The Dinosaur Guys

Image courtesy of CRSEF

Dinosaurs will grab children in a heartbeat—even adults seldom escape their grasp. One of the country’s oldest local creation groups has learned how valuable props can be to help them talk about their Creator and Savior. A name like “Creation Research, Science Education Foundation (CRSEF)” may not capture much attention. But dinosaurs sure will.

This heart for reaching people where they are—and being creative—is the key to long-term success of creation groups. CRSEF, based in Cincinnati, has learned these lessons well. And they’d like to encourage believers in other regions to find similar ways to fellowship and spread the gospel.

CRSEF is probably best known for its gadabout, 16-foot-long Acrocanthosaurus model. The members had no idea how beneficial this would be to their group’s success when sculptor and CRSEF member Buddy Davis donated it nearly 25 years ago.

For example, this will be the sixteenth consecutive year the CRSEF will set up with their Acrocanthosaurus at the crowded Heritage & Bicycle Festival in Mason, Ohio. While visitors take their pictures with the dinosaur, CRSEF members engage them in discussions about creation and the Bible.

CRSEF also takes its display to events like the Midwest Homeschool Convention and the International Conference on Missions. Reaching just a few of the “right” people can have far-reaching effects, as parents take the information home and missionaries take it abroad.

CRSEF activities include publishing an informative newsletter and holding monthly meetings, where the public is invited to hear from leading creation speakers or discuss creation DVDs. This year they will also hold their sixteenth annual Fossil Hunt, led by geologist Dr. John Whitmore of Cedarville University.

Of all the group’s outreaches, perhaps the most important is with a local ministry to teens and young adults. CRSEF provides monthly teaching sessions exclusively for the students at the Teen Challenge Ranch, as a part of its drug and alcohol recovery program.

George Martin of Teen Challenge Cincinnati says, “CRSEF—‘the dinosaur guys’ as the students at the Ranch call them—have been pivotal in addressing key questions in the students’ minds. Nearly all students who come into our discipleship ministry are evolutionists in their worldview. CRSEF helps address some of those key stumbling blocks that keep individuals from seriously considering Christ.”

Many graduates of the Teen Challenge program say that “the dinosaur guys” helped open their pathway to Christ. Their love, creativity, and perseverance over the decades have had a huge impact on their city and beyond.

For more information on the CRSEF, visit http://www.worldbydesign.org/