Gospel Fossil man's park possible through partnership of associations

BRANFORD (FBW)—Noah's Park, a Gospel fossil park emulating the blockbuster movie, "Jurassic Park," is gearing up at the Middle Florida Baptist Assembly grounds thanks to the cooperation of several Southern Baptist associations.

The fossil exhibit, brainchild of former pastor and self-taught creationist Tom Baird, is a ministry that uses dinosaur fossils and a planetarium to prove that the biblical narrative of a great flood that destroyed nearly all life on the earth is true, he said. Not only do the fossils and stars show there was a great judgment, Baird said, but they also show God will keep His promise and come again.

With speech sprinkled with references to Scripture, Baird tells the story of the "glories of God" and his judgment on the earth, illustrating the account with dusty dinosaur bones and distant stars.

"To find a fossil, I'm finding, often times, especially if it's a dinosaur fossil, a victim of God's judgment," Baird said. "And I may be the first one to ever see the remains since it was buried in the flood."

Baird, also known as the Gospel Fossil man, said he came up with the idea of "Gospel fossils" 14 years ago after watching Jurassic Park.

"I was tired of the world getting all the attention and Satan getting all the attention from these creatures," Baird said of the dinosaurs.

Referencing Genesis 1, Baird said God created the dinosaurs on the sixth day with the other beasts of the field. Moving on to Job 40, Baird used the description of the "behemoth" to show that this huge animal was a dinosaur.

"If we just simply let God speak ...God is describing [the dinosaur] to Job, which is several hundred years after the flood, which tells us the dinosaurs had to go on the ark and come off the ark and were living hundreds of years at least after the flood," Baird said.

Baird recently found a permanent home for Noah's Park, which consists of nearly $100,000 worth of fossils—everything from dinosaur eggs to dinosaur excrement—several displays, and a planetarium, at the Middle Florida Baptist Assembly grounds.

The assembly grounds, located near Branford at Pickett Lake in Lafayette County, is a non-profit organization privately owned by seven Southern Baptist associations: Beulah, Harmony, Lafayette, Middle Florida, Santa Fe River, Suwannee, and Taylor.

The associations have managed the assembly grounds for around 50 years, said Hugh Dampier, director of missions for the Beulah Baptist Association. There is a board made up of the seven associations' directors of missions and people each association elects from their areas.

"There have been a lot of people who have been saved there during their time at the camp and a lot of lives have been touched," Dampier said.

Seven associations working together on a project like the assembly grounds has been a "unique experience," Dampier said.

Jerry Nash, director of missions for the Harmony Baptist Association, agreed.

"We have a good working relationship," Nash said. "We cooperate together and it's just another example of what we can do when we have a cooperative spirit."

Most of the associations and some of their member churches contribute financially to the grounds, Dampier added. Those churches or associations using the facilities pay a fee, he continued.

"It's usually nip and tuck, but we're usually in the black," Dampier said. "It's not much, but we're normally in the black."

Fritz Fountain, director of missions for the Suwannee Baptist Association, said that costs for maintaining the grounds has gone up over the years, while usage, like many assembly grounds across the state, has gone down. The board of directors for the grounds was exploring ways to make the facilities more attractive when Baird approached them about housing Noah's Park, Fountain said.

"It's just an added feature for the assembly ground and certainly its biblically based because Tom is a former pastor and his presentation is Bible-centered," Fountain said. "I'm impressed with him, yes. He knows from a scriptural perspective what he's saying."

Dampier added that Baird's presentations at Vacation Bible Schools, homeschool groups, and public or private schools is a good opportunity for youth primarily taught the theory of evolution to be exposed to a biblical worldview.

"It gives a fair and balanced approach to them and I like that idea," Dampier said. "I think it's a good combination. I believe it's going to work out well. I'm trusting that it will, both for the assembly and for him and his ministry."

Baird and his wife, Margaret Ann, live at the assembly grounds and attend Brewer Lake Baptist Church in Day when they aren't visiting other churches to tell them about the opportunities offered by the assembly grounds and Noah's Park, Dampier said.

"He's doing his ministry and as he goes to churches and schools and other things like that he's also going to promote the assembly ground," Dampier said. "So we're trying to help him and help us also."

Baird, who is a former lecturer for an apologetics ministry, Answers in Genesis, said having a permanent place for the museum allows him to make it more attractive, making it easier to attract public school groups.

"If you went to what they would call a normal museum they'd give you all their evolutionary dogma," Baird said. "They don't tell you that they're giving you evolution and it's not that I have ... to say I'm a Bible-believing creationist; I just present the evidence."

Noah's Park is part of the 21st century answer to the world's solutions, Baird said.

"The church has failed to see the importance of the history of the past," Baird said. "All of a child's education from kindergarten all of the way through is based on evolution, which is not only wrong and unscientific, it leads them away from the God of the Bible and the Bible. And that is why I think we're losing so many of our kids once they get into high school. Well, they're already indoctrinated and fully engrossed in humanistic, naturalistic reasons and answers for everything and they don't see how the Bible fits."

Baird started his ministry as field trips for churches and homeschool groups to "edify and equip" the saints, he said.

"Peter tells us to be ready to give an answer to the hope that is within us with meekness and fear," Baird said. "I wanted to help the saints understand that the Word of God is reliable. In fact it is the only reliable historical document from the past and the most accurate because it is without the corruption of man.... Jesus saw the origins and the beginnings of all these things from where you've got to start if you're going to form theories and try to understand what it's all about."

The museum and assembly grounds gives an "entertaining way to preach at 'em," Baird said.

"People who may not go to church ... still get some biblical influence ... as they come to look at the telescope or come to a planetarium presentation or come breezing through the museum," Baird said. "And that's what it's all about."

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