Creation Family Ministries

Update (3/22)

Hello everyone! May each of you have a blessed Resurrection weekend!

RECENT “HAPPENINGS"

Recently, we have been blessed to help in our church’s Christian school. Heather has substituted for different needs, and Jeff was able to speak in various Bible classes and to teach a series on “Creation & the Text of Scripture.” He even gave a test!

Last Sunday, we were blessed to minister in Spanish church at our home church. Toward the end of Jeff’s message entitled, “Dinosaurs & the Design of God,” his computer froze up so he had to ad lib! We are planning to finish the session on April 13.

MORE "SEA-CRETS"
We are preparing for one more "Secrets of the Sea" meeting next week here in Hickory , NC just around the corner from our church. We've known Pastor Sapoch and Faith Baptist Church for many years and are excited about an opportunity there! You're invited to come! It begins Wednesday (3/25) and goes through Friday (3/28) at 7 pm nightly. The culmination will be on Sunday (3/30), with a special food fellowship afterwards that evening. The Cause for Creation, Secret Serpents, and The Flood, Fossils, and Fiery Judgment are a few of the messages that will be shared during the week. There will be special music, and Heather will conduct special sessions for ages 4-10.

SINCE THE CREATION CONFERENCE...
We have been working on editing videos of the many sessions! While there has been much to learn and we have encountered many "snags" along the way, things seem to be coming together (slowly) with the help of friends like Nathan Barrick of Kings Mountain, NC and Charles Rucci of Apex, NC. Presently, these sessions are available:

"The Cause of Creation" (Jeff Setzer), "The Gap Theory" (Steve Lawwell), "Evidence of The Genesis Flood" (Lawwell), "The Search for Noah’s Ark" (Lawwell), "Waters Before There Was Water" (1 & 2, Kenneth Sheets)

Contact us by email (jeffandheather@juno.com) or by phone (828-238-0016) for information regarding ordering these sessions. If you have ordered the entire set, thank you for your patience! This was a greater project than we imagined!

WILDERNESS WONDERS FELLOWSHIP

We are looking forward to serving in 11 meetings this summer! Our program includes messages on Yellowstone creatures (bears, bison, moose), mammoths, pterosaurs, and "Big Foot." We're also planning a finger food "creation fellowship" at our church on Saturday evening, April 26 (6:30) during which we'll give an overview of these subjects and discuss our next Creation Conference (tentatively Feb. 5-9, 2009). You’re invited!

Again, may each of you have a blessed Resurrection Day remembering the work of our Creator when He mightily revealed His power over life and death!

In Christ our Creator,

Jeff & Heather Setzer

Conference Update (2/27)

We are extremely grateful for what the LORD did during our first Creation Conference. Since the conference, we have been working
(slowly) on a set of DVDs and/or CDs of all of the sessions. If you would like to purchase a set of audio CDs, please let us know! We're planning to allocate these funds for next year's conference, since the budget is going to be more than twice the expense of this year's conference!

Of 20 sessions from our "Secrets of the Sea" conference, the audio CDs we presently have available are these:

Friday evening:
1 - "The Cause of Creationism" (includes pre-service Jeffrey Dahmer testimony) - Evangelist Jeff Setzer
2 - "Creation or Evolution - Does It Really Matter?" - Dr. Jobe Martin

Saturday:
3 - Shamgar devotional (Judges 3) & "Incredible Creatures"- Dr. Jobe Martin
4 - "Deception & Fraud in the Classroom" - Dr. Jobe Martin
5 - "Conclusions for a Young Earth: What Does the Evidence Show" - Dr. Jobe Martin
6 - "Potpourri: Dinosaurs, Stars, DNA, Fossils, Flood, Scripture" - Dr. Jobe Martin
7 - "Creation & The Gospel" - Evangelist Jeff Setzer
8 - Q & A / interview of Matt Speights (creation explorer)

Sunday:
9 - testimony - Dr. Jobe Martin
10 - "Esther: Approaching the King" - Mr. Kenneth Sheets

We are asking $5.00 per CD or $29.95 for the above set of 10 CDs (donation includes shipping). Please place an order by email (jeffandheather@juno.com) or by phone (828-238-0016), and make checks out to Creation Clubs to be sent to:
2098 Evergreen Dr. Newton, NC 28658.

We will share more as we work on this massive project. In addition to the CDs, we have 19 conference notebooks left over that are
available while they last for $10.00 each (FREE for paid orders for sets of DVDs--which are being developed). We are already looking forward to next year! Right now, we're looking at February 5-8, 2009 for a "Wilderness Wonders" conference for adults and a "Dino Days" event for young people. We are praying that the LORD will provide so that we can schedule the ministry of Creation Truth Foundation of Noble, OK to bring their impressive displays (real and replica) of dinosaur fossils, ica stones, fossils of sea creatures, and much more! There is so much we are hoping to do, if the LORD allows! When the LORD brings us to your mind, PLEASE PRAY for our efforts. Our next meeting is here in Hickory, March 26-30 at Faith Baptist Church with Pastor Eddie Sapoch. We're looking forward to using our sea theme again!

--Brother Jeff

Conference Update (2/13)

What a wonderful weekend we had! How good our LORD was! The Creation Conference went amazingly well, and our mighty Creator was honored and magnified!

We began the weekend on a very sad note. On Friday morning, February 8, we buried our pastor who went home to be with the LORD after a 20-month struggle with leukemia. After the 10:00 AM funeral and church meal, we were on a roll with final set-up and preparations so we would be ready to open the doors for the conference at 6:00 PM. Jeff opened the conference with the message, "The Cause for Creation;" our church choir sang a beautiful arrangement of "The Majesty and Glory of Thy Name;" and Dr. Jobe Martin finished the evening with the message, "Creation or Evolution: Does It Matter?" We were so blessed to see 160 people in attendance that night!

