William
F. & Agnes Rogers, Jr.
Two interesting new people
arrived recently to become residents of Brooks-Howell. Agnes was
born in Brazil, the daughter of missionary parents (her father
was a bishop). She studied in Brazil and later at Peabody College
in Nashville where she met Will, who had been appointed to serve
in the Orient. Due to the war, his appointment was changed.
Will
was born in Pelham, Georgia, and grew up in Glendale, South
Carolina, graduating from high school in Spartanburg, then from
The Citadel (a military school in South Carolina). He attended
Asbury Theological School and later went to Emory, where he
graduated from the theological school. He did graduate work at
Scarritt, Emory and Duke. He worked as Macon City Missionary in
Georgia before going to Brazil, where he soon married Agnes.
In their ministry Agnes organized choirs, directed youth
programs, organized clinics, started programs for teaching adults
and children to read and write, directed Protestant work in
public schools, taught English, helped in rural work, traveling
thousands of miles on horses in southern Brazil. One day they
rode horseback seventy miles. They were a team, and worked well
together for many years. In his absence Agnes took care of the
work in the church as well as making the parsonage a home for the
needy, a clinic or a school. She was an inspiration for all.
Will worked as a pastor, having many opportunities to preach: in
Ashram with E. Stanley Jones, a retreat of all Methodist
missionaries in Brazil, in many churches of different
denominations. In the United States he preached at the South
Carolina Annual Conference, religious emphasis week at Columbia
College, was the key note speaker at the World Gospel
southeastern conference, and Bible teacher at their international
meeting at Taylor University, the annual meeting of the United
Methodist Women in South Carolina and in North Carolina, was the
keynote speaker at the South Carolina United Methodist Youth
Conference, and the banquet for retired pastors. He has helped in
many revivals in churches and camp meetings. He received a Doctor
of Divinity degree from The Citadel in 1975 and was the first
pastor in the South Carolina Conference to receive the Harry
Denman Evangelism
award.
In addition to all this they have raised five sons, three of whom
are United Methodist ministers in the South Carolina Conference,
as well as one of their daughters-in-law. Two of their grandsons
are preparing to go into the ministry. They have ten
grandchildren and seven great grandchildren whom they think are
very special.