Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Stephen Crotts
Tom Vail - April 23, 2026 Rev. Stephen Crotts, one day shy of his 75th birthday, recently went to be with the One he loved and served for more than 50 years. After becoming a Christian, I sat under his teaching and mentorship for many years. He tied the knot for Paula and me in 1995, and the following year he took his first of several river trips through the Grand Canyon. About halfway through that first trip, we were sitting one evening overlooking the river when he said,
Answers in Genesis – Ark Encounter Ribbon Cutting
On July 5, my wife Paula and I (along with 7,000 others) had the privilege of attending the ribbon cutting for the opening of Answers in Genesis’ Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky. The ark is a full-sized replica of Noah’s Ark as described in the Bible. It is 510 feet long (approximately one and one half times the length of a football field), 85 feet wide (about one-half the width of a football field), and 51 feet high (almost 7 stories) and the largest timber frame structure in the
The Genesis Flood – John Whitcomb and the Grand Canyon
Norma and I will never forget rafting almost 100 miles down the lower Colorado River on a Canyon Ministries trip in early September, 2006, with twenty-eight friends under the leadership of Tom Vail. We were absolutely amazed at the sight of thousands of feet of enormous superimposed layers (strata) of rock, filled with billions of fossilized and marvelously preserved marine life! I was raised in a home where biblical creationism was never taught. At Princeton University, I took two classes in geology in which uniformitarianism and evolutionism were the
How the Christian Leaders Trip Began
In 2005, Canyon Ministries started a scholarship fund and became a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization in order to provide scholarships for pastors and ministry leaders who could not afford a Grand Canyon trip on their own. At the same time, we encouraged churches and ministries to sponsor a trip for their leaders. The program was very successful. In fact, it was responsible for introducing Jon Albert, our present Director, to Canyon Ministries. As an extension to that program, in 2008 we ran the first Christian Leaders Trip (CLT). The CLT