Longtime readers of Acts & Facts may fondly recall how in the January issue ICR founder Dr. Henry M. Morris would sum up ICR’s major activities and blessings of the prior year. When he pulled together all the things that had been accomplished, it was exciting to see the hand of the Lord Jesus empowering ICR’s progress in creation science. The thrill that this brought to my heart was a blessing for me, and I’m sure that it was for you as well.
As much as I wanted to write a year-in-review article for the January 2021 issue of Acts & Facts in my first year as president, I felt compelled to write “Unity Worthy of Our Creationist Heritage” because of the urgent need in this area.1 It was also time to give a long-overdue thank you to many smaller creationist ministries that have worked with ICR for decades. The January 2022 article “Finding Biblical Clues to Design” targeted the pressing need to spell out the biblical basis underlying the new engineering-based approach to biological research that ICR is pioneering.2
But this January we can quickly walk through 2022 in review. While I’ll mention several ICR staff members, we all know that the credit belongs to the Lord Jesus. Together we can thank Him for His abiding presence with ICR as demonstrated by the many good things He has done for and through us.
New Ministry Logo
We kicked off 2022 by revealing our new ICR logo that emphasizes our concerted effort to begin organism-focused, engineering-based biological research. Susan Windsor of our Communications department crafted the initial design of the logo, and then the entire ICR staff collectively added refinements for the final design. We produced an announcement video for those interested in learning more about our new logo.3
New Mailing Center for Donor Relations
Our Donor Relations team worked for years in a cramped room producing donor receipts, spring and fall appeals, and thank you letters. In January 2022, they moved into a brand-new space specifically designed for their needs. This new space has improved working conditions and has also enabled us to begin sending a variety of postcards and announcements by ourselves rather than using outside sources.
ICR Discovery Center Director Chris Kinman and several of his crew did an incredibly professional job in remodeling a classroom into a new mail center and three additional offices. In fact, Mr. Kinman and his staff did essentially all of the construction shown in this article’s pictures in order to modify our facilities to support our greatly increased efforts in biological research and digital media. Their efforts produced not only high-quality rooms on time and under budget, but also saved thousands in construction costs.
New Blind Cavefish Laboratory
This new laboratory is vital to our engineering-based, organism-focused research into biological adaptation. Our approach is completely contrary to Darwin’s magical concepts of “selection pressures” and “selection events” that always lead to faulty interpretations of biological outcomes. This lab will support future investigations of various creatures as we quantify specific adaptations under controlled conditions.
New Molecular Biology Laboratory
We refitted our existing laboratory with new equipment that will allow us to prepare samples for genetic sequencing and analyzing to determine which proteins are made in different environmental exposures. All engineered adaptive systems, whether man-made or inside creatures, must have several specialized parts. This laboratory will help us identify those parts within creatures and explain their operation.
New Microscopic Imaging Center
Another vital tool for our biological research is observing the microscopic changes that occur as a fertilized egg develops. This is often the time when biological adaptations begin to be apparent. A gift from the William B. Dean, MD Foundation enabled us to procure new compound and confocal laser microscopes. These will work in tandem with a new stereomicroscope we procured in March. We plan on publishing some of the micrographs in Acts & Facts.
New Discovery Center Exhibits Highlight ICR Research
We marked the third anniversary of the ICR Discovery Center on September 3, 2022, with a huge celebration that attracted over 900 guests. One highlight was unveiling five new exhibits showcasing ICR’s latest research—human-chimpanzee DNA comparisons by Dr. Jeffrey Tomkins that show only 80-85% similarity; ICR’s new continuous environmental tracking model of biological adaptation; Dr. Jake Hebert’s work on the Ice Age; identification of matching sedimentary layers—in the same order—on continents by Dr. Tim Clarey’s analysis of boreholes across the world; and Dr. Brian Thomas’ research on unmineralized, soft biological tissues in fossils that indicate they aren’t millions of years old as evolutionists claim. We also refreshed many of our original exhibits and added four new ones for children.
