The beginning of a new year always brings a thankful look back at the previous one. At ICR it means recapping God's blessings, reporting on them in, Acts & Facts, and standing in amazement at what He has done.
This year celebrated thirty years of God's blessing on ICR. At an October 29 gathering, we recounted the many victories in education, evangelistic outreach, and breakthroughs in research which embolden us to continue. God's financial provision of 30 years "in the black," convinces us that in Him, our faith is well-placed.
One major milestone this past year was the completion of a long-needed laboratory, distance learning, and book warehouse building adjacent to our present administration building. This was dedicated at the October meeting and over the Thanksgiving weekend the older building was painted to coordinate with it. Come see us when you can.
This has been an outstanding year for ICR research. A total of thirty-four students were enrolled in various stages of our Graduate School this year, and ten students earned their Master's degrees, including six who completed research theses. Several of these have been reviewed in Acts & Facts with others to follow.
Faculty research was impressive, especially the RATE project on Radioisotope Dating and the Age of the Earth. The
700-page technical summary of their first three years' work was published as the year came to an end. The investigators are all ICR faculty and adjunct faculty, and the work they have done has the potential to overthrow a widely held but fatally flawed theory—one which has damaged science and many people.
Dr. Steven Austin and his graduate students have done some especially exciting research at Grand Canyon, well received even by the Grand Canyon research staff. The discovery of an estimated one billion, 24² long nautiloids in the Redwall Limestone has the potential of changing all of geology!
The Graduate School completed its web-based course "Advanced Studies in Creationism" required of all its graduate students, and now available to others.
In addition to the RATE book, several other books and videos have been published.
- The Kansas Tornado by Dr. Paul Ackerman detailing events of the Kansas State School Board.
- The Human Body: An Intelligent Design by Alan L. Gillen, Frank J. Sherwin III, and Alan C. Knowles.
- A chapter in The Fundamentals for the Twenty-First Century by Henry Morris.
- Jonathan Park and the Mystery of the Hidden Cave, book and radio CD by Pat and Sandy Roy.
- A Trip to the Ocean by John Morris.
- Creation or Evolution: What's the Difference? a video by ventriloquist Rick Thompson.
- The Riddle of Origins four-video series by Mike Riddle.
- The God Who Is Real, updated edition by Henry Morris.
- Treasures in the Psalms by Henry Morris.
- The Geology Book by John Morris.
- ICR books translated into Turkish include Scientific Creationism, The Fossils Say No! and The Bible, Science, and Creation.
- Booklets by Henry Morris Christ our Life and When They Saw the Star.
- Songs in the Night, The Human Body and the Creator and, Myths of Evo-lution and the Media audiocassettes.
ICR speakers were quite active this past year, with far-ranging lecture tours, seminars, and workshops reaching about 88,600 people. Interestingly, six debates were held with Drs. Gish, DeYoung, Mastropaolo, and Sherwin holding forth the truth of creation. Dr. Gish even held a debate workshop, instructing others in the skill. The busy speakers essentially covered every part of our country, and traveled as far as India, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. The same faculty granted some 125 media interviews and appearances this year also, fueled by a great hunger for creation information.
Meanwhile, Acts & Facts continues to print 150,000 copies each month, while 320,000 copies of Days of Praise each quarter are all sent free of charge. The web site's growth is phenomenal, with our site easily the largest and most visited creation site. Did you know that you can now receive Acts & Facts and Days of Praise over the Internet? Many are taking advantage of this opportunity.
A wonderful tour to Yellowstone was enjoyed by 78 attendees. Meanwhile, preparations were laid for a tour to the Galapagos Islands on an exploratory trip there by Dr. Cumming.
Our media outreach has continued to blossom, with the "Back to Genesis" radio programs now heard on 1,358 outlets, "Science, Scripture & Salvation" on 816, and "DeRegesso Genesis" on 135.
Our Public Information Services Department continues to be inundated with questions and requests for material. In all, an estimated 4000 such requests were processed this year.
In recapping the year, I should mention that both my father, Dr. Henry Morris (82), and Dr. Duane Gish (79), are still going strong. Unfortunately, their wives have had some health difficulties and would appreciate your prayers.
Although the final tallies are not all in as of this writing, it does appear that year-end giving has once again allowed us to finish "in the black." Other ministries are shocked to find that ICR is not "endowed" with large sums of money, but God has met every need, month-by-month out of the mailbag. The staff is quite large now and the expenses have so increased that it would be frightening without firm knowledge of our great Savior's care and the many dear Christian friends like you who partner with us. So we thank Him and thank you for all that you do.
