SoCal Harvest gospel stadium event could set pandemic gathering record       

Few states have suffered more from the pandemic and resulting lockdowns than California. Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in Riverside, Calif., will bring SoCal Harvest, a message of hope, to thousands of residents in early October.

The much-anticipated event will take place on October 3 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. where attendees can expect a night full of worship, encouragement and revival. It could be the largest faith gathering in the U.S. since before the pandemic.

“I’ve never in my entire life and ministry encountered more hearts awakened to the gospel,” Laurie said. “I believe in the wake of the global pandemic we might be on the precipice of a great global revival. I believe we’ll see more energy in Angel Stadium on October 3 than we ever have before, and this event will be the first in a series of major events and initiatives that I believe God will use to reach more people in the next couple of years than in the previous decade. We are putting everything we have into reaching everyone we can. We all know now how short life can be.”

Music artists will include For King and Country, Phil Wickham and many more. The last SoCal Harvest event held before the pandemic drew 100,000 people. It was the 30th year of the SoCal Harvest, making it one of the longest-running evangelistic events in the nation. The annual outreach held in southern California was started in 1990 by Laurie and Chuck Smith, pastor and founder of Calvary Chapel.

Even though this is the ministry’s first in-person stadium outreach event in more than a year, Laurie released a virtual crusade called “A Rush of Hope” last September that reached more than four million people.

“Because of the pandemic last year, we had the incredible opportunity to create and release `A Rush of Hope,’ which led to more than 17,000 people making professions of faith,” Laurie said. “And we are thrilled that we are able to be back together this year in person for another life-changing event.”

A live-stream option will be available for those who are unable to attend the event. To find out more, visit SoCal Harvest.