By: Amanda Huntsman

In a heartfelt celebration of community service and spiritual leadership, the City of Newport Beach recognized Pastor Greg Laurie for his remarkable contributions through a special proclamation. This award aligns with Newport Beach's 2024 theme, "Look for the Helpers," as declared at the beginning of the year. The theme emphasized recognizing those who dedicate themselves to uplifting others.

The proclamation acknowledges Pastor Greg Laurie as a spiritual beacon, not only for his international influence as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the largest and most influential churches in the United States, but also for his deep roots in Newport Beach. Laurie attended local schools, including Lincoln, Corona del Mar High, and Newport Harbor High School, where his faith journey began. He is also now a Hall of Fame inductee there. The proclamation also highlights Laurie's personal life. It shares that he and his wife, Cathe have been married for more than 49 years and nurture a family with two sons and five grandchildren.

Laurie was baptized at Pirate’s Cove in Newport Beach, where he orchestrated one of the largest baptisms in American history, drawing approximately 20,000 attendees and more than 4,500 baptisms. This historic event reflects his enduring impact on the community.

His contributions extend beyond the pulpit; Laurie served as the 2013 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer and is a board member of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Recently, he played a pivotal role in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution, which showcased the spiritual and natural beauty of Newport Beach through scenes filmed at Pirate’s Cove, Crystal Cove and the Fun Zone.

In addition to his pastoral duties, Laurie has been the Newport Beach Police Department Chaplain for more than 25 years. He is celebrated for his spiritual guidance and steadfast commitment to the community as a true "Helper."

Pastor Greg Laurie began his pastoral ministry at 19 by leading a small Bible study of 30 people. It transformed into Harvest Christian Fellowship, a church of some 15,000 people with campuses in California, including a local campus in Irvine and Hawaii. Today, Harvest is one of the largest churches in America, consistently ranking among the most influential churches in the country.

In 1990, Laurie began holding Harvest Crusades, which have attracted over 9.8 million participants. In 2012, he launched Harvest America, a nationwide event that simulcast live HD video to thousands of locations, with 306,000 attendees, making it one of the most significant gospel presentations in U.S. history. Through these efforts, 531,889 individuals have professed their faith.

Laurie's radio program, A New Beginning, airs on over 1,200 outlets worldwide. His weekly TV program is broadcast on major networks like Lifetime, Fox Business, Newsmax and Trinity Broadcasting Network. He has also released several films. In February 2023, Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate released Jesus Revolution, the story of Greg and Cathe’s life and the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and ’70s. It stars Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie and is based on Greg’s book of the same title.

He has authored over 70 books, including "Lennon, Dylan, Alice, & Jesus" and "Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon." Laurie is the general editor of the ECPA-award-winning New Believer’s Bible.

Pastor Laurie’s recognition reminds us of his inspiring presence locally and globally. "The beauty of recognizing Pastor Laurie is that he uses even personal recognition for the glory of God," - former Mayor Will O’Neil.

We thank you, Pastor Greg, for being a great neighbor to our community.