16,941 People Reportedly Turned Lives Over to Christ After Watching New Film 'A Rush of Hope'
The Harvest Crusade is one of the single largest annual Christian outreach events.
For those living in California, the flyers, bumper stickers and billboards are a constant reminder of the modern-day revival efforts.
In a world where information is available at the press of a button, it seems strange that people would still not know about God — but there is a key difference between knowing about God and actually knowing God, a gap that the Harvest Crusade seeks to bridge every year.
Started in 1990 by Pastor Greg Laurie, Harvest sprang out of a small gathering of Christians as part of a Bible study. It has since grown into a huge yearly event that many people look forward to.
Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for! We’re so excited for the premiere of “A Rush of Hope!” Join us online right now at https://t.co/cHdjU30K3v. pic.twitter.com/GDrOgSbARO
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) September 4, 2020
“Looking back, I can see God’s hand at work from the very beginning,” Laurie said, according to Harvest.org. “It has always been a part of God’s plan for us to know Him and make Him known.”
Considering the state of the world this year, the Harvest Crusade had to pivot to continue online for its 2020 event.
What could have been a crutch (missing that vital in-person experience and person-to-person contact) became a strength, and this year’s Harvest Crusade broke all attendance records.
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This event will be on-demand exclusively on Youtube for a limited time only!
Join us for a cinematic experience unlike any other from September 4 through September 7 until midnight (PST)! https://t.co/bhnCbr5ySn pic.twitter.com/6ZN0Pt1iie
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) September 7, 2020
According to the Harvest website, the previous largest event was in 2016, with a record-breaking 350,000 in attendance. This year, as a streaming event, Harvest saw 1.8 million remote attendees, and according to Greg Laurie’s Twitter account, 16,941 professions of faith have been made as a result.
The film that was the crux of the event, “A Rush of Hope,” offers “answers to life’s questions” — something many people are considering these days.
Questions such as “Why am I here,” “What happens after I die” and “Is there hope for today?” are addressed, according to CBN.
“A Rush of Hope” features scenes from Christian movies as well as music from Christian artists Jeremy Camp, For King & Country and MercyMe.
Over Labor Day weekend, we saw 1.8 million people tune in to our very first “cinematic crusade.” And more importantly, we saw 16,941 professions of faith. Praise God! pic.twitter.com/2DfQ27Dumc
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) September 9, 2020
“We are breaking every record we have ever set in our history,” Laurie said in a video posted to social media Monday.
“In a year of never-ending bad news, this is the best news we have heard,” he said, according to CBN. “It’s a reminder that God is greater than a pandemic or any other challenge we are facing.
“He can do above and beyond anything we can dream, and he is still transforming lives.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
