Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. (Genesis 12:1)
The Bible contains many examples of God accomplishing His purposes through the physical relocation of His people: Abraham to Canaan, Joseph to Egypt, the early Christians to "the uttermost part of the earth." Add ICR to that list.
God has richly blessed the work of ICR in San Diego for over 35 years, from its humble beginnings as a division of the newly-formed Christian Heritage College in 1970, to a worldwide movement reintroducing creation thinking into Christianity. Significant advancements both in advocacy and research have been accomplished by God's grace. As a supporter and participant in this work, you share a part in the resulting fruit.
However, San Diego has never been a good place from which to conduct a nationwide ministry. This part of California may be conservative in many ways, but a hotbed of Christianity it is not. ICR's financial support and speaking opportunities come from all over the world, not simply from a home base nearby. Neither our history nor our future holds us here.
Furthermore, the rising cost of living--especially housing prices--makes it extremely difficult to recruit faculty to join ICR or students to enroll in the graduate school. Once you're here and situated, it's a wonderful place to live, but getting to that point can be difficult. The ICR Board has long entertained the notion of moving to a more advantageous location.
The possibility of moving to Dallas surfaced when my brother, Dr. Henry Morris III, discerned that a central location would be beneficial for ICR, with several possibilities for student services at nearby affiliated colleges. The many good churches and large numbers of ICR supporters living in North Texas made it a natural fit for the ministry. When my father was still alive he approved the move to Dallas, especially as a way to strengthen the graduate school.
In 2006, ICR opened a distance education effort in Dallas, as well as the hub of ICR's internet ministries, which you will read about in our feature article this month. As additional operational functions were assigned to the new Dallas office, the Board concluded that it was in ICR's best interests to move the entire ministry.
As you would expect from a group of scientists, our migration is being conducted in a very orderly fashion. Many of the business and publication functions have already been transferred to the Dallas headquarters, and some of our scientists and employees have also relocated, or are in the process of doing so. A new recruitment effort is underway for professional staff at the new headquarters.
Change can be exciting and hold great promise, but it is rarely a comfortable process, and some ICR members have faced challenges with these adjustments. Not everyone is moving. The geology group (including me) will remain in California for the near future, while the life science research staff will be reassigned to Dallas. A few of our scientists work from various locations around the U.S. and that will continue, but all future growth will be in Dallas.
This relocation is only part of the changes occurring at ICR. As you can see, we have expanded the format of Acts & Facts, opening up wonderful new possibilities for ministry in our publications department. I'm convinced that these changes are for the better, allowing us to extend the message of creation even further.
Of course, several things remain the same. ICR's ministry focus, our high regard for Scripture, our commitment to good science, and our basic philosophy of fundraising continue. However, the need for monthly support hasn't changed. So, I will keep gently reminding you of giving opportunities. Might I also suggest that you continue to uphold ICR in your prayers? We need it as much now as we ever did.
*Dr. Morris is President of the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: Morris, J. 2007. Moving God's Way. Acts & Facts. 36 (10): 3.
