For three decades, the Harvest Crusade has been held at Angel Stadium in Los Angeles. And for three decades, evangelist Greg Laurie asked those in attendance whether anyone would like to “come down on the field” to make a profession of faith in Jesus.
Hundreds of people, many times numbering more than a thousand, walk down from their seats in the 45,000-seat venue and onto the Angels outfield to stand and pray as Pastor Laurie guides them in how to turn their lives over to God.
Not this year.
The July 1-2, 2023 Harvest Crusade will instead be held at the nearby Honda Center with room for 17,000 attendees. And many are questioning, “Why?”
“We were notified by Angel Stadium officials that Major League Baseball had implemented a new policy against any event taking place on the field during the regular season,” Pastor Laurie stated in an email reply to questions. “They told us this was done as a precaution for its players.”
Pastor Laurie, who also leads Harvest Christian Fellowship churches in California and Hawaii, said, “We, of course, were disappointed and hope that Major League Baseball will have a change of heart and mind in the future. We would love to return to Angel Stadium again.”
The decision by the Angels and the Angel Stadium management was not taken as politely by some long-time Southern California residents who have attended the evangelistic event over the years. It’s not lost on many that this decision is reminiscent of the recent controversy surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers’ decision to host Pride Month events and honor LGBTQ activists who mock Catholic nuns.
“It seems strange that MLB would only now consider banning on-field events during the regular season,” said Jeremy Gant, 44, from Mission Viejo. “As far as I know, nothing has changed with how Harvest operates. The only thing that has changed is the culture. This may be for legitimate reasons but considering the times we live in, it illustrates even more how much the Gospel is needed.”
Laguna Hills pastor Greg Munck said he felt that the Angels and MLB could have decided to make provisions to protect the stadium’s field.
“The stadium owners and MLB made a decision without making an exception or allowing a workaround,” Pastor Munck said. “If they can have [motocross] on the field with all that dirt and heavy equipment, they can surely cover the grass field with something to avoid any damage to the field.”
He added, “The bottom line is that no matter where it’s held, God is going to show up big time. Our option ‘B’ is sometimes God’s option ‘A.’ I hope Angel Stadium will reconsider for the future.”
Angels media relations member, Marie Garvey, stated in an email that the Angels decision to not allow for Harvest’s traditional call to the field was about the potential impact from California’s recent weather.
“Angel Stadium has been host to the Harvest Crusades for nearly 30 years and has a great relationship with Pastor Laurie and his entire team. Given the timing and the unusually cool and wet weather taking place in California this year, the added foot traffic on the field could significantly impact the playing surface for future baseball games. We look forward to working with the Harvest Crusades to be the Southern California home in the future,” the statement read.
According to Pastor Laurie, Harvest sees the change of venue as a chance for a new direction for this year’s event.
“Throughout the years, we have learned to pivot. …This is another pivot-moment,” he stated. “We are excited to do our event in a more intimate setting. This year’s Crusade will be a bit of a ‘throw-back’ to the Crusades of the 90’s that had more of a worship focus. We will have some of the nation’s finest worship leaders joining us, including Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, Passion, Taya and the legendary Michael W. Smith. It will be an immersive worship experience with evangelism,” he said.
A beach baptism one week later also brings high expectations.
Harvest plans a “Jesus Revolution” baptism at Pirates Cove Beach, located next to Corona del Mar State Beach, on July 8. The location was used by the producers of the “Jesus Revolution” movie to recreate the massive baptisms that took place during the late 60s’ and early 70s.’
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Alex Murashko is a journalist and the writing team leader for Think Eternity, a site for powerful faith content to help you live the fulfilled life in Jesus.
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