The eighth Annual Shepherds in Concert event is set for 6 p.m. April 30, at Good Shepherd Missionary Baptist Church in Allenhurst. Billed as an evening of praise and worship, the concert promises to be memorable.
For eight years, several pastors from Liberty County and the surrounding communities have gathered to lend their voices to a powerful song service. Every year, these pastors meet the last Saturday in April to sing. These musically inclined clergy members love what they do, and their audiences enjoy their talent.
Most of the pastors sing for their congregations on Sunday mornings, but during the concert they have the opportunity to sing for the community. Many who travel great distances to hear them.
Concert attendees hail from Liberty, Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Evans, Glynn, McIntosh, Long, Wayne, Bulloch and Tattnall counties. When the host church opens its doors, the crowds always are eager to fill the sanctuary where they await the arrival of the singing shepherds.
The shepherds arrive in style, making an impressive entrance as they walk the red carpet with their spouses. These pastors come to bless those in attendance as well as each other, but their performance is about praising God in all his glory through song.
Seven pastors will sing this year: Pastor C.L. Anderson of Good Shepherd Missionary Baptist Church in Allenhurst, Pastor Kevin L. Betton of Temple of Praise in Hinesville, Pastor John Harmon of Thomas Grove Baptist Church in Statesboro, Pastor Alvin Jackson of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Hinesville, Pastor Rose Jones of St. Thomas African Methodist Episcopal Church in Walthourville, Apostle Walter Ross of Trinity Holiness Church in Midway and Pastor Richard Williams of RHEMA Church of God in Christ in Hinesville. Pastor Shirley Wingate of Living Waters Ministries in Midway also will return this year to join the shepherds at the conclusion of the concert.
“The concert is not just about singing. Each year, we make a donation to a worthy cause or help someone in need. This year, we will be helping a cancer patient,” said Dr. C.L. Anderson, pastor of Good Shepherd and the concert organizer.
Previously, money has been donated to the Tri County Protective Agency, a kidney/liver recipient, and a church’s rebuilding efforts.
“Last year, we made a donation to a young lady who was in need of a kidney,” Anderson said. 
Every year, the concert’s attendance increases as new pastors and their congregations join in the festivities.
“We enjoy the singing, as well as the fellowship and friendship,” Anderson said.
For more information about the concert, call Shirley Frasier at 368-5204 or Jo Davis at 368-6053.