SOAR was formed in 1995 as a ministry to /for active adults in the Rocky Mountain District of LCMS. SOAR has continued to host two events each year, a one-day seminar in the spring and a two-day event in the fall. Each event has engaging speakers and entertainers and, of course, good meals. Our speakers are from local and national resources. Our national keynote speakers are often pastors who serve at our Lutheran seminaries or who preach on Lutheran Hour. Dr. Dale Meyer and Dr. Gregory Seltz have been our keynote speakers and Dr. Michael Zeigler will speak in 2021.
The acronym SOAR reflects our purpose: Serving Our Awesome Redeemer. A variety of topics at our events provide spiritual, social, physical, intellectual, and emotional information to enhance one’s quality of life. Our goal is to strengthen our faith and to equip us to bring others to know Jesus as their savior. The verse chosen to reflect that purpose is Isaiah 40:31.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
The SOAR planning committee of about ten members from several congregations in our Rocky Mountain District meets monthly to plan the events; see attached list of SOAR Committee members. A pastoral advisor is a member of the committee. Each congregation in the RMD receives a packet of information by mail and email to assist us in publicizing each of the two annual events. Previous attendees are sent an information packet which contains an agenda and registration details for each upcoming event.
SOAR has recently formed an alliance with Lutheran Bible Translators to cooperatively inform and arouse interest in the mission goal of bringing the Word of God to all people of the world in their own language. Together we want to engage members, especially Boomers (1946 – 1964), of our local congregations in a Bible Translation Movement within LCMS churches of the Rocky Mountain District. A group called Satellite Servants has been recruited to help spread the news of the work of Lutheran Bible Translators; see attached list of Satellite Servants. Their first meeting was held January 28, 2021 on ZOOM. More Satellite Servants are encouraged to join in representing Lutheran Bible Translators in their home congregations so that the churches in the Rocky Mountain District will be blanketed with an enthusiastic desire to spread the gospel of Christ in places where believers in Christ have spoken languages and dialects, but yearn to read and share the gospel in their heart languages.
Lutheran Bible Translators was started in 1965. Their office is in Concordia, Missouri on St Paul’s Lutheran High School campus. Their goal is to train and send Bible translators to remote areas where the spoken language has not been transcribed. Their first step is to work with a member of the ethnic group to develop an alphabet and become accustomed to the culture so that there is an accurate translation of the New Testament in their heart language that provides salvation through Jesus and is a comfort and joy to them. At the present time there are fifty-nine different individuals, couples or families who are working on translations through Lutheran Bible Translators. Lutheran Bible Translators cooperates with other translation agencies so that work is not duplicated. The entire Bible has been translated into seven hundred languages, but there are still over a thousand languages that need to have the translation of the New Testament. To provide some financial perspective to the translating effort: $35 is needed to translate one verse; $1,000 will translate one chapter; $1,000,000 will translate an entire Bible. The goal of Lutheran Bible Translators is summarized in Matt. 28:18-20.
Matt.28:18-20 ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations
Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always to the very end of the age.
For more information about Lutheran Bible Translators, view https://lbt.org/.
* Upcoming - Fall September 2021 *
The Fall SOAR Gathering will be held Monday – Tuesday, September 20 – 21, 2021. Complete details will follow.
For contact information or if you have questions, please contact Harriet Oehlkers (720) 408-9380 or Dianna Williams (303) 886-7967.