Yes, 20 years ago today, the ministry that became known as Answers in Genesis was officially incorporated. About three weeks after the official formation of the organization, my wife and I along with our family moved to northern Kentucky—followed by Mark and Renee Looy and their children, and then Mike and Sue Zovath and their family.
Thus began an outreach ministry that has grown to where it is today with the outreach of the Creation Museum, one of the most-accessed Christian websites in the world, and the coming Ark Encounter project that is estimated to reach millions of people with the truth of God’s Word and the gospel.
With a staff of nearly 300 dedicated and talented Christians, and numerous high-quality resources (including books, DVDs, award-winning Answers magazine, VBS curricula, Answers Bible Curriculum, and much more), AiG has reached millions and millions of people in the USA and around the world with the creation/gospel message.
It only seems like yesterday that AiG had its beginnings in a rented space in a strip mall in Florence, Kentucky—but look what God has done today!
Sometimes as I walk around the Creation Museum and the AiG offices, warehouse, studios, workshops, etc., I just thank the Lord for what He has done. As cofounder Mike Zovath often says, “It’s a God thing.” Absolutely.
The growth of AiG and the opening of the Creation Museum and the ongoing Ark Encounter project have not been without their battles! But as we look back, we can see the great victories (though sometimes in different ways than we envisaged) the Lord has given.
Today, December 27, marks the official birthday of Answers in Genesis–USA. Even though AiG was to hold its first teaching seminar in early 1994, and publish its first newsletter at about that same time, the actual incorporation papers were filed in late 1993.
As we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of a ministry that God has called to proclaim the authority of the Bible from its very first verse as well as the gospel message, AiG wants you to read how God has greatly blessed its apologetics outreaches in America and overseas since 1993. Read The History of AiG through December 2013. This will not only remind you of the history of AiG, but it will also help you to know how to pray for this cutting-edge ministry so needed in our day.
As our lead article on the web states today, in a future web article, AiG will share what is planned in 2014, including new outreaches to share the creation/gospel message. Our theme for this year will again be “Standing Our Ground, Rescuing Our Kids” (based on Galatians 1:4). AiG will continue to counter the growing aggressiveness of secular humanists who want to keep children and teens from hearing the truth of the Bible—including about the book of Genesis—and also urge them to reject secularist ideas, such as evolutionary beliefs. See my blog post about the need for a “Standing Our Ground, Rescuing Our Kids” outreach.
You may also want to watch the video titled A Fire in My Bones, where I give my testimony about the beginnings of the creation/apologetics ministry that began in our home in Australia, and the journey the Lord took our family on, which resulted in the AiG ministry being founded in the USA. You can watch the video at this link.
In looking back at all the battles (whether over obtaining the land for the Creation Museum or the many other battles over the years), I am reminded of so many victories God has given us and also recall that great warrior Joshua:
You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you. (Joshua 23:3)
Yes, we can truly say, the Lord our God has fought for us and continues to do so. The battles continue—for example, the battle to get the Ark Encounter project finished. God has been fighting for us (and continues to fight for us), and He will see us through.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.