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Pastor Greg Laurie to deliver faith-filled inspirational message at 'Hope for Lahaina' event
US vet is on a mission to help Maui first responders
U.S. Navy veteran Luke Schneider joined ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss mainland firefighters selling fire department coffee and T-shirts to help raise funds for Maui first responders displaced by the August wildfires.
Nearly nine months after the devastating wildfire in Maui, the community is still struggling and suffering from the after-effects of the destructive blaze.
Pastor Greg Laurie, founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California and Hawaii, wants to help provide for the needs of those struggling on the island, both in the physical and spiritual sense.
Laurie, along with former “American Idol” contestant Danny Gokey and worship leader Leeland, are hosting an outreach event called “Hope for Lahaina” on Sunday, April 28. They’re aiming to preach a Gospel message to the people of Maui and be a source of encouragement and uplift for the people who are trying to regain a sense of normalcy after losing everything.
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Speaking to Fox News Digital this week, Laurie said there remains a “lingering sadness” over the island, long after the clouds of smoke and ashes faded.
“The reality is settling in,” he said. “Sadly, some have left the island altogether.”
Rebuilding in Lahaina “has been slow,” Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship told Fox News Digital. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
While the event is called “Hope for Lahaina,” Laurie said “hope” is an acronym that stands for “Holding On with Patient Expectation.”
“The Bible tells us that hope can function like an anchor in a person’s life,” he said.
In Lahaina, this is playing out in quite a literal sense, said Laurie. A “massive anchor” now stands where the Pioneer Inn, a historic inn that was the oldest continuously operating hotel in Hawaii, once stood.
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“The anchor survived that horrific fire, as did the famed Banyan tree,” said Laurie. “That tree was originally planted in 1873 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first mission by missionaries to the island.”
The Banyan tree and anchor, said Laurie, “symbolize what we are doing.”
Pastor Greg Laurie, center, will be sharing a message from John’s gospel about Lazarus on Sunday’s “Hope for Lahaina” event. He will be joined by Leeland Mooring, at left, and Danny Gokey of “American Idol” fame. (Harvest Maui)
“Hope in God anchors us in tumultuous times, and God can bring ‘beauty out of ashes’ and we can live and grow again,” he said.
That hope, said Laurie, “is found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”
“Hope in God anchors us in tumultuous times.”
Harvest, which has a location in Lahaina, has “been able to step in the gap and bring both practical help and hope to the people of this island,” he said.
Thanks to donations from across the country, Havest Maui has provided food, clothing, school supplies, housing and more to people who survived the fires.
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“We also had mental health specialists on the island speaking, as well as at events for families — from inspirational movie nights to outreaches to thousands of kids,” Laurie told Fox News Digital.
He continued, “We’ve assisted local area schools by building temporary classrooms for their children and have continued to support Maui’s first responders, who are also victims of the fires.”
Pastor Laurie, seen here in a July 2023 picture, seeks to inspire the people of Maui with the message of the Gospel and the truth that Jesus has the power to change lives, even if things seem hopeless. (Pastor Greg Laurie/Harvest Ministries)
The aftereffects of the fire are particularly hard for children, he said, who are now bussed 90 minutes to and from school each day after their original schools were destroyed.
“Rebuilding here has been slow,” said Laurie.
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Aside from physical assistance, Laurie has also worked to meet people’s spiritual needs.
“Our weekly worship services and Bible teachings are the heart of all we say and do,” he said. “We’ve had Harvest Maui pastors trained in biblical trauma counseling to support those in the community who need assistance.”
“Harvest Maui is here for the long haul.”
“Harvest Maui is here for the long haul,” said Laurie, noting that his church will soon be moving to a more permanent facility to accommodate its growing congregation.
“I cannot emphasize enough how important spiritual help is to people, especially at a time like this,” he said.
“Jesus is still in the life-changing business today,” said Pastor Laurie. (Pastor Greg Laurie/Harvest Ministries)
The situation in Lahaina, he said, is not unlike the story of Lazarus in John’s Gospel.
Following Lazarus’ death, things “looked like the bleakest of circumstances,” said Laurie.
“Jesus came and changed everything,” raising Lazarus from the dead.
And “Jesus,” he said, “is still in the life-changing business today.”
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HELENA — On Monday, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen sent a letter to the City of Helena claiming the municipality is not in compliance with the state’s law banning “sanctuary cities.” The letter comes just under a month after the State of Montana launched an investigation into a city resolution on Helena Police policy and Helena’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
In the letter, Knudsen laid out the ways he believes the city’s resolution violated state law. The attorney general gave Helena 15 days to respond or reverse the policy. If the city does not comply, his office will pursue legal action.
“Helena’s resolution appears to contain blatant violations of this law,” wrote Knudsen.
