By Jennifer Stultz
Tri-County Tribune Editor
[email protected]
The Heart of America Science Resource Center is a creation museum which presents the natural sciences from a biblical perspective. Occupying an 8,000 square foot building in Haviland, Kansas along busy U.S. Highway 54, the museum offers a wide variety of displays, hands-on science activities, and opportunities for natural science exploration under the tutelage of accredited scientist Jerry Simmons.
In a 2024 fall report, HOASRC communications director Linda Simmons said that Jerry Simmons ministered to more than 1,300 people so far this year. “Substantial progress has been made on construction of the gift shop and workroom. We hope to have this area completed soon. In addition to the Burning Tree Mastodon skeleton display in the Ice Age Room which is now practically complete, we continue to enhance our displays in various rooms and add new ones, including a rhinoceros skull found in China,” Linda Simmons said.
2024 Summer/Fall Events at the Haviland center included tours and activities at the museum, which was open May 4 through September 1 with regular hours. (The museum remains open throughout the rest of the year, but by appointment only.)
“We had about 450 visitors during our regular season, 52 of which were participants in the Kansas Sunflower Summer program,” Simmons said.
DocRock (Jerry Simmons) particularly enjoyed teaching groups of visitors about God’s glory and love as seen in His creation. The museum hosted a workshop which included filling a mold of a 3-toed dinosaur, with the assistance of local anthropology expert Billie Jo Rhone. This dinosaur mold is on display in the museum
On July 8-10 the HOASRC hosted their annual Day Camp which focused on The True History of Dinosaurs.
“We had 39 participants at our annual day camp. The Kings taught the 4-year-olds through 2nd graders while the Bryants taught the 3rd-7th graders. DocRock) Simmons taught his lapidary workshop again which included 8th graders and up,” Simmons said.
During the fall months, the HOASRC sponsored a Creation Museum Expo orchestrated by Ken and Laura Voth at a K-12 Christian school. Students use an ultraviolet flashlight to examine minerals that fluoresce, and DocRock set up displays of beautiful minerals that he brought from the museum and his personal collection.
“We ministered to about 350 K-12 in the two days we were there,” Simmons said.
The Simmons have also continued to provide teaching and activity sessions for homeschoolers in the Wichita area. This fall the topics relate to astronomy, so the groups visited the Lake Afton Observatory one evening.
The Lake Afton observatory lit up at night even though it was a cloudy, rainy evening. In addition to viewing through telescopes, the 64 participants learned through teaching, hands-on activities, and interaction with the beautiful displays.
Looking ahead, the HOASRC is planning an April 25-27, 2025 Creation Summit. The theme will be the ICE AGE and the plan is to dedicate the Ice Age Room to the late Joe Taylor.
Next year’s annual day camp is planned for July 7-9, 2025, with a focus on astronomy.
“The teachers of our 4 year-2nd grade classes, Steven and Micaela King, have moved to Kentucky where Steven has taken a position teaching high school science at the Christian academy associated with Answers in Genesis,” Simmons said. “We are very excited for this new opportunity for the Kings but are feeling the loss at Heart of America. God has graciously provided the Brown family to step in now and teach these little ones about God, their Creator, and His wonderful creation. So blessed to welcome them!
We always appreciate your prayers and financial support, especially for the upcoming summit event this spring. God is doing a good work here, and we look forward to what He will do next year.”
For more information about the Heart of America Science Resource Center in Haviland, Kansas visit their website at www.hoasrc.com, or contact Jerry and Linda Simmons by mail at 510 N. Lawrence, Haviland, KS 67059; email: [email protected], or call 620-862-5654.
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