When you care about two different friends who share common interests, you introduce them so that they can enjoy and support each other. That’s how I feel about Will Rogers and the World Neighbors organization.
Will was a world traveler and observer. He cared about people who were hurting and had been dispossessed--by flood, hurricane, earthquake, dust storm, war--and he showed his care by going to be with them, by trying to say words of encouragement, and by giving generously from his own pocket. He often reminded his audiences that they needed each other and owed such good fortune as they knew to many of those who were less fortunate themselves. Will was an encourager of community, and perhaps in this he was a spokesman for the Cherokee heritage of his parents.
With the dream of a world at peace and communities willing to sustain and improve the land and people on which they were built, World Neighbors began in 1951 to serve the most marginalized of the world’s populations. More than fifty-five years later, having made enduring contributions to hundreds of communities in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean, World Neighbors remains a vital force for global change--”Inspiring people, Strengthening communities.”
It is my own dream to use a part of my retirement to bring Will and World Neighbors together in the minds of people of good will, to use the entertainment vehicle of my living history program to show Will’s attention to international community and good neighborliness and to encourage support for the World Neighbors organization, on whose board I have served for the past few years.
World Neighbors was founded by Dr. John Peters, a United Methodist minister and teacher, and his legacy has had far reaching impact, but the organization seems poised for an important “leap” forward in its work. I hope, by offering entertainment and information, to revive some of the missionary zeal of John Peters, to encourage congregations as well as individuals to support the ongoing work of World Neighbors with their financial resources.
If you think this is a good idea, and if you think that your congregation might be willing to host a WR4WN program, please contact me by email. I’d be delighted to schedule a program in exchange for a part of the travel expense (and perhaps a round of golf at a nearby course).
Even if you don’t think this is a good idea, please, at least have a look at the World Neighbors website, recently renovated and full of good information about some of the best international development work being done anywhere.
You can link to the World Neighbors site by clicking on the logo at the top of the page. You can link to the Will Rogers Memorial site by clicking on the image of Will (above).
