Son of Harvest Crusade leader Greg Laurie killed in crash

Son of Harvest Crusade leader Greg Laurie killed in crash

CORONA – Christopher Laurie, the son of evangelist and Harvest Crusade organizer Greg Laurie, was killed Thursday morning when the car he was driving rear-ended a Caltrans truck on the 91.

Laura McGowan, Greg Laurie’s publicist, confirmed that the pastor’s son, Christopher, died in the crash. Christopher Laurie, 33, lived in Huntington Beach and served for the past three years as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, where his father is a senior pastor.

At about 9 a.m., Laurie’s station wagon hit the last Caltrans truck in a five-truck sweeper crew that was clearing debris from the car-pool lane, said Caltrans spokeswoman Rose Melgoza. The last two trucks in the convoy were mounted with crash cushions and large light boards directing traffic to move to another lane.

“They are obviously very large vehicles that warn people in advance that they are doing maintenance,” Melgoza said.

CHP officer George Foard, in a statement, said that the Caltrans truck was traveling at about 15 mph in the car-pool lane. Laurie, driving alone in the same lane, was traveling at a “high rate of speed and unable to stop prior to colliding.”
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Greg Laurie is scheduled to lead the 19th annual Southern California Harvest Crusade in Angel Stadium in Anaheim during Aug. 15-17. Laurie’s church has 12,000 members, and he has preached to 3.6 million people worldwide, according to news releases.

The Harvest Christian Fellowship Web site, www.harvest.org, was updated Thursday afternoon to include a splash page with the family’s statement.

Speeding factors into crash of preacher’s son

Christopher Laurie’s driving record may provide some clues into the cause of last week’s crash that killed the eldest son of Riverside Harvest Christian Fellowship pastor Greg Laurie.
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Over the last 6-years, he had accumulated 18 traffic citations, including seven speeding tickets.

The Christopher Laurie Memorial Fund

In lieu of flowers, Harvest Christian Fellowship has established the Christopher Laurie Memorial Fund in memory of our friend, co-worker, family member, and brother in Christ. Proceeds from the fund will go to Brittany Laurie, Stella Laurie, and the soon-to-be daughter in order to assist them financially.

Grieving pastor makes unexpected visit to his pulpit

Tears and a standing ovation greeted Pastor Greg Laurie, who made an unexpected appearance today at the podium of Harvest Christian Fellowship.
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Laurie was not expected to appear. Pastor Don McClure of Calvary Way Ministries in Newport Beach, a longtime friend of the family, was scheduled to substitute for Laurie.

“I couldn’t think of any place I’d rather be then in church this morning with you,” Laurie said.

Laurie’s family was in the front row as he described the church as part of his extended family and thanked them for their prayers and support.
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Laurie said he loved his son and that he knew his son loved him. He spoke to the congregation about his son’s accomplishments as the head of the church’s design department. Much of the artwork around the church, on its Web site and for the upcoming Harvest Festival in August was designed by Christopher, Laurie said.

“He made things look so good they’d come and listen to an old man preach for 40 minutes.”

Laurie said his faith was real and was sustaining him during this time of “trials and tribulation.”
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McClure delivered a shortened sermon entitled “The Necessity of Trials,” citing St. Paul’s trials as a missionary as an example.

“It’s in these times we grow,” McClure said.

McClure told the crowd that he had delivered the news to the pastor and his wife of their son’s death, and noted that more than 15,000 blog entries supported the family.

“You realize they’re alone, apart from us,” said McClure. “But then you realize they’re not alone because God is with them.”
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According to the California Highway Patrol, Christopher Laurie was driving alone in the car pool lane at the time of the crash and was traveling at a “high rate of speed and unable to stop prior to colliding.”

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