MTN News
On January 26, 2026, the City of Helena adopted a resolution clarifying when and how the Helena Police Department will cooperate with federal immigration officials. The vote was 4 to 1. The Helena commission seats and the mayor are elected in non-partisan races.
In the letter, Knudsen alleges the resolution established “a broad sanctuary city policy” that seeks to protect every illegal immigrant, regardless of whether the individual had committed a serious crime or not. The state further claims the resolution gives illegal immigrants “special privileges” in plea deals and establishes a “free-for-all policy” where a police officer can request the unmasking of Department of Homeland Security and ICE officers.
Knudsen has requested that the City of Helena, in their response, specifically describe in detail how the resolution complies with Montana law, provide emails and correspondence from city staff and the commission regarding the resolution.
Helena City manager Alana Lake told MTN in a statement: “The City of Helena is aware of the issues being raised by the Attorney General’s Office and is reviewing the matter. While we cannot discuss the details of a potential legal issue, the City is committed to transparency and compliance with the law. The City takes these matters seriously and will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities while remaining focused on serving our community.”
MTN News 
Passed in 2021, Montana House Bill 200 prohibits a state agency or local government from implementing any policy that prevents employees or departments from communicating with federal agencies regarding immigration or citizenship status for lawful purposes. It also states governments must comply with immigration detainer requests if they are lawfully made.
HB 200 was backed by Republicans and passed with only Republican votes. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the legislation into law on March 31, 2021.
Passage of the resolution by the Helena City Commission has drawn ire from conservative voices in Montana politics and on the national level.
MTN News
The resolution said the commission supported the Helena Police Department avoiding “committing its resources to federal action for which it has no authority,” such as entering into an agreement with the federal government to directly enforce immigration laws. Under federal law, immigration enforcement is conducted by federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. However, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, state and local governments can voluntarily enter into 287 (g) agreements with the federal government that allow them to enforce immigration laws.
The commission further supported HPD’s policy not to stop, detain, or arrest a person solely on suspected violations of immigration law, including assisting other agencies in an arrest based solely on immigration law.
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In the resolution, the commission also supported an HPD officer, using their own discretion, requesting the identification and unmasking of a Department of Homeland Security Officer if the HPD officer “feels it will not be interfering with the actions of federal officers exercising their jurisdiction.”
“This adversarial relationship by local law enforcement toward federal officers itself undermines public safety and forces immigration officers to fear for their safety when they are simply carrying out their lawful duties,” wrote Knudsen.
The resolution further supports the City of Helena’s policy not to consider immigration consequences in a plea agreement with a defendant.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
The commission also supports the City of Helena not disclosing any sensitive information about any person – including immigration status, sexual orientation, or social security number – except as required by law.
“This is a restriction that directly conflicts with Montana’s prohibition on sanctuary jurisdictions, specifically ‘sending to, receiving from, exchanging with, or maintaining for a federal, state, or local government entity information regarding a person’s citizenship or immigration status for a lawful purpose,’” the attorney general wrote.
If a government is found to be violating Montana’s law banning “sanctuary cities”, the state could fine them $10,000 every five days, prevent them from receiving new grants from the state, and have their projects with the state re-prioritized. A government in violation can avoid penalties by becoming compliant with the law within 14 days of being notified of the violation.
Read the full letter from the Montana Attorney General to the City of Helena:
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker will perform at the 2026 New Mexico State Fair, officials announced Tuesday.
Tucker will take to the stage Friday, Sept. 18, after the Chevron PRCA rodeo. The Grammy Award-winning icon has racked up 10 No. 1 country hits since her first hit, “Delta Dawn,” at age 13.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring the legendary Tanya Tucker to the New Mexico State Fair,” said Dan Mourning, general manager of the New Mexico State Fair. “Tanya is one of the greatest icons in country music history and is the perfect fit for the Fair.”
Tucker has 23 Top-40 albums and 56 Top 40 singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has won two Country Music Association awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, three CMT Awards and two Grammys for Best Country Album and Best Country Song.
Tickets are set to go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m.
Here is the full 2026 New Mexico State Fair rodeo-concert lineup:
Friday, Sept. 11
Turnpike Troubadours with Chevron PRCA Xtreme Bulls
Saturday, Sept. 12
Ian Munsick with Chevron PRCA Xtreme Bulls
Wednesday, Sept. 16
Chevron PRCA Standalone Rodeo
Thursday, Sept. 17
Everclear with Chevron PRCA Rodeo
Friday, Sept. 18
Tanya Tucker with Chevron PRCA Rodeo
Saturday, Sept. 19
The Warning with Chevron PRCA Rodeo
Sunday, Sept. 20
Chevron PRCA Rodeo – Matinee
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