Suffragan Bishop Edward R. Sofer, a Giant in PAW Publications, ICEA History and Religious Education
Suffragan Bishop Edward R. Sofer was born November 25, 1932 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In June of 1949, he married his high school sweetheart, Sister Lee D. Sofer. The loyalty and devotion of this couple has remained a wonderful example of marriage that is built upon the love God brings into one’s life. The Sofer family includes four children: Gregory, Sherrie, Regina and Valli. Today their family has grown to include grandchildren and great grandchildren among the many family members.
In 1951, Edward R. Sofer was baptized in Jesus Name and filled with the Holy Ghost. From that day forward, he became known as the “The Disciple” and worked as a dedicated and tireless servant of God. Through diligent studying of God's Word, he was apt to teach by rightly dividing the word of truth. His unabashed passion for Christ and for teaching the Bible was articulated in the pulpit and through his various roles under the leadership of Elder Jasper Phillips at First Pentecostal Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brother Sofer was ordained as an Elder of the Pentecostal Assembles of the World, Inc. (PAW) and was later promoted to the office of District Elder. He served his post well and was eventually elevated to Suffragan Bishop. Throughout each promotion his dedication and passion for teaching and delivering the word of God never waned.
Because of his love for the Bible, Suffragan Bishop Sofer clearly earned the nickname of “Mr. Sunday School.” He was willing to give his gifts in the furtherance of the Gospel at any time and in any capacity. On November 1, 1969, the officers and directors of the National Sunday School Association went forward with a plan to publish Sunday School literature and selected then Brother Edward Sofer as managing editor of the Department of Publications. His devotion and dedication to this publication was made at great personal and financial sacrifice. Six weeks after the decision to begin a publication, Elder Sofer realized the importance of this undertaking and the necessity of full-time dedication to publishing this resource. He left his full time position with the U. S. Post to assume leadership of the publication which remains the Sunday School literature of the PAW. For more than a year, he labored without pay to produce a full array of Sunday School materials for adults, children, and teens.
Having served as the First Vice President, District Elder Sofer became the President of the PAW Sunday School Department (now called the ICEA) in 1971. His inspiration and vision for church leadership and Christian education led to the assignment of a Director of Public Relations as well as the institution of an auxiliary newsletter and the annual Communicator. Under his administration the system of regional leadership was established.
Suffragan Bishop Sofer served in office as President of the ICEA from 1971 until 1977; but, in 1983 the saints again pressed him into office. During this term, which lasted from 1983 until 1989, he instituted an award program for the recognition of Sunday School teachers and superintendents across the country. His organizational skills led to his defining a system of Presidential support staff members where he identified some of the best and brightest Christian Educators in the PAW. They became his think tank and learned from him leadership and organizational skills that continue to inspire the development of Christian Education in the ICEA. His understanding that the PAW must be more inclusive of the issues and concerns as part of its educational ministry led to the auxiliary name change from Sunday School to Christian Education Association.
Suffragan Bishop Sofer’s work of inspiring God’s people to educational goals went beyond the Sunday School. He served also as a member of the Aenon Bible College Board of Directors and eventually became the chairman, the post from which he retired in 1998.
In 1979, at the urging of Bishop Francis Smith, Elder Edward Sofer and his wife left Cincinnati to go south to Alabama to take on the role as pastor of what would become Good Samaritan Sanctuary in Fairhope, Alabama. He and his wife, Lee, also pioneered a work in Pensacola, Florida while continuing to serve in Fairhope. Both churches continue to thrive. Suffragan Bishop Sofer’s work went beyond the churches he founded and pastored. His devotion to ministry through the PAW included work in three districts: the Southern Gulf Coast (Alabama), the Central District (Mississippi), and The Southern Fellowship District (Mississippi & Alabama). He also served as interim pastor for several church so that at one time due to vacancies, he pastored three churches for several months.
In April of 2003, Suffragan Bishop Sofer and his wife moved to Tallahassee, Florida. There they worshipped the Lord with their daughter, Regina, at Abundant Life Fellowship World Outreach Center. Despite his lengthy illness which followed a stroke in 1998, Suffragan Bishop Sofer and his wife, as long as they were able, continued to attend the PAW conventions and to encourage the saints in the work of the Lord.
Suffragan Bishop Sofer went home to be with the Lord on January 6, 2008. He had a long and prosperous life marked by his unassuming and humble spirit. He was a giant in Pentecost and has left a legacy to the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World that has touched this nation profoundly.