Saturday morning began bright and early, with coffee and sweet rolls being served at 7:30. The first general session began at 8:00, and our day was underway! For those of you who could not attend, here are some of the titles of sessions throughout the day: Incredible Creatures; The Gap Theory; The Search for Noah's Ark; Deception and Fraud in the Classroom; Evidence for the Genesis Flood; What Does the Bible Say?; Waters Before There Was Water: A Correct Interpretation of Adam's Words; Flood Theology: God's Use of Job to Correct Man's Error; Secret Serpents; A Whale of a Tale; Creation and the Gospel; and more! At 9:15, we all enjoyed a delicious catered brunch. We ended the day with the speakers providing a panel for Q&A, which included an interview with Matthew Speights, a creation explorer who is researching living pterosaurs (flying "dinosaurs") and who detailed his team's latest expedition in which he saw living pterosaurs! Wow! It was truly a jam-packed day! Our LORD truly was our strength and help -- everything seemed to flow very smoothly, for which we were very grateful! We really were not sure what to expect as far as attendance. We had anticipated 80-100 people based on pre-registrations, but our faith was small. The LORD brought 130 people to the conference on Saturday! We are already planning for next year, so if you missed this year, make plans to join us in 2009!

To those churches and individuals who gave special offerings for the needs of this special effort, we cannot thank you enough! The LORD met our needs, and He used our brothers and sisters to do so. To our team of helpers, we could not have done it alone! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! To our speakers, you were a tremendous blessing and encouragement to everyone at the conference! To our faithful friends who held us up in prayer, we never take that for granted! Without that, none of this would have happened! May each of you be blessed by our wonderful God and Creator!

Remembering the Creator,
Jeff & Heather

UPDATES 2/1/08

"FINALLY HOME"

"Just think of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven; of taking a Hand and finding it God's; of breathing new air and finding it Celestial; of waking up in Glory...and finding it Home."

I think of the words to this familiar song when I think of my pastor who now is on that distant Shore, breathing the air, having taken the Hand of God. My pastor, Phil Vos, went into the presence of the LORD about 8:45 pm Friday, February 1. He no longer has a diseased body nor a sore-ridden mouth, and he is with the LORD Whom he served faithfully and sought to please even in his final days, as his Maker used him even to lead a nurse named Angie to saving faith in Christ!

Please pray for the Vos family, for our church family, and for us as we will greatly miss him. Plans are for the viewing to be Thursday evening at our church and the funeral around 10:00 Friday morning.

--Brother Jeff

CREATION CONFERENCE
Hello everyone! It is a blessing to labor for our LORD! We are busily preparing for our first Conference on Biblical Creation, Feb. 8-9, and we're getting more excited as time draws near! With the help of many folk, we've prepared sea-themed posters, postcards, a banner, yard signs, brochure, ads, and materials for a conference notebook. There will be a catered brunch, free materials, snacks from Chick-Fil-A, 6 different speakers, 19 sessions, special music, book/display tables, and an interview of a creation explorer! We know each one will be blessed! We are extremely thankful for how the LORD is supplying for this new venture! Yesterday, we received a phone call from a Cuban lady named Heidi who moved here from Florida. She was brought up as an atheist and now is a Christian. She was very familiar with the videos by Dr. Jobe Martin and is planning to come hear him in person! Another blessing was that our promotional postcard brought about a conversation with an evolutionist. Please pray that Mark will be able to come, and pray that the conference will be a blessing to all. We're also praying that we can fill some spots for videoing the sessions so that we can make DVDs of the conference sessions available afterward.

If you are interested in signing up, you can go to our website: http://CreationFaMin.com for information or to download a brochure. Payment for the Saturday sessions can be made to our email address (jeffandheather@juno.com) via Paypal ($20.00 per person or $70.00 maximum per family). A love offering will be received on Friday evening.

NEARING HOME
On the way to a service in Valdese, NC this past Wednesday night (Jan. 30), we stopped by the hospital to see our pastor, Phil Vos. Apparently, he will be entering the presence of his LORD very soon. We will greatly miss him! Please pray for the Vos family as they go through this valley together with our church family. The report today is that his breathing is very labored.

SPRING BREAK FAMILY VBS
We are looking forward to serving with Pastor Eddie Sapoch and Faith Baptist Church here in Hickory, NC during spring break, March 26-30. As far as we know, this will be the first time we've conducted a VBS during the school year, and we'll get to use the "Secrets of the Sea" theme again!

Thanks to each of you for your prayers and support of this ministry! You are a blessing to us!

Jeff & Heather Setzer

UPDATE 1/1/08

Hello everyone! We trust you are well and wish each of you a blessed “holy-day” time with family and friends, particularly with the Greatest Friend of all, our Creator! We also wish His richest blessings upon you in the New Year!

In 2007, we were richly blessed to serve in NY, CT, TN, VA, PA, IN, CO, UT, and WY from June to October. The LORD allowed us to serve in eight VBS meetings, two junior camps, three revival meetings, two Creation Sundays, a Creation Expo (Indianapolis), and a city fair (Utah). Since returning to Hickory, we’ve been privileged to serve in churches in NC, SC, and VA. We are grateful for the work God has given to us!

A CONFERENCE a-COMIN’!
Over the past two years, our burden to use creation in evangelism and edification has greatly increased! If there is no Creator, there is no sin, church is irrelevant, the Bible is just an old book that was written by men, and standards...what are they? If God does not exist, there is no ultimate morality, and men are free to determine their own morals. Even lives of church folk who claim to be “saved” reflect these ideas, especially when it comes to subjects like marriage or music. But, if there is a Creator Who designed and built all things (Heb. 3:4), we are responsible to Him for our actions, our words, and our thoughts; and He has a design even for “controversial” issues of life.

