Carl R Rogers

THE BEGINNING . . .On Tuesday, February 14, 1939, Pell and Elsie Rogers were blessed with another son.  They named him Carl Richard, “Carly” for short. He was their youngest child. Carl had five siblings: three brothers: John, Andrew, and Robert and two sisters: Altone and Beatrice. Carl grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, and was educated in their public schools from kindergarten through grade twelve. He graduated from Burke High in June 1957. Carl enjoyed sports. He said, “If you can bounce it, kick it, or throw it, then it’s for me.” He played flag football, basketball, and softball. He continued to play and manage teams during his college days at Oakwood and almost flunked out because he spent too much time playing.  Carl was blessed with a Christian mother who introduced her children to Jesus Christ. She was faithful in attending church services and “dragged” him to the meetings. Carl was baptized when he was twelve years old. Praise the Lord! He loved everything about the church because it was “engaging and exciting.” He recalled, “the church had a tremendous program. It was the place to be.” He said, “The church took a special interest in the youth.”  He was able to travel with pastors, assisting with programs which helped cultivate his love for ministry, especially working with young people. God was preparing him for his calling in ministry.

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL . . .Carl had set his sights on going to college — Oakwood College, the Seventh-day Adventist institution in Huntsville, Alabama. However, his family could not afford to send him. He considered going to the military. But fate, God’s divine guidance, overruled. Carl entered and won the oratorical contest at the South Atlantic Camp Meeting. The monetary prize provided the funds he needed to pay for his college entrance fee. After his first year at Oakwood, Carl became a Colporteur (also known as a Literature Evangelist) in the South Atlantic Conference, his home conference. He sold religious books during the summer break. This was no easy job, but it helped Carl sharpen his people skills and he earned the money he needed for his tuition in the fall.

THE OAKWOOD YEARS . . .Carl chose English as his major at Oakwood. He wanted to be an English teacher, but he had second thoughts about it. He thought his southern drawl and Geechee roots would hinder him. He had to seriously consider an alternate plan.  The semester ended and Carl returned home. Elder Henson, the pastor of the Charleston Seventh-day Adventist church, held a tent evangelism meeting. Surprisingly, Elder Henson convinced Carl’s father to attend. Not only did he attend the meetings, Carl’s father was baptized! Carl knew it was the working of the Holy Spirit. Exactly one month later, Carl received a telegram at school informing him that his father had died. The news was devastating and heart breaking, but Carl knew, in his heart, that his father was saved. While grieving the loss, Carl said he was convicted of his call to the Gospel ministry. When he returned to Oakwood, he changed his major to Theology, with a minor in Social Work. Thus, his journey in ministry officially began.  While at Oakwood, Carl met Miss Tecora Mae Bowman from Point Marion, Pennsylvania.  She had returned to Oakwood to complete two classes she needed for admission to Loma Linda University, where she planned to study Physical Therapy. They began dating in 1961.  Carl knew she was the woman God had chosen for him. She was destined to become his wife. However, Tecora wasn’t sure she was the right choice for Carl. She had doubts about being a minister’s wife. She made a lot of excuses, but Carl rejected them all. He told her, “He didn’t want her to be a minister’s wife; he wanted her to be his wife.” Tecora didn’t go to Loma Linda. Carl and Tecora were married on August 25, 1963, in St. Albans, New York.  Carl graduated from Oakwood College in June 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and a minor in Social Work.

ONWARD AND FORWARD . . .Carl and Tecora have two grown children, Carla (named after her Dad) and Kevin, who have been blessed to witness, with their own eyes, the true meaning of holy matrimony — a lifelong commitment and unconditional love between a man and a woman: for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part. They were blessed to grow up with both parents in the home. But best of all, Jesus Christ was at the center of it all! Carla and Kevin made their family complete.  After leaving Oakwood, Carl and Tecora moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where Carl continued to work as a Literature Evangelist and at the post office. He also served as the Youth Pastor at the Berean S.D.A. Church where Elder H.L. Cleveland was pastor. The Rogers were there for one and a half years, trying to raise enough money for Carl to attend the Seminary at Andrews University. In August 1966, they had finally saved enough money for the entrance fee at Andrews. However, due to unforeseen car repairs along the way, the money saved for school was used up. Carl could not enroll as planned; instead, he got a job teaching fifth grade at a school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, for one year. While working and saving to attend Andrews, God was working things out for Carl and Tecora. They continued to work toward their career goals with faith, trusting and believing God would answer their prayers.

