated sound systems and professional rock musicians, is about $580,000, Collins said. The sponsoring church, Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, where Laurie is senior pastor, usually breaks even because of private donations from businesses or churches, he said.

Profits from the sales of Harvest clothing and key chains, and from the nightly offering also help, Collins said. Last year, with over 112,000 people attending over a three-day period, the organization raised $200,000 in donations alone.

Friday night, more than 40 computers were tucked away in the press box with volunteers using the Internet to proselytize in cyberspace for those who could not attend personally. About 40,000 “virtual attendees” are expected to tune in this year to the live audio and video feeds, said John Carley, Internet coordinator for the crusade.

Standing on the sidelines was Lisa Stark, 25, of Highland, who had the duty of spending the evening not listening to the music in the stands but praying that the high-tech equipment didn’t crash.

“It’s a very important job,” she said. “Everyone else has lots of other things to think about.”

Enjoying the evening and working toward his Eagle Scout rank at the same time was Michael Lewis, 17, of Riverside, who organized two dozen Boy Scouts from two churches in Riverside to staff the turnstiles at the stadium’s main gates.

The fun and fellowship of the crusade was the main draw for Justyne Lewallen, 12, who came to Anaheim with the family of her friend Cristina Porto, also 12, from Riverside.

“We get to see our favorite bands play and worship God at the same time,” Lewallen said. “There are also a lot of cute boys here, but we’re not here for that.”