Is belief in a creator all that is necessary? No. Even Mormons, Catholics, and Muslims believe in a creator.
Is their creator the same as the God of the Bible? No. How do we know? Through Biblical creation.

While scientific creation points to a Designer (as artwork is evidence of an artist or a building points to a builder), Biblical creation begins with physical design (i.e. Genesis 1:1) and logically points to the design that the loving Creator has for all of life. As people recognize His design, subjects that can be controversial (like music or marriage), are no longer divisive as God’s design for these subjects is clearly known. While men have fleshly
desires that are contrary to God’s design, His plan for every area of life puts to silence human desire and opinion.

With these thoughts in mind, it is with great pleasure that we are announcing our first Conference on Biblical Creation February 8-9, 2008! We would love for you to come! We believe it will be life-changing as we point out knowledge that will benefit folk spiritually, mentally, and physically!

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

You may download a brochure / registration form from our website, http://CreationFaMin.com or you may
contact us by phone (828-238-0016) or by email (jeffandheather@juno.com) to request a conference brochure.

General Schedule:
Friday, February 8
6 pm - Doors open (Registration)
7 pm - Opening Sessions 1 & 2

Saturday, February 9
7:30 am - Doors open (Registration)
8 am - Session 3
9:15 am - Brunch
10 am - 1 pm (Divided Sessions)
1 pm - 2:30 (Session 4, Q & A)

WHY ANOTHER CONFERENCE?
Our purposes for this meeting are:
1. To edify and educate Bible believers with Biblical creationism as the foundation for every area of life—spiritual and physical!
As believers are strengthened with knowledge of God’s design in and for every area of life, they will have a greater confidence in sharing their belief system (faith) with others. (See Acts 4:21-25.)

2. To uphold the Word of God before unbelievers who may attend.
We especially want to share how Biblical creationism is the basis for spiritual life! Through false teaching (such as evolution), many reject God’s Word as the reliable Record from God. For years, “scholars” have sought to cast doubt upon God’s Word through unfounded claims about the Bible, while others religiously hold to “millions” or “billions” of years for the age of the earth or of the universe, thereby undermining, disregarding, or totally denying Genesis. Through such attacks, multitudes around the world believe these “authorities” and reject the Bible as the reliable Record from God.

“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)

3. To apply creationism to the Gospel and to missions.
“I saw another angel...having the everlasting Gospel...Saying...Fear God...give glory to Him...and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea...” (Rev. 14:6, 7)

In short, the Gospel is founded upon the fact that Jesus is the Creator! Consider this: Before John wrote, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only... Son…(John 3:16), he penned,

“In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1)

In addition, before Jesus gave the Great Commission, He said, “ALL POWER is given unto me in heaven and in earth… (Matt 28:18) Jesus Himself began with creation when He authorized His followers to go to all the world!
In essence, creationism helps us in our witness!

A DIFFICULT DECISION
Since 1998, we have taken an annual western mission trip to serve in small churches in CO, WY, and UT. It is hard to imagine, but we remember seeing diesel at $.89 per gallon! The LORD has provided for this trip each year in special ways, and many of our greatest blessings come during this time! This year, however, we have made a very difficult decision to skip our western trip. Rising fuel costs, vehicle wear, a slight loss in support, and a desire to decrease our debt load have helped us to make this difficult decision. However, the greatest reason was a growing burden to “build” more creation awareness in NC and the east.

EVIL-UTIONISTS
Some of the tactics of evolutionists have opened our eyes concerning the need for creationism in our home area.

“Lest Satan should get an advantage, for we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

The Clergy Project is a plan by those who accept “particles-to-people” evolution as a “fact of science” and a “core component of human knowledge” to impact the religious sector of America. With over 11,100 clergy (as of 12/30/07) having signed a letter promoting evolution, the website of this project shows NC is #11 in the nation and 1st among the southern states with 378 signatures! Clearly, there is a great need for the “Bible Belt” to be belted with the Bible...beginning with its foundation! For more, see http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/clergy_project.htm.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
We are sent by Tabernacle Baptist Church (http://tabernaclehickory.org) as “missionaries to young people.” For us to issue tax-deductions for financial support for Creation Family Ministries, incoming checks should be made to Tabernacle Baptist Church (with Jeff Setzer in the memo). In 2008, receipts will only be issued for gifts through our church that have been properly designated. Thank you!

UPCOMING PROJECTS
We already are beginning to update our Wilderness Wonders VBS program which includes Yellowstone animals (bears, bison, and moose), pterosaurs (“flying dinosaurs”), mammoths, and “Big Foot.” Recently, a friend of ours went on an expedition hunting living pterosaurs! We hope he can come to our conference and tell about his experience!

In addition to our VBS work, we’re developing an internet store and a creation devotional. If you shop online, check out http://cfmstore.org (linked from http://creationfamin.com). We also request your prayers as we seek to rejuvenate our Creation e-Club next fall and as we make tentative plans for our first Creation Camp in summer of 2009.

SPECIAL REQUEST
These efforts take money, but we would like to build a work with people! We are grateful for ministries like Answers in Genesis in KY, the Institute for Creation Research in CA, and Creation Science Evangelism in FL—good works that need our encouragement. However, more creation ministries are needed in America and around the world!
In addition to promoting science that confirms the Bible, an application of creationism (the design of God) is a
must and the logical next step! If God has a design for the universe, does He have a design for marriage or music? YES—He cares about every area of our lives! Biblical creation essentially helps us to live according to the design
of the One Who designed us! Doesn’t this make sense? Please pray for wisdom as we seek to build for God.
We are extremely grateful for the prayers and sacrificial gifts. May the LORD bless each one who helps, and may
all of you have a blessed and prosperous New Year according to the design of God!

Remembering the Creator, (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

Jeff & Heather

UPDATE 12/25/07
We want to wish everyone a blessed "holy-day" time with family and friends and to share a couple of extra special blessings that have taken place recently!

