By Jan Penton Miller
Contributing Writer

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15, a large crowd dressed in their Sunday best met for the Third District Bogue Chitto General Missionary Baptist Association annual state of the association address at the Bogalusa High School auditorium.
This event has been held for the past 40 years and was only one of the many wonderful components of the week-long festivities of the association.
The evening of worship began with the Youth Conference Choir singing “I Just Want to say Thank You,” followed by a brief devotion and prayer presented by the Rev. Johnny Causey. Praises rang out through the rafters, and the crowd joined in with the choir as they shared other melodious selections.
According to Bogalusa District A City Councilwoman Gloria Kates, “It’s been a fabulous and uplifting week of ministry. We have been blessed to have programs for all ages throughout the week. Tomorrow is the young women’s program. The Youth Conference Choir has worked very hard and is simply delightful. I’ve been dividing my time between working in the sound booth and graphics. This entire week has been wonderful.”
The state of the association address was part of the annual President’s Night. The district is comprised of 49 churches from Washington, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, East Baton Rouge and St. Helena parishes. Many of these churches were represented on Wednesday.
The Shower’s Family, comprised of Dr. Bobby R. Showers Sr.’s children, led the congregation in a heartfelt rendition of “Lord, I Want to be Better.”
Association President Showers gave his state of the association address in which he highlighted the many positive things happening throughout the association.
According to Showers, “The Word of God tells us in Mark 10:45 that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. That is how I look at my position as president of the association. I want to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Showers has fulfilled his duties as president of the Third District Bogue Chitto Association since July 12, 2014, and has been serving God through his presidency. His three main focuses have been in the areas of evangelism, home and foreign missions and Christian education. Shower’s first book, titled “I Believe God,” can be purchased at Amazon.com. This is the first installment in a three-part series that he expects to finish in the near future.
Following the state of the association address, Showers delivered his sermon, called “Afflicted for Multiplication.” The text for the sermon was Exodus chapter 1, verses 1-14. Throughout the week many, many Christians joined together in unity to bring honor to Jesus Christ and share in the good things the Lord is doing throughout this association.