Thankful for 25 Years of Remarkable Growth

You can read that guest column here:

This month marks the 25th anniversary of Answers in Genesis. While incorporation papers were filed on December 27, 1993, we consider January 1994 our ministry’s birthday, for that’s when we held our first seminars and printed our initial newsletter. As we celebrate the remarkable growth of AiG, including our attractions the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter, we want to pause to express gratitude to our Northern Kentucky neighbors for their wonderful support the past 25 years.

Today, this non-profit organization employs over 1,000 staff (full time, part time, and seasonal) who work out of four locations in Northern Kentucky. The 510-foot-long Ark in Williamstown, dubbed the “8th Wonder of the Modern World” by many guests, and the high-tech Creation Museum in Petersburg now receive over 1.6 million visits a year from guests coming from all over the world (91% from outside Kentucky). On many summer days, dozens of hotels in the region are filled with our visitors, as upwards of 12,000 guests a day will enjoy our world-class attractions.

It’s highly unusual for attractions to see bigger attendance than they experienced in their inaugural year, yet both the Ark Encounter (2 ½ years old) and Creation Museum (open 2007) have seen their visitor numbers grow. And we continue to expand. As part of our “Operation Upgrade” at the museum, a state-of-the-art 4D theater opened last August, a large new parking lot was put in, and our exhibit hall is now being updated with stunning new displays. At the Ark Encounter, a huge multi-purpose center with a 2,500-seat auditorium will open in April, and the Ararat Ridge Zoo behind the Ark will double in size by summer.

The world’s media frequently visit the Ark and the museum. Reporters have filed several hundred stories, helping to put Northern Kentucky on the map. This region is now America’s leading faith-based tourist destination. As our attractions grow and more people visit, even more tourism dollars will pour into the region and additional sales tax will be generated for Kentucky (which lessens the tax burden on taxpayers).

AiG, which employs several full-time scientists with PhD degrees from Ivy League schools and other well-known universities, has sister offices in Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. About 30 million people visit AiG’s websites every year, and each month we fill several thousand online orders for our books, DVDs, and other AiG resources at our massive warehouse.

We look forward to seeing additional growth at our Northern Kentucky sites and building on the friendships we’ve cultivated over the years. We are so grateful not only for the support of the general population, but also elected officials, pastors, and business leaders. We also look forward to continuing to work with the various Chambers of Commerce in the region and tourist agencies like the NKY Convention and Visitors Bureau. And most of all, we give praise to our God for the international impact AiG is having, based right here in Northern Kentucky.

Again, thank you Northern Kentucky!

We’re thrilled with what God has done with this ministry in the past 25 years, and we look forward to what he will do in the next 25 years. Actually, I continue to stand in awe of our Creator God when I see the amazing ministry he has allowed us to be a part of, as we’re privileged to proclaim the authority of his Word and the gospel to the world.

To everyone who has prayed for and supported us—thank you! We couldn’t do what we do without you.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.