Thousands gathered at Utah Valley University on Sunday night to worship Jesus, hear a powerful message about God’s unconditional love, and make faith commitments—just two months after the assassination of conservative Christian commentator Charlie Kirk on the same campus.
Pastor Greg Laurie, founder of Harvest Crusades and senior pastor of Harvest Church in Southern California, shared the Gospel with a massive in-person crowd in Orem, Utah, along with viewers tuning in online, during the single-night event “Hope for America.”
Laurie posted on X that their one-night event at Utah Valley University was an incredible success. He said the people were receptive, worshipful, and eager to hear the Gospel, and that many made decisions for Christ.
Laurie, who frequently leads large-scale evangelistic gatherings and had originally planned a Harvest Crusade for 2027, shifted course after Kirk’s assassination on the university campus. Sensing an urgent spiritual need expressed by local Christians, Laurie and his team contacted the school to explore holding the outreach much sooner.
The university agreed, and it took only six weeks to put everything together. Laurie added that he became even more intentional about sharing the Gospel on the campus.
The “Hope for America” gathering began with a video tribute reflecting on Kirk’s life, faith, and legacy. Harvest Crusades organizers said their aim was not only to honor him, but also to share the source of the hope he carried—his relationship with Jesus Christ.
Laurie shared that their friend Charlie Kirk was tragically killed, but when he took his last breath on earth, he took his first breath in heaven—not because of what he did, but because of what Christ did for him.
He then explained that God is a loving Father and referenced the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15.
Laurie then challenged the audience to consider their eternal destiny, emphasizing that this was their moment—their wake-up call. The message deeply impacted many, and hundreds moved forward, filling the altars as they came for prayer.