SILVER LAKE, Wash. - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1) Those timeless words are at the heart of both the Jewish and Christian religions, and yet they are words that challenge what has become an almost universally accepted scientic theory - the theory of evolution. For Lloyd and Doris Anderson, those words are the foundation of a ministry they call the Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center.

In May, the Andersons will have the unique opportunity of presenting the evidence for creation to tourists during activities commemorating the 20th anniversary of the volcano's eruption. A number of events have been scheduled for May 18-21, including a large tent filled with displays at the Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center. A table featuring resources from the Creation Information Center will be right alongside other tables presenting the more commonly held view of evolution and the millions of years over which most scientists believe evolutionary change took place.

"Because we saw what happened at Mount St. Helens, we know that it does not take millions of years to vastly change the landscape," said Lloyd Anderson. It was an earthquake on the morning of May 18, 1980, that triggered the volcano's eruption. The initial eight-minute blast destroyed 230 square miles of forest. Mount St. Helens continued to erupt until evening, and nine hours later the top quarter of the mountain was gone, deep ravines were filled, 250 feet of material was deposited on the bottom of Spirit Lake and the North Fork of the Toutle River was buried under an average of 150 feet of mud and other deposits.

Such vast and rapid change in the landscape is just one occurrence at Mount St. Helens that the Andersons and creation scientists say point to a young earth. Other geological evidences include the formation of canyons in five months, badlands in five days, layered strata in three hours and a river system in nine hours.

Lloyd, a retired pastor, is director of the museum the couple maintains in a building behind their house in Silver Lake. He also serves as tour guide and gives slide presentations explaining the evidence for creation revealed by Mount St. Helens.

"Consider this," Lloyd said, "The eruption happened on a sunny and cloudless Sunday morning when millions of people in 12 time zones were awake, off work and could behold this curious marvel of power on television. If the eruption had occurred even 30 minutes later, a large number of people would have passed through the gates of the red zone to retrieve their belongings and been killed. If it had occurred on Monday morning, a thousand loggers could have perished. As it was, casualties numbered 57."

The Andersons began their ministry more than a year and a half ago after reading extensively on the subject and viewing a video by creation scientist Steven Austin.

"We didn't realize, and I think a lot of churches, they don't realize, the wealth of information and the extent that these creation scientists have gone to show that evolution is wrong," said Doris Anderson.

"I really struggled with this idea, did God actually cause the eruption of Mount St. Helens so that we could have these evidences," Doris admitted.

"Was I stretching the point, was I using that to make our work more credible?

"Then as I began reading Scripture, I began to realize that God is really in control," she continued. "I think the most important thing is that we have no concept of how evolution has entered our thinking and how it has affected our world view. My feeling is it affects your view of God, who He is and how He works, how you witness to people, the casualness, and it affects how you understand Scripture."

The Creation Information Center is located on Spirit Lake Highway, nine-and-a-half miles east of Interstate 5. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. most days, although the Andersons encourage people to call ahead before visiting. Their number is (360) 274-5737. For more information on the Creation Information Center visit the website at www.creationism.org/sthelens. Information on the 20th anniversary activities at Mount St. Helens can be found at www.fs.fed.us/pgnf/msh_20/events.htm.

Essay contest seeks entries

In conjunction with the 20th anniversary commemoration, the Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center is sponsoring an essay contest. Essays submitted should explain how creation information has contributed to the faith of individuals. Entries will be judged in three categories from sixth grade through adult. There is no limit on the number of words and the deadline for entering is May 1. Winning essays, or quotes from them, will be used in Creation Information Center newsletters and other publications. In addition, the best 35 essays will be returned with editing remarks and suggestions. For contest guidelines and more information, visit the website at www.creationism.org/sthelens, or send e-mail to lloyddoris@aol.com or write to 4749 Spirit Lake Highway, Silver Lake, WA 98645.