With a tenure of more than half of a century, the service years of Elder Lynch Rogers were saluted by his local conference, the North Caribbean Conference, as well as the wider organization, the Caribbean Union Conference. Elder Lynch Rogers, who serves the City Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church on St. Thomas, received a special award for being the longest-serving elder in the Conference with 56 years of unbroken service to the SDA Church.
In the 1950’s, Brother Lynch Levi Rogers left Anguilla for the shores of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. He transferred his membership from the Mount Fortune SDA Church in Anguilla to the St. Thomas SDA Church, thus named as it was the only SDA Church on the island at that time. In 1963 Brother Rogers was asked to serve as an elder and, in addition to holding other offices in the church, has continued to serve on the Board of Elders – never wavering from the responsibilities of that position.
Elder Rogers’ dedication to the work of the Lord and thorough sermon preparation are evident in his ministry. His spiritual and time-sensitive sermons are presented in a manner that even young members can understand. Elder Roger’s sense of humor is usually subtly weaved into his presentations.
Both the President, Dr. Kern Tobias, and the Ministerial Secretary, Pastor Ammaran Williams, of the Caribbean Union Conference sent commendations to Elder Rogers for his dedicated service. Dr. Kern Tobias penned: Elder Rogers, your longevity, loyalty, love, and life-lessons are legacies that cannot be denied. You have used your gifts to glorify God and build up His Church, and you have been given the extra strength to persist in this great work. I pray that God will keep you faithful until you see Him face to face.
In an emotional response to the showers of appreciation Elder Rogers expressed that the kind gestures were a blessing, “The thoughts and gift were quite unique and lovely. I have served this church for 56 years and I have proven God time and time again. This is not my Church – it really belongs to God and I am only here to do His work.”