VICTORY THROUGH VICTORIA!
Since we've been back from our western trip, we have been contacting churches in our general area as we work toward our first Creation Conference in February. One of these churches is Victory Hill Baptist in Dallas, NC where Sandy Bozeman is pastor. We were saddened to hear that a 10 year old girl named Victoria in their children's church (who also would have been in VBS when we served there in '05) had passed away a day or so before I called Pastor Bozeman. We were privileged to serve in teen Sunday school and in junior church, to set up our book table, and to promote the Creation Conference in the main service on December 9. Little did we know just how timely our visit was! Victoria had been saved at junior camp and, since her salvation, had tried (to no avail) to get her family to come to church. That Sunday, her family was packing a pew! It took her death to get them there, and we found out afterwards that her mom trusted Christ as Savior that day! Praise the LORD! Not only this blessing, but we were also told that some of her family present that day are Mormon! This was interesting since we had our book table set up (complete with DVDs such as The Bible vs. The Book of Mormon and DNA vs. The Book of Mormon)! In addition, we were blessed to hear that Victory Hill is going to add us to their missionary family! Showers of blessings came that day, and later as a total of 14 of Victoria's family received Christ as their Savior!

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT!
We have been praying for Jeff's brother, Randy, for many years. He was saved as a child, but his lifestyle since high school has made us wonder if he ever truly was saved. Through a series of events, he left his wife and has been living in FL away from family and friends since January. Through an injury to his hand at work last summer, he was brought to the point where he gave up resisting the LORD and repented of his sin! It was truly a blessed Sunday this past August when we received his voicemail telling of his decision. This past Sunday, we received the most WONDERFUL Christmas gifts as Randy came with Jeff's mom and dad to our church! It was the first time we had seen him since his dedication decision! Still another blessing came that evening when Jeff's family sang during a play at their church a song they hadn't sung together for 25 years! We ask for your prayers for Randy and Stephanie as they seek the LORD and work on their marriage.

May each of you have a VERY Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year as you seek HIM!

--Brother Jeff

UPDATE (11/22/07)

We wish each of you a blessed Thanksgiving, a time with family and friends expressing wonder and awe in worship and gratitude to the God of creation for His wondrous works! "O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders...that by wisdom made the heavens...that stretched out the earth above the waters...that made great lights...The sun to rule by day...The moon and stars to rule by night..." (Psalm 136:3-9) "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?.." (Psalm 8:3)

Since we've been back home from travels this past summer and fall, we have been blessed to serve at Hope Baptist in Anderson, SC; Bethel Baptist in Rockwell, NC; Bethesda Baptist in Conover, NC; and Command Baptist in Statesville, NC. It is a great blessing to see growing interest in a special Creation Conference we're hosting this coming February at our church and to receive sponsorship funding from one church and two individuals! Praise the LORD! If HE provides another sponsor or two, we will be able to have Creation Truth Foundation of Noble, OK bring in their magnificient dinosaur and fossil museum-quality displays! This past Sunday, we were encouraged to visit Jeff's uncle's church and to hear a medical doctor, Dr. Steve Merrill, speak on creationism at East Taylorsville Baptist. This is especially encouraging since it represents a growing interest in creationism in our home area. For this, we are very grateful to our LORD!

We also thank our LORD for His many mercies upon our lives and for the burden for creation evangelism that HE has placed upon our hearts, "for His mercy endureth forever." We are grateful that His "mercies are new every morning" and that "it is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed." (Lamentations 3:22, 23) May it be through our worship in church and family gatherings across our nation that God will see fit to have mercy upon our nation and that HE will grant revival as folk worship HIM as their Maker (Revelation 14:6,7).

Jeff & Heather Setzer
Creation Family Ministries
1225 29th Ave. Dr. NE
Hickory, NC 28601
http://CreationFaMin.com

UPDATE (10/22/07)

A TENNESSEE REVIVAL AND A TRIP HOME
We just finished a week of revival meetings in Tullahoma, TN at Gospel Tabernacle Baptist with Pastor Rod Shrader. Pastor Shrader preached the revival, Jeff spoke in Sunday school, and Jeff and Heather both helped with music and children's meetings during the week. We had a wonderful time! Bro. Shrader has only been there since May, but the people love him and his family. Much good seed was sown, and we trust the LORD to continue to use His Word in the lives of His people. We stayed over an extra Sunday to help with music, and Jeff preached that evening. The previous week, we visited friends in Shelbyville, TN and were blessed to meet the new pastor of Faith Baptist (Bro. Charles Redmond) where we served from 1994 - 1997.

We have been away from our home area since May 30 and are greatly looking forward to getting back! It is always a joy to look back over the months on the road and see the mighty hand of our Creator at work!

AN INVITATION!
We have been actively preparing for our first Conference on Biblical Creationism taking place February 8-9, 2008 at our home church (Tabernacle Baptist in Hickory, NC). Upon returning, our plan is to continue contacting area churches to promote this event. Anyone interested in attending "Secrets of the Sea: A Conference on Biblical Creationism" can go to http://creationfamin.com/ and download a brochure/registration form. Sessions on Friday evening are free, with a love offering taken to help defray expenses, but a registration fee is necessary for the Saturday sessions. We are praying that like-minded churches and individuals will help sponsor this event and that funds will allow us to bring in some fantastic, museum-quality displays from Creation Truth Foundation of Noble, OK. These would include a 17-foot plesiosaur and a 42-foot tylosaur (both sea "dinosaurs")!

CONNECTING THE DOTS
Part of our burden for hosting this type of conference comes from the fact that evolutionists are reaching the religious sector of our nation. Through the "Clergy Project," they have garnered over 11,000 signatures of ministers from all denominations who support molecules-to-man evolution as a "fact of science" and a "core component of human knowledge." Even so-called Baptist clergy or churches in our area have signed this letter, and North Carolina is the first southern state (#11 out of 50) in this dubious list! One of these "Baptist" churches even has a woman pastor!

