NFT: Hunter Harvest

[Andy]

Anyone going to that??

You know those fluro orange, lime and silver bumper stickers you see everywhere around town??? At the entertainment centre from the 11th to 14th.

I heard it's free and apparently they had too many people to fit inside the entertainment centre last night and had to have hundreds of people outside watching on a big screen!

I'm gonna get along and have a look on Saturday night maybe.

 

[astrogirl]

What is this? I'm not a Newcastle girl (anymore, not really anyway) and have no idea!!!

 

[Doctor]

Hunter Harvest is a massive joint-churches event - involving about 280 of the 300 odd churches in the area.

All those bumper stickers - 'Harvest 03' - they're all part of it - you might have also seen the posters and invitations around too - there are t.v ads and radio ads doing the airways too.

The Harvest event is a church-organised outreach event, free, at the Entertainment Centre, over four nights -

An American fellow named Greg Laurie is the main speaker - he is actually quite good at presenting what God, Jesus and everything else is all about - and it is sort of a take it or leave it thing.

I went last night, and plan on being there tonight too - it was packed out last night, but I'd encourage everyone to come. It is a chance to hear about what it is that it means to be a Christian, hear what is on offer, and if you choose to respond to that invitation to know more then there is plenty of opportunity to find out more.

Saturday night, and especially Sunday night will be packed out - they have an overflow centre next door so that people can watch it on the big screen.

It was simply awesome last night - I think over the next few nights they have a band called Switchfoot - I hadn't heard of them before now, but apparently they're fairly well known in younger circles, and they also have a few other singing groups.

If you never listen to anything I ever write, if you never agree with anything I say, then just hear this - it is good stuff, a chance to hear what Christians are on about, free of the denominational issues, free of all the stereotypes the media and people have placed on Christians.

Greg Laurie is a very easy to understand guy, he even joked last night he looks like Wally Lewis (he does by the way) - I think the fellow is about as close to Australian as an American could be.

Get along - doesn't cost anything and if you respond to what is said it will quite literally change your life -

 

[Doctor]

Just another thing I thought I'd mention:

Many will be aware that Mel Gibson has just finished making a movie called 'The Passion' which plays out the final hours before the death of Jesus. He has showed the movie to a handful of people for criticism, including Jewish, Catholic, other Christian leaders - Greg Laurie said last night that he was invited to attend a special screening of it. He said that he asked Mel Gibson if he could show a few clips from the movie at the Harvest event - Mel agreed and in fact put together a 30 second "hello" piece with himself on there saying that he hoped people enjoyed the movie. Greg Laurie showed a couple of minutes of the film last night to thousands that attended - even the small amount that we saw was heart-wrenching.
I thought it was quite interesting that Mel Gibson allowed Greg Laurie to use part of a movie that hasn't yet been released to show at an event.

 

[astrogirl]

Thanks for the explanation Chook

 

[MC DUI]

Saturday night, and especially Sunday night will be packed out - they have an overflow centre next door so that people can watch it on the big screen.

Awwwww. Come on Chook all these guys thinking of going Saturday should be watching and cheering for the Knights on TV or at the game. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Doctor]

Awwwww. Come on Chook all these guys thinking of going Saturday should be watching and cheering for the Knights on TV or at the game. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yeah, as a passionate Knights fan I've thought of that - I was actually planning on going every night except Saturday - not sure what I'm doing now.

Let's just say I'm passionate about the Knights, very passionate - but I'm even more passionate about what I believe in, and that is why I'd encourage anyone and everyone to go along on one of the nights - you could even see the Chookmeister face to face, although some may say that would be a turn-off. Let's just say you'd be surprised how different I look in real life.

But seriously - great event - make it if you can.

 

[misty]

Just another thing I thought I'd mention:

Many will be aware that Mel Gibson has just finished making a movie called 'The Passion' which plays out the final hours before the death of Jesus. He has showed the movie to a handful of people for criticism, including Jewish, Catholic, other Christian leaders - Greg Laurie said last night that he was invited to attend a special screening of it. He said that he asked Mel Gibson if he could show a few clips from the movie at the Harvest event - Mel agreed and in fact put together a 30 second "hello" piece with himself on there saying that he hoped people enjoyed the movie. Greg Laurie showed a couple of minutes of the film last night to thousands that attended - even the small amount that we saw was heart-wrenching.
I thought it was quite interesting that Mel Gibson allowed Greg Laurie to use part of a movie that hasn't yet been released to show at an event.

I hope that movie is allowed to be screened I'm sick of people telling us what we can and can not watch, its probably his greatest roll yet I want to see it.

 

[Danish Moo Cow]

Gibson is not in the movie, he just produced and directed it. James Caviezel of The Thin Red Line is starring in it.

The Moo Man will be at Harvest tomorrow morning (what time is it open from?). The girlfriend has to keep up the appearence of a good Cristian girl for the parents and all. I'll just go along for a look see. From there it will be a quick getaway to the train station for the trip down to Sydney.

EDIT: Looks like I won't be at it tomorrow morning since my girl just told me it's only in the evenings. I just thought it was an exhibition type thing. I'll try and get there on Sunday.

 

[Encurly]

I'm not going. I've got an aversion to being reaped.

 

[Doctor]

Yeah its only on at night - and no it's not an exhibition.
The basic run of all the nights is that they have a few songs, a few performers, those that want to sing can - then Greg Laurie hops up and talks for a while - I'm not into some of the music they sung, but others were alright - bottom line Greg Laurie is very good and worth listening to.

Starts at 7:30pm each night - but get there a bit earlier if possible. If you get there between 6:30 and 7 you'll get a seat (no bookings of particular seats though, you take any seat that doesn't have a bum on it)

 

[KNIGHTSMAD]

I'm going to the BIG game tomorrow and the Harvest on Sunday night. Great to see others are checking it out too.

 

[Doctor]

I thought it was quite good last night - Greg Laurie's message was appropriate for me. He spoke all about scepticism, which epitomises me - I'm a sceptic of everything I hear and see, yet he said that is o.k - scepticism is o.k because it shows us that we're both human and logical too. I for one don't want to believe in something I don't understand - but he was very good last night, and I hope everyone gets a chance to pop along and see him.

My advice is to get there before 6:30 - it actually starts at 7:30, but has been absolutely packed out - there were about 1,000 people in the overflow centre next door during last night's event.

Switchfoot are on tonight - they're Grammy Award nominees apparently - you see some quality musicians and great speaker, and I'm serious when I say it can change you life - it's absolutely free of charge.

 

[Doctor]

Tonight is the last night - I really encourage everyone to get along, but get there early because it will be packed out if you arrive anytime after 6pm.

Last night, by the way, set the record for the highest attendance at the venue for a non-ticket event. I arrived at 6:20 last night and they stopped letting people in just after I entered the main auditorium. Inside there were 4 or 5 thousand, plus the spill-over area in the building next door had several thousand in it - they ran out of room in both - more than 8,000 people there apparently.

Tonight will be chockers, but get along anyway and get inside one of the two buildings - an opportunity not to be missed - and this is not a cliche I wave around willy-nilly.