The SoCal Harvest drew over 40,000 people to Angel Stadium in Anaheim and 200,000 online, according to a statement released by Harvest. The night featured performances from Christian artists For King & County and Phil Wickham and a Gospel message from Laurie, the senior pastor of the multi-campus Harvest Christian Fellowship.
Preaching on the empty promises of fame, Laurie’s sermon underlined that fulfillment could only come from being known by God.
He told the crowd — “The reason so many seek fame is because deep down inside, we have a desire to make our mark and distinguish ourselves. We want our life to count for something. We are seeking significance. The answer is not in fame or more followers on your social media account. The answer is in knowing and following Jesus.”
The pastor paid tribute to Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, one of the 13 soldiers killed in a terror attack in Afghanistan on Aug. 26. Nikoui attended a Harvest Crusade in 2016, where he and his family gave their lives to Christ.
Nikoui’s funeral was held at Harvest’s Riverside campus and officiated by Laurie.
Laurie said — “Kareem went to Heaven because he put his faith in Christ. And that’s the hope that the Christian has.”
After his sermon, Laurie invited attendees to make a public profession of faith. 6000 responded.
Over 600 radio outlets nationwide broadcast the event and it was live-streamed on over 100 Facebook pages.