Through this conference, we will expose evolutionary lies AND encourage and edify believers. If believers are strengthened in their faith, they will be stronger witnesses. For too long, Christians have relegated science ("knowledge") to the classroom. However, GOD said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). Knowledge used improperly "puffeth up" (I Cor. 8:1). In short, we "connect the dots" between true science (knowledge of design features that point to the Designer) and Scripture, thereby dispelling the greatest hindrance to the Gospel message, evolution.

EXPO EXCITEMENT!
We were thoroughly blessed to serve with Pastor Frederick Boyd and Zion Unity Baptist during a special Creation Evidence Expo recently in Indianapolis, IN. It was such a privilege to minister to literally hundreds of children and teens! We were also blessed to meet other faithful laborers in creationism, such as Dr. Charles Jackson and Dr. Thomas Sharpe. We also were privileged to fellowship again with Dr. Carl Baugh and to hear Ken Ham speak. A HUGE blessing to Jeff was to hear a high schooler (Matt) tell him after a message ("Dinosaurs & The Design of God") that what he heard changed the theories he was formulating from his science classes.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that God was still using the eye-opening experience we had in 2005 with the Indianapolis Children's Museum! Back then, along with a group of missionary families, we were expelled from the museum simply because Heather and I had non-chalantly handed out a few creation trading cards to workers at various places inside the museum, just as we always do. As a result, five security guards made our entire group leave! Due to our ministry schedule then, we had no recourse but to continue on to our next meeting without in some way calling the museum to account for their rudeness. But God was working. Due to a totally separate situation regarding the Expo, Pastor Boyd had us meet with a lawyer for the Children's Museum during that week! What a lesson in waiting on God! We had desperately wanted to do something in 2005 because of the lies that were told about us. However, in God's timing He allowed us to have an opportunity to respond in the right fashion and through proper channels. We look forward to getting back to Indianapolis in 2008 to conduct a VBS at Thompson Rd. Baptist.

Thank you so much for your prayers as we seek to plow, sow, or water for our LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth!

Brother Jeff
Creation Family Ministries
1225 29th Ave. Dr. NE
Hickory, NC 28601

(9/14/07)

ONION DAYS CITY FAIR
Thank you so much for your prayers during our time with Hope Baptist at "Onion Days" in Payson, UT. It was exciting to talk to folk and to give out literally hundreds of booklets, trading cards, or other materials that present both Creation and the Gospel message. Booklets such as, "Why Is There Death & Suffering?" "What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?" and "Where Did the Races Come From?" all answer pertinent questions asked by many people. It was sad to realize that one of the booklets picked up most often was, "Is There Really a God?" With 90% or more of Payson being Mormon, this fact speaks volumes about questions they have deep in their hearts that are not answered by their religion.

Jeff had an opportunity to talk with an artist named Brian who also had a booth. Brian is LDS (Mormon) and believes that God could have used evolution, and that "we are all God's children." He did accept a "Stones & Bones" booklet when Jeff went by to see his artwork. His father (Dan) is a retired college professor who also stopped by our booth. Dan believes in "particles-to-people" evolution and even referred to bones having been found that prove whales once walked on land! This was interesting since the whale was one of the creatures for our sea theme this year, and we had referred to those bones and to the false idea of a "walking whale" in our presentations! Dan would not accept any materials that were offered to him. However, another man who had been listening to the conversation stayed to talk some more and he did accept two books Jeff offered.

A biologist named Russ stopped by our booth on Saturday. At one point, he told Jeff that after all he had read "out there," he was not sure what to believe. So Jeff talked with him awhile and offered him The Evolution Handbook. He accepted it and came back on Monday to thank us and to let us know how far he had read in the book.

These are just a few examples of the kinds of people with whom we all have contact every day. Literally, all of us are surrounded every day by lost and saved people who have real questions that need solid, Biblical answers that point them to the God Who is!

CREATION REVIVAL
We just finished a Creation Revival at Baptist Community Church in Afton, WY, and what a blessing it was! The attendance was the best we have ever seen there, which included another small church that joined us on Tuesday night. That same night, Jeff preached "Echoes of 9/11," a message presenting Biblical answers as to why a loving God allows bad things to happen. We also had ~15 children Monday-Wednesday in an after school program in which we used our "Secrets of the Sea" VBS theme. We absolutely love serving with this small church each year!

HEADIN' BACK EAST
We are currently en route to Fort Morgan, CO, where we will be at Platte Valley Baptist with Pastor Shannon Munday for a Sunday and Monday. Then, we will continue on to Indianapolis where we will be speaking to ages 5-9 at a Creation Expo September 21-26. From there, we will travel to Farmland, IN for a Creation Revival at Faith Baptist with Pastor Dean Bowser. On Thursday of that week, we are greatly looking forward to visiting the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky! Please pray for us as we joyfully serve our Creator and Redeemer!

Jeff & Heather Setzer
Creation Family Ministries
http://CreationFaMin.com

UPDATE (9/01/07)

Happy September, everyone! We are here in Payson, UT with Hope Baptist Church at the Golden Onion Days festival (which has nothing to do with onions -- go figure!). We have a booth set up in the fairgrounds for our second year, and we are thoroughly enjoying talking with folk on the street and sharing things that point to a world-wide Flood. Just as Jesus used the Flood ("... as it was in the days of Noah ..." - Luke 17:26) to point to His second coming, and Peter used "... the world that then was, being overflowed with water ..." (2 Peter 3:6) to point to future judgment by fire, we also must use the Flood to point people to the Creator and His authority. It is then but one step to show folk how to prepare for His future judgment. What an excellent witnessing tool! Please pray for us as we continue this outreach through Monday, Labor Day. We have had opportunity to talk to many folk and have handed out many of our Creation trading cards and booklets that present the Gospel. Praise the LORD that His Word does not return void!

