Creation is an important topic to the Auburn Seventh-day Adventist Church, so much so that they have held a special Sabbath school class for the past eight years that is dedicated to this subject. In addition to teaching that weekly class, Gary Warner recently organized a special conference on creation that engaged the entire community of Auburn. The event took place during the weekend of Nov. 9 to 11, and was held at both Adventist and non-Adventist churches and schools.

The conference’s keynote speaker, David Menton, who holds a Ph.D. in cell biology from Brown University and is currently president of the Missouri Association for Creation, presented evidences in nature for intelligent design at creation from a biblical viewpoint. “Dr. Menton made it easy to appreciate God’s great design and power in the processes of nature,” said one conference attendee.

The weekend’s events began Friday morning when Menton spoke with students at Forest Lake Christian School and at Pine Hills Adventist Academy. He went on to give a presentation at the Auburn Adventist church later that night, as well as three times on Sabbath. He concluded the weekend with two meetings at the Auburn First Baptist Church on Sunday. The attendance at each of these meetings ranged from about 100 at the schools to between 200 and 250 at the churches.

Dr. Jon Freed, vice chairman of the Pine Hills Adventist Academy board, served as liaison for leadership teams in both schools and churches. The student meetings were followed by a local physicians’ luncheon, hosted by Freed, where Menton spoke and fielded questions on creationism.

Menton’s illustrated presentations were geared toward audiences from age 12 and up and included a variety of topics that supported belief in divine creation. Two visitors told Menton that they became Christians not long before, soon after learning the creation truth. “I learned new things at every meeting,” said one person in attendance. “I had no idea this was so important,” added another.