Rev. R. L. Rogers, Sr.
Reverend Rogers’ Christian experience began in his early youth when he became a member of the Evening View Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, North Carolina. As a young adult, he joined the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church, where he acknowledged his call to the ministry. He is a graduate of the AME Zion Church’s Livingstone College, with a Bachelors Degree in Business Education and a Doctorate of Divinity Degree from Hood Theological Seminary, in Salisbury, North Carolina.
In 1971 Pastor Rogers moved to California to work as a manager with Sealand Services. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed pastor of St. James AMEZ Church in San Mateo. In 1976 he went on to a rewarding pastorate at Greater Cooper AMEZ in Oakland, serving the Church and community for 13 years. While pastoring Greater Cooper, he was also Presiding Elder of the Central Valley District, California Conference. In 1988 Pastor Rogers accepted an appointment as Pastor of the New Mt. Olivet AMEZ Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina. After 11 months, he returned to California, answering the call to begin a new work. Upon returning to Oakland, he joined the Bay Cities Baptist Ministers Union and served as both a member of the Board of Directors and Assistant Dean of Instruction. Pastor Rogers organized the Glad Tidings Community Church of Oakland in 1989 and continued to pastor Glad Tidings for 16 years until his retirement in August 2005.
In September 2005, he and his wife, Frances Miller-Rogers, moved to Katy, Texas, and united with The Church Without Walls in Houston. In 2019, Rev. Rogers returned to California to accept an appointment as Pastor of First AME Zion Church of San Jose. In addition to that pastorate, he served as Presiding Elder of the Bay Cities District, California Conference. In 2021, he was transferred back to his beloved Greater Cooper. He pastored Greater Cooper, reuniting with its members and several former members of Glad Tidings. In June 2023, Pastor Rogers marked another milestone, retiring from active pastorate. On November 9, 2024 he will celebrate 60 years in the ministry.