We do get a variety of reactions when people come by our booth. Some examples:
-- "... There are some things we will never understand ..."
-- "... We are all children of God ..."
-- "... It's good that we can have healthy discussion ..."
-- "... Oh, this is church stuff!"
-- "... You believe God created everything? Well, we all have different opinions about how it happened ..."
-- "... Have you felt animosity from the Mormons here?"
-- "... I never thought about that!"
-- (regarding dinosaur and human tracks found together in TX) "... Oh my! How do you explain that?"
-- (said in a very hostile tone) "... What denomination are you with?"
-- "... We were looking for the big green dinosaur again this year ..."

It really helps us to see just what we are up against when we present Christ in our modern culture. Just as Paul began with Creation when presenting the Gospel to a pagan culture in Athens (Acts 17:23-24), we must do the same today in America as our own nation grows more and more pagan. Please pray for this outreach during the rest of this weekend.

Remembering the Creator,
Jeff and Heather

UPDATE (8/05/07)

JOY IN THE CAMP
Last Sunday, July 29, there was joy in the camp at First Baptist of Gunnison, CO! We were overjoyed to see a college age young man come forward to trust Christ as his Savior after a message on Romans 10:14-18. Seth is a preacher's son who had struggled with doubts for a long time after responding as a junior age boy. He testified that he saw his siblings responding to the Gospel and figured he "should do it too." Little did he know that while he was at the altar, his dad in another invitation time was referring to young people who had grown up in church but salvation wasn't personal to them! How uncanny! Seth also said that within the first 5 minutes of Sunday's message he knew what he had to do, and that he could hardly wait until Brother Jeff stopped! We were so blessed to see him baptized within one week of his wedding to a girl named Aimee whom he had led to Christ even before he was saved!

A BROTHER BACK
Another wonderful blessing took place that same day. Jeff's brother, Randy, called to tell us that he had gone forward that morning at an invitation to repent before the LORD! This has been a great matter of prayer for years. He said that he was tired of fighting and that badly smashing his finger at work caused him to look to the LORD. We ask for your continued prayers as he has some important decisions to make.

WE'RE GOING TO CAMP!
We had a great week of VBS in Gunnison with 44 enrolled and a junior boy (Drew) trusting Christ as his Savior! This morning, we are serving in children's church at Victory Baptist of Montrose, CO and have opportunity to give a missions report here tonight. Tomorrow (8/6), we will travel with them to Big Pine Camp where Jeff will have a total of 10 opportunities to speak to both juniors and teens! Wow! Please pray that the LORD will use "foundational truth" in many lives!

Many blessings from the Creator to each of you who pray for us!

Jeff & Heather Setzer
Creation Family Ministries
1225 29th Av. Dr. NE
Hickory, NC 28601

UPDATE (5/01/07)

AT HOME & ABROAD
Preparations have been underway for a very busy and full summer schedule. Since Janurary, we have had various opportunities to serve in our home church or in other area churches. Through the internet, we can even minister from home! Last fall, we began placing some of our table items for sale on Ebay, and have seen some interesting responses! One lady in Alaska purchased a DVD entitled "DNA vs. the Book of Mormon" and later wrote feedback that she did not think the message was true. But the seed was sown. We have also been able to send similar materials to addresses in Utah. Through the internet, we can reach people who may be curious enough to purchase a DVD in the privacy of their own home and away from the protective oversight of a cult leader.
On March 18, we were here to celebrate Jeff's parents' 45th wedding anniversary. It was wonderful to surprise them with a BIG celebration at their church! What a blessing to honor our parents!

CREATION FELLOWSHIPS
Last year, we began to hold informal gatherings at our church on Saturday evenings. Initially, a few folk came by word of mouth to the fellowships in 2006. Beginning in 2007, we placed announcements in our church bulletin inviting our entire church family. As a result, it has been a blessing to see 20 - 25 folk attend! This fall, we plan to expand these fellowships to other churches in our area who are interested in hosting a "creation fellowship"!

THE WATERS OF GOD
We are very excited about this year's "Secrets of the Sea" VBS program! In addition to the critical topic of the Flood, intriguing presentations about animals such as sharks, whales, cuttlefish, dolphins, axolotls, and plesiosaurs will excite kids of all ages! New "sea-themed" witnessing tools such as trading cards and tee shirts will soon be available, and a highlight of each meeting will be chemical illustrations that turn water into different colors and teach lessons similar to the "Wordless Book." For revival meetings, we are preparing a series of messages called, "The Waters of God," which will emphasize both the physical and spiritual importance of water. Genesis 1:2 ("And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters..."), Proverbs 5:15-23 ("Drink waters out of thine own cistern..."), and Ephesians 5:26 ("That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word") are but a few examples of God using water to communicate truth!

"SECRETS" CONFERENCE
Excitement is building for a "Conference on Biblical Creationism" February 8-9, 2008! Special speakers will include Dr. Jobe Martin of Biblical Discipleship Ministries (Rockwall, TX), Kenneth Sheets of Tabernacle Baptist Bible College & Seminary (Va. Beach, VA), and Steven Lawwell of Echoes of Eden (Shelbyville, TN). The keynote speaker (Dr. Martin) was an evolutionist who served on the medical team of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Later, while teaching at Baylor University, he was challenged by students to consider the claims of creation science. Since then, he has authored a book entitled The Evolution of a Creationist and a series of DVDs entitled Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution. The conference will include a Saturday morning brunch along with a range of topics including the Flood, sea creatures, the Ark, water, Genesis 1, using Powerpoint software, teaching creationism to children, and more. For anyone wishing to receive a promotional brochure for this event, send a request by email (jeffandheather@juno.com ) including a full name and mailing address. We plan to have these brochures available in June.

