“Fifty Years Ago, I Sat in the Wooden Pews of Dalby Baptist Church . . .”

It was 50 years ago this year that I gave my first-ever creation apologetics presentation at a small country church in Dalby, Queensland, Australia. Now, I’m sure if I had a video recording of that first talk, I’d cringe—the message has certainly matured, and I’ve gained a lot of experience in 50 years! But despite that, in a way that first message is the same message I’m still giving now because my emphasis has always been the authority of the Word of God.

God has used that message to impact millions of people—literally for 50 years!

And God has used that message to impact millions of people—literally for 50 years! Consider this email I recently received from Brett Munro, the principal of a Christian school in Queensland. His parents became special friends of ours when we first moved to Dalby. As a young child, Brett was present in that pew 50 years ago when I gave my first talk, and it impacted him, as he explained in this newsletter article he sent me:

As a very young child, fifty years ago, I sat in the wooden pews of Dalby Baptist Church, not fully realizing I was witnessing the beginning of something extraordinary. In 1975, a very young Ken Ham stood before our congregation, passionate and convicted, delivering his first creation apologetics presentation. As a child, I couldn’t have known this was the spark that would, with God’s blessing, ignite a global ministry.

I remember Ken and Mally Ham well as church family friends—their dedication to Scripture was unmistakable. Ken spoke about Genesis and the foundations of our Christian faith in a way that resonated deeply with me. His message was clear and has remained with me ever since: God’s Word is trustworthy from the very first verse.

That message has been my foundation through five decades of life and now guides my educational leadership. As principal of a Christian school in Toowoomba, (just an hour’s drive from Dalby), I’ve faced countless pressures to compromise—to relegate Genesis to metaphor, to separate “faith” from “facts,” and to accommodate shifting cultural values at the expense of timeless Biblical Truth.

But the fire kindled in that small country town church has never dimmed. When our science curriculum addresses creation, when our ethics discussions explore morality, when our staff meetings tackle cultural issues—I return to what Ken emphasized fifty years ago: The Bible is God’s infallible Word.

This isn’t about stubbornness. It’s about recognizing our starting point matters. When Scripture speaks clearly on a topic—whether creation, human nature, marriage, or morality—these aren’t subjects for debate but truths to be embraced and taught with conviction.

The model I use on any moral or historical topic in our Christian School is straightforward: This is what God’s Word says, and as a Christian, I believe that whole of God’s Word is the Truth.

I’m profoundly grateful for Ken’s fifty years of unwavering ministry and for my early life in Dalby Baptist Church. What began as a single presentation has transformed countless lives—including mine and the students entrusted to my care—by affirming that enduring truth: God’s Word hasn’t changed, doesn’t change, and never will change.

Thank you, Ken, for your faithfulness to that message, and for showing us how that message shapes Christian Education for God’s glory.

Praise the Lord!

And God is still using this ministry, as these two testimonies we recently received show:

Dear Answers in Genesis, I’m a huge fan of the work you all do and you have had a huge impact on my life and my conversion to Christianity through your resources.

And,

I am a proud donor and customer of Answers in Genesis . . . . I want to take a few moments to say a huge THANK YOU to your ministry that we as a family have become so blessed by. We have been to the Creation Museum, the Ark Encounter several times, and have purchased many resources. I am currently utilizing the outstanding Answers Bible Curriculum to lead and teach an Adult Sunday School group at my local church. This resource is edifying and empowering in building our faith in the Lord and better understanding His Word. I can’t say thank you enough for what your ministry has meant to me and how your resources have blessed me and benefited the many I share it with. THANK YOU for doing what you do. Please do not grow weary in your fidelity to Scripture and equipping the saints as you do.

We’re thankful for how the Lord continues to use this ministry, including through our speaking ministry, our attractions, and our powerful resources such as our chronological Answers Bible Curriculum for churches and homeschool mentioned in the testimony above.

If you’d like to join us in celebrating 50 years of what the Lord has done, I encourage you to make plans to attend our Legacy Conference, June 12–14, 2025. I’ll be giving my eight classic presentations, including one on the history of the ministry. There will also be a special dinner for registered attendees, a concert featuring Michael O’Brien, and an interview with my friend Ray Comfort of Living Waters. Don’t miss out! Register today.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

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