Evangelical Greg Laurie speaks to thousands of Christians on Utah campus where Charlie Kirk was killed – The Salt Lake Tribune

(Dylan Eubank | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pastor Greg Laurie speaks as Harvest Christian Fellowship holds a service Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Orem • More than two months after the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, thousands of fellow Christians gathered Sunday on the Orem school’s campus to pledge themselves to Jesus.
Greg Laurie, founder of Harvest Crusades and senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California, hosted the evangelical event and spoke to a crowd of 8,000 or so at the UCCU Center with thousands more watching an online livestream.
Laurie explained that while what happened to “our friend” Kirk was a tragedy and wake-up call to many Christians, the most important name in the conversation should be Jesus.
“The moment [Kirk] took his last breath on Earth, he took his first breath in heaven,” Laurie said. “And that’s where he is now. Not because of what he did, but because of what Christ did for him.”
The evangelist said Kirk “put his faith in the Lord, and that is the hope that we all have if we do the same.”
Laurie encouraged his listeners to embrace Christ in their individual searches for meaning.
(Dylan Eubank | The Salt Lake Tribune) Harvest Christian Fellowship holds a service Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Drawing from memories of his own atheistic upbringing, Laurie described his conversion to Christianity, his eventual baptism and the joy he felt when he changed his life.
Laurie said this joy from faith can counteract many of the problems Generation Z faces, including social contagions, depression and suicide.
Young people, he said, are “drowning in entertainment but starving for meaning.”
“You don’t need to clean your life up and come to God,” Laurie said. “You come to God, and he will clean your life up.”
Besides his sermon, audience members also listened to performances from popular Christian artists Phil Wickham and Chris Tomlin.
Both spoke about the Christian call to action of carrying on Kirk’s mission.
At the conclusion, Laurie beckoned audience members to come to the stage and publicly pledge to accept Christ into their lives.
“This is your moment,” he said. “This is your wake-up call tonight.”
According to Harvest’s website, more than 6 million people have attended Harvest Crusades since 1990 with an additional 5 million participating online.
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