INDIANAPOLIS CREATION CRUSADE
Last fall, we were richly blessed to attend a home missions conference near Cheyenne, WY. While there, we met Pastor Frederick Boyd of Indianapolis who invited us to attend his groundbreaking "Creation Crusade" on September 23. We were not able to attend at that time, but we made tentative plans to attend this year. Recently, he asked Jeff to be one of the speakers at this year's crusade! It is even more exciting to realize that this opportunity will be in the same city where we received the most enlightening "evolution experience" of our lives! It was in October of 2005 that we, along with a group of about four other missionary families, were "escorted" by five security guards out of the Indianapolis Children's Museum for handing out materials to about 8-10 museum workers. In order to create a reason to expel us, they made up five lies about us! One of these lies was that they said we had given materials to our entire group for distribution! Another lie is that they said that they had this activity on video! Neither of these were true. Only Heather and I had given a trading card or a dinosaur booklet to people who worked at the museum. That situation explicitly revealed the true nature of evolution, that it is a religion to be protected at all costs. It truly will be our privilege to speak to perhaps 3,000 or more young people in Indianapolis this coming September 21-26!

WOULD YOU PRAY?
The war of world views is heating up, especially as internationally-known ministries such as Answers in Genesis are taking creationism to the world in unprecedented ways with a modern, multi-million dollar museum that opens next month! In response to efforts by creationists, some universities such as Southern Methodist University are even offering courses to combat creationism! As "foot soldiers" in this cultural war over foundational truth, we need your prayers! Please ask the LORD if He would have you to help us with the conference. If you cannot physically participate with us in some way, please pray with us for wisdom, direction, provision, and protection since the devil does not like it when believers enter his stronghold. Pray with us also as we contemplate more and more ways to influence our society for Christ, realizing that nothing of eternal value can be accomplished without the LORD.

May He richly bless each of you in your labors.

Jeff & Heather Setzer, Creation Family Ministries

Update (2/17/07)

Hello all! We trust each of you are well and that you had a blessed Valentine's Day. We had a good time together, with Jeff's mom for lunch on Wednesday, and with our church family last night at a special banquet.

MEETINGS & PROJECTS
While we labor here at home on various projects, we are enjoying meetings from time to time. Our next meeting is February 24-25 with Pastor Bill Schalk at Lynn Hill Baptist in Whiteville, NC. We recently completed a booklet that describes our ministry, as well as needs we have for revival meetings or for VBS meetings. It should be available in March. We also received a professionally-edited DVD master copy of a message, "Foundational Thinking & The Gospel" from Romans 10:14-18, that was preached last October. If you are interested in obtaining these items, please jot us an email (jeffandheather@juno.com). In addition, we have already begun preparations for a "Conference on Biblical Creationism" to be held next February at our home church, Tabernacle Baptist here in Hickory, NC. Drop us an email if you're interested in receiving information about this.

LOOKING TO THE SUMMER
We request your prayers as we develop our "Secrets of the Sea" VBS program which is a repeat from 2002. This year, we will add a new tee shirt design as well as a full set of trading cards for the week. We also will add materials on unique creatures such as the cuttlefish and the axolotl (the "walking fish"). As we plan these things, we are doing so with an eye toward the conference next February which will have the same theme.

CHAIR ATTACK!
Recently, we had a wonderful time of service at Manna Baptist Church in Shelby, NC where Andy Stevens is pastor. On the Saturday before the revival meeting began, we were blessed to conduct two rallies for young people. After the children's rally, we took down tables and chairs to prepare for the teen rally. At first, when Jeff folded up a chair, it was stuck. Then, on another try, it "attacked" his elbow and burst a blood vessel! He didn't even notice what had happened until over two hours later as he began preaching to the teens. In a picture on Photosite (entitled "teen rally"), you can barely see his swollen elbow. This pic was taken during a teen game before Jeff had even noticed the problem! It later turned all sorts of colors and two weeks later it is still somewhat puffy with unusual coloring! What a freak thing! For pictures from the revival, check out this link.

GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT
During the meeting at Manna, we were richly blessed to have input into many lives, particularly many college students. One man who came three nights to the meeting is an agnostic who is searching for answers. The church has been praying for Rudy for a long time and really wants to see him come to Christ. We also heard many encouraging comments from folk! When we hear things like this: "You don't know how much my faith has been strengthened this week," our desire to continue serving in this ministry is greatly strengthened! Time and again, Brother Stevens told us that the week met such a need in their church!

OUR PASTOR
Please pray for our pastor, Pastor Phil Vos, as he battles leukemia. Early this morning (2/17), he was admitted to the hospital with a temp of 102 and last night he had a blood pressure of around 80/40. He is recovering from his 4th round of chemotherapy and really needs prayer that the LORD might strengthen his body against infection. Thank you! Also at this time, Jeff's brother Randy and his wife are in need of prayer for their spiritual and marital needs.

May the LORD bless each of you! Drop us a line or call anytime! (828-238-0016)

Update (1/29/07)

Hello everyone! We trust the LORD is blessing each of you in this New Year. We are truly grateful for His workings in our life and ministry.

FIRST NC "CREATION STATION"
We were blessed to spend time with extended family the week after Christmas, and we traveled back from northern Virginia on New Year's Day. The first Sunday evening of the year, we were blessed to visit Manna Baptist in Shelby, NC and to promote their upcoming meeting (Feb. 3-8). They are very excited about this "new" emphasis and we greatly anticipate this next week as we plan our "Mountain Mysteries" series of revival messages! This opportunity is very special to us since it is our first creation revival in our home state!