HE DIDN’T GIVE UP . . .Carl was determined to complete his assignment to become a minister of the gospel. While at Andrews, Carl worked in South Bend, Indiana, with Elder Cheatham for his field school and for several weeks with Elder E.E. Cleveland in a tent meeting in New Orleans. He and Tecora worked hard to stay at Andrews, but when their struggle was no longer realistic, Carl would take his final exams for the semester, and the family would leave the seminary and move on to gainful employment and settle down. But God . . . Carl received a special delivery letter from the Allegheny West Conference informing him that they would sponsor him at Andrews. Praise the Lord! Carl was able to complete his studies at Andrews without duress. He graduated in August 1969, with a Master of Divinity degree. Pastor Rogers was the first Ministerial Intern sponsored by the Allegheny West Conference to attend Andrews University.

WHO WILL GO FOR ME? . . .For more than fifty-six years, Pastor Carl Rogers has been on the battlefield for his Lord.  Forty-six plus years were spent in the Allegheny West Conference where he was ordained on July 7, 1973.  He pastored nine churches in this conference: Bethel, Cleveland, Ohio; Mt. Zion, Erie, Pennsylvania/Ashtabula, Ohio District; South Fountain, Springfield, Ohio; Victory, Delaware, Ohio; Central, Columbus, Ohio; Hillside, Zanesville, Ohio; Hilltop Community Worship Center, Columbus, Ohio; and Temple Emmanuel, Youngstown, Ohio.  Pastor Roger’s ministry yielded hundreds of baptisms over the years, because of his effective evangelism and creative ministries. It is impossible to capture on paper a career that has been fully committed to the Lord. Adults and youths were drawn to Christ, due to the love Pastor Rogers shared with anyone willing to listen, to the hope he shared in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pastor Rogers life’s work reflects steadfast leadership, spiritual dedication, and unwavering commitment to the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. His tenure within Allegheny West speaks to his versatile gift in managing multiple departmental responsibilities. Departmental leadership included: Youth Director, Health Ministries, Sabbath School, Family Life Ministries, Ushers Ministries, Ministerial Care Ministries, Pathfinders/Adventurers Ministries, and Sensational Seniors Ministries. Pastor Rogers also served as Executive Secretary and Assistant to the President.  Pastor Rogers exemplified a life of servant leadership, characterized by humility, faithfulness, and a deep love for God’s people. His ministry extended beyond titles and positions he was a mentor, a spiritual father, and a pillar within the Allegheny West Conference and the broader Seventh-day Adventist community. His influence will continue to resonate through the countless lives he touched.  Pastor Rogers said his favorite part of ministry was working with the youth and ministering to bereaved families. He was frequently called on to facilitate or officiate funerals services.

RETIREMENT — TIME TO SLOW DOWN . . .“Are you pacing yourself?” Pastor Rogers and Elder Martha Lewis would ask one another this question often. They needed to remind each other that “you can’t do it all.” Pastor Rogers believed in knowing your limitations. He said, “pacing yourself is the key to survival.  You have to know when to back off. You need to have the right people in place. I don’t do it all.”  Pastor Rogers had several hobbies. He enjoyed gardening. You would definitely find a garden full of vegetables and fruits every year. He also enjoyed keeping his yard beautiful with various flowers, trees, and shrubs. There were also houseplants to keep up. He had almost an acre to take care of. He always had projects going on around the house. He had Kevin’s strong back and arms to assist him.  Pastor Rogers loved to sing. His favorite song was “The Midnight Cry.” His favorite books were the Holy Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy books by Ellen G. White. He loved everything to do with Pathfinders.  “He never met a stranger. He witnessed to anyone and everyone he met,” Kevin recalls.  Pastor Rogers favorite saying was, “So live that when your enemies speak evil of you, no one will believe them.” “My dad loved to laugh and talk on the telephone. He truly loved us: Mom, Carla, and me. We truly miss him!

WAITING ON THE LORD . . .Blessed with eighty-seven years of life, our beloved Pastor Carl Richard Rogers passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Riverside Methodist Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio.  He is survived by Tecora, his loving wife of sixty-three years; his daughter, Carla; his son, Kevin; as well as a host of nieces and nephews. His parents, brothers, and sisters all preceded him in death. 

Pastor Rogers favorite text was Isaiah 40:31. “But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Well Done, THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT!

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