New Approach to Educate Families about Creation
We added educational resources that provide a fun approach for families to learn about creation. Drs. Brian Thomas and Tim Clarey worked with Communications Director Jayme Durant to produce a visually appealing resource to counteract the imaginative evolutionary speculations that families are saturated with when they visit United States national and state parks. The result is the striking Parks Across America: Viewing God’s Wonders Through a Creationist Lens and the full-color Parks Across America map.
Podcasts Produced in a New Film Studio
The formation of our Digital Media department is another testament to the provision of the Lord Jesus. This is the first time ICR has ventured into the digital world on a scale of this magnitude, but we felt the Lord prompting us to better use this avenue. New Digital Media Director Michael Hansen put together an aggressive agenda for 2022 of diverse podcasts and videos that appeal to different age groups and interests. The Lord has provided ICR with a very talented team to script, film, animate, and edit these products. He also provided the resources to equip the studio with the necessary tools to produce high-quality media.
Important Events
The Lord blessed us with multiple opportunities to strengthen our ties with some wonderful creationist ministries that desired to work on events together with us. These included two training seminars with Mike Riddle and Creation Training Initiative; the Denver Society of Creation with Judy Finessy and the Rocky Mountain Creation Fellowship; the Biblical Worldview Conference with Dr. Kevin Horton of the Institute for Biblical Authority; Eric Hovind of Creation Today in filming at our Discovery Center; the monthly Day4 Astronomy meeting at the Discovery Center; and a unique film premiere with David Rives Ministries and Dr. Jobe and Jenna Dee Martin of Biblical Discipleship Ministries.
ICR’s Dr. Tim Clarey lectured on several Grand Canyon tours led by Kevin Turley of Landmark Events. Dave Ackerman of Alpha Ministries organized an incredible seminar in Spokane. Dr. George and Darlene Matzko of Bob Jones University wowed over 1,000 children at our Discovery Center Homeschool Days event. We hosted The Great Recital with Tom Meyer, the Bible Memory Man, and several other Bible memory specialists in a recital of the entire New Testament from memory! We’re also thankful to have been included in the Biblical Worldview Institute hosted by Prestonwood Baptist Church that ministered to over 3,000 Christian students and teachers.
As the year closed, I ministered with Mission Imperative. This is a wonderful creationist ministry led by Mike and Carrie Snavely. I’m grateful that they offered me a complimentary seat on their Southwest Safari that visited the “Grand Circle” of national parks such as Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon. Not only was it extremely well organized, but I can highly recommend it as the best experience I’ve had in seeing firsthand the geological evidences for Noah’s Flood. I captured photos and videos to share with you. Subscribe to ICR’s YouTube channel and social media to see when they’re available. We’re grateful for every seminar and all of the wonderful churches that invited us to speak.
We completed our second scientific expedition in which we collected multiple samples in a search for fossilized pollen, excavated several dinosaur bones including a portion of an Allosaurus tooth, and filmed interviews for upcoming media productions. In addition, our scientists spoke at four secular universities and were guests on many Christian and secular radio programs.
That covers some of the highlights for 2022—what a year it was. It’s still exciting to see the hand of the Lord Jesus empowering ICR’s progress in creation science. We know that for many Acts & Facts readers, prayer for ICR is included in your regular devotions with the Lord Jesus. He will continue to use your love, generosity, and prayers in 2023.
Please pray for us to have scientific insights, creativity in our communications, creationist unity, and spiritual protection for the ICR family. Thank you for strengthening us in this important work.
References
- Guliuzza, R. J. 2021. Unity Worthy of Our Creationist Heritage. Acts & Facts. 50 (1): 4-6.
- Guliuzza, R. J. 2022. Finding Biblical Clues to Design. Acts & Facts. 51 (1): 4-6.
- ICR Logo announcement video, posted on ICR.org/logo.
* Dr. Guliuzza is President of the Institute for Creation Research. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Minnesota, his Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and served in the U.S. Air Force as 28th Bomb Wing Flight Surgeon and Chief of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Guliuzza is also a registered Professional Engineer and holds a B.A. in theology from Moody Bible Institute.