A NEW CHURCH
Recently, Pastor Andrews of Calvary Independent Baptist in Chattanooga, TN contacted us for a VBS meeting. It was a blessing to hear that he had received one of our brochures through a friend of a lady in his church! He told us that 30 minutes after receiving it, he called to check our schedule! We look forward to meeting him and his church family this summer.

BLESSINGS and a BURDEN
Sunday evening, January 14, we were privileged to present our ministry and to preach at Fellowship Baptist in Lincolnton, NC where Phil Pringle is the pastor. On January 16, we were blessed to set up our displays at a VBS training meeting in Rock Hill, SC. It was a blessing to meet new folk and to discuss creation or VBS ministry with individuals who are looking to plan their program this summer. However, it was a burden to our hearts to see on display some other VBS programs that consist mainly of "fluff" and fleshly music! This burden is one that translates into motivation for us to do more to help children "remember now" their Creator and His design!

This past Sunday, January 28, we were blessed to fill the pulpit for Pastor Henry Nichols of Victory Baptist in nearby Lattimore, NC. It was a pertinent opportunity to emphasize Biblical creationism (the basis for true revival) the week before they actually begin a revival meeting! What timing! Also, the interest of the people in creationism is great, and Jeff thoroughly enjoyed preaching to 8-10 public school teens who joined us for the evening service!

"JUST IN TIME"
The weekend of January 20-21 we were richly blessed to serve at Victory Baptist in Nokesville, VA where Pastor Clinton Owens has served for over 30 years! Both pastor and people were very interested in creationism. You can see pictures of this meeting linked from our website, http://CreationFaMin.com. A parent wrote us a very encouraging note that we also posted on our site (under "testimonials"). In her note, Mrs. Mathers told how her 7th grade daughter said we were "just in time" for her to face evolution in school. She also said that our ministry "helped my children to feel more confident in their faith and to be able to face the daily struggles in the world." It was such an encouragement to hear that Biblical creationism strenghtened Tiffany "for such a time as this"! We look forward to hearing how the LORD will use this young lady.

May the LORD bless each of you, and we ask for your continued prayers as we point folk to Him using His handiwork!

Update (12/18/06)

BUSIEST FALL

We have been blessed to use our theme of "Mountain Mysteries" from this past summer in churches this fall. We have been blessed with the busiest fall we have ever had! A city fair, "Creation Sunday" meetings, creation-themed revival meetings, a "Family Forum" conference, and more has filled our fall schedule this year. We are very grateful for the opportunities God has brought our way.

FROM FALL TO SPRING (2006)

October 11, we arrived at our home church to park our "home/office" for the duration of the school year. During this time, we will travel to some meetings using just the truck or our faithful '91 Buick Century ("Buddy"). We do not have many meetings during this time, but we are certainly not idle. Back in the summer, we were asked to write a series of articles for THE CHALLENGER, the magazine of the ministry, Handicaps for Christ, Inc. We met Brother Lyle Long in Canyon City, CO back in '05, and we are blessed by his testimony and ministry. We ask for your prayers as we point people to their Maker through writing! In addition to these articles, we are writing articles for our site, and producing our January newsletter. Until May, we will be scheduling meetings, conducting creation fellowships, developing our e-club, planning next year's theme of "Secrets of the Sea," and developing our February, '08 Conference on Biblical Creationism.

GREATEST BLESSING IN OUR MINISTRY!!!

During a creation revival in IL recently, we received the greatest blessing in our ministry! As we were preparing to leave, a lady in her 30's came by to share with us her testimony. Both she and her husband are Bible college graduates and serve in the church. Although she had made a decision for Christ as a child, she told us that said that an emphasis upon God as Creator made both her and her husband realize that they were not saved! On Tuesday during the meeting, they both trusted Christ and the following Sunday they were baptized! Hallelujah!

MOST UNUSUAL HAPPENINGS IN OUR MINISTRY!!!

During the past six months, we have seen some unusual things happen in our ministry. Most of these circumstances have taken place with folk in ministry and concern doctrinal issues. The first experience of opposition from a creationist in our ministry took place this past summer when a church leader who teaches science at a Christian university and who claims to be a creationist had a very un-Christlike response to us. Another man we met, who claimed to be a creationist, told us that he believes that not all believers are sent forth to give the Gospel! Still another situation involved some blatant lies about what I had preached in a school chapel! On a brighter note, we were richly blessed to serve at a booth during a city fair in Payson, UT. How exciting to speak to average people off the street about the Creator! In many ways, it is a greater blessing to deal with average people off the street than to seek to impact folk in ministry.

VEHICLE BLESSINGS

We are grateful for the fact that God allowed our vehicles to operate smoothly on our 10th annual western mission trip. When we arrived home and tried to connect to our church's electrical outlet, we discovered a BIG problem. The manufacturer of our RV, Dutchmen, had somehow sandwiched the main electrical wire between the wood and the metal frames. As a result, trailer movement eventually wore away the covering, allowing bare wire to touch metal frame. Unknown to us, this was periodically "popping" breakers and singing insulation. Litte did we know, but a fire hazard was beneath our feet! We are grateful for God's protecting Hand, and later the company did make good on their serious error, and reimbursed us for the repair.

Another provision came when our car made an unusual noise on a trip to Virginia Beach, Va to visit Heather's parents, a supporting church, and a new (to us) church. We heard the noise while traveling on an interstate in Richmond, VA about 6 pm and most every place would be closed by that time. We quickly took the next exit and pulled into a McDonald's parking lot and found that smoke was coming from a pulley of the main belt--one connected to the AC compressor. We asked for directions to a local mechanic and, en route, found another shop that was open! So, we had already saved a towing bill, and this shop was open until 7 pm! As it turned out, the Mexican operator ("Moises") took about 45 min. to disable our AC compressor and make sure that we could continue our trip. No charge! So, the LORD spared us a motel bill, a towing bill, and a repair bill, and we were able to make our appointment on time! Wow!