Meet the Pastor: Roger Raddatz

After an extensive search, River of Life Lutheran Church in Chugiak/Peters Creek welcomed our newest pastor, Roger Raddatz and his family, on September 1st of 2024.

The Raddatz’s arrived in Alaska after challenging cross-country treks from Bradenton, Florida in two separate caravans. Both journeys proved to be true tests of faith as the family had to trust in God’s guidance and provision to reach their singular destination. Roger’s wife of 42 years, Carmen, and their son Kurtis left Florida early so she could start her new job at Pain Management – Orthopedic Physicians Alaska in Eagle River. The duo traveled across the U.S. and into the remote areas of Canada where they found themselves in uncharted territory when their U-Haul trailer sustained a flat tire. They found themselves stranded in an isolated stretch in the Yukon with absolutely no cell service. Thankfully, a Yukon Road Works crew offered to help; allowing them to connect to their StarLink network at their work camp up the road enabling them to contact a U-Haul dealership that eventually sent out a replacement tire. Meanwhile, Roger, daughter Kristine Mylett and granddaughter Anna, were packing up and loading the rest of the household goods into the 2017 Jeep Renegade. They departed Florida only to be challenged two hours later when the Renegade’s dashboard signaled that the automatic braking system was failing and the vehicle was experiencing transmission issues as well. They limped into the Jeep dealership in Gainesville, Florida where they were told it would take two to five days, or more, to fix. Parts would need to be ordered, labor scheduled and accommodations found since they were already out of their home. They opted to trade in the Jeep, put money down on a lightly-used Subaru and restarted their journey.

Having survived the Alcan and various misadventures, the Raddatz’s are thrilled to be in Alaska where Roger has assumed the position of ministering to the congregation at the River of Life Lutheran Church in Chugiak/Peters Creek.

Although Roger felt called by God at the young age of 17, he felt that he wasn’t ready — or worthy — so he pursued a biology degree with pre-med emphasis at Illinois State University. He worked in laboratory research for many years, switching careers to become an IT database specialist after earning a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University. God, however, had not given up and continued to pursue him for the ministry. Roger finally heeded His call and enrolled in Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa in February of 2019. He received a Masters of Divinity degree in Theology and Theological Studies, graduating in May of 2023 and was ordained in Florida on August 3rd of this year as a rostered minister of Word and Sacrament.

Pastor Roger’s various church leadership positions include serving as Vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bradenton, Florida. He also worked with youth in Southwest Florida where he helped to coordinate relief work from Hurricane Ian.

As the Raddatz’s can attest, living a life of faith often involves embarking on journeys beyond comfort zones and pursuing God-given dreams and callings with unwavering determination. When Roger and Carmen moved from the Chicago area to Sarasota, Florida to start a new church in Sarasota, they had no real jobs in sight. Within a few short weeks, they were both gainfully employed. Pastor Roger sees this opportunity in Alaska much the same way as the family embraces new challenges.

Carmen settled into her job at OPA Pain Management, daughter Kristine is a nurse, working at JBER. Son Kurtis works at Global Credit Union in their Fraud division, and they have a granddaughter at Mirror Lake Middle School. The Raddatz’s are excited to call Eagle River their home and working with the people of River of Life to share God’s love.