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It began in a closet. Not a real closet, but Graces Closet, on the square in Moulton about ten years ago. At the time, Gena Terry owned the consignment shop. As an added bonus for her customers, she offered to host childrens birthday parties and tea parties in the half-loft of the building.

The tea parties were such a hit that they came to include carriage rides around the Courthouse Square. The little girls, hair piled high in curls, wearing tiaras and prom and formal dresses, felt like small Cinderellas.

Since then, Terry has closed her shop, but has been able to carry on her work with young ladies through a different avenue.

In 2009, Terry attended an Esther Conference in Pensacola, Florida. It was amazing, she recalls.

What we were doing in our store, other people were doing in churches.

She was referring to classes based on the Biblical story of Esther. The classes teach the girls courage, self-confidence and that they are special, she explained.

In 2014, when Terry was again in Pensacola for another Esther Conference, she got a call from her brother, Kenny Rogers, minister at Calvary Tabernacle. He asked if she was willing to be in charge of putting together an Esther Conference for the girls of that age, 8-18, who attended their church, and any others who wanted to attend.

My heart was touched, she said, I told him that I would.

The conference would be bi-annual, and there would be different classes for various age groups. In 2015, an Esther Conference was held in Moulton at the Calvary Tabernacle. It was a great success, with almost 40 girls in attendance.

This years Esther Conference was another success. Hearts were touched, lives were changed, young girls were taught that they are from a royal priesthood, and that they are special, she said.

In addition to classes, a play directed by Brittany Heflin was staged for the final event. It focused on bullying, how children might react to a bully. Lives were changed due to the message, said Terry. The whole point of the Esther Conference is to encourage these young girls, to build up their self-esteem. Just as Esther dressed up and a crown was put on her head, our young girls today need to know that they are beautiful, and that they are special because God made them special, He chose them.

This years theme was, Chosen by The King.

Just as I felt led to share this message with the girls back in 2007 at Graces Closet, I still feel that young girls should know the story of Esther, and learn to believe in themselves, to be courageous, to feel beautiful and worthy, said Terry.

The three day conference focuses on many aspects of Christian life, including manners. That class, taught by Chantelle Rogers included teachings on fruits of the spirit, including being kind to others and that we should all love one another.

Andrea Brasher taught the children how to praise God, while Tera Mardis lessons to the children included primping and preparing. Bethany McGlauns lessons included keeping the commandments, and Virginia Shearers class was about Esther being chosen by the king. Shelia Thomason Mattox reminded the girls how much God loves them and that they are special in many ways. Each of the teachers were great and they instilled confidence in the children, said Terry. The classes also included Arts and Crafts in the afternoon, hosted by Tammie Coffelt.

To help fund the classes, the girls sold lemonade at Wal-Mart, in the midst of the worst of summer heat. They had to be dedicated to this to be able to stand that kind of heat, said Terry. They have been so good to help and they really pitched in and did whatever needed to be done. Top fundraisers for the past four years are Madeline Rogers, Macey Rogers, and Lainey MacPhee.

We could not have gone to an Esther Conference or hosted one, without these girls working so hard, said Terry.

At the end of the Esther Conference, the girls donned in their dresses, including scarves and picture hats, purses and shoes. It gave them a feeling of looking beautiful and it showed in their faces as they sang for their audience.

Part of the whole experience included picking out the dresses, getting their hair fixed, and then being picked up in a limousine to be taken to the banquet. Afterward, the girls were taken to the church to ride the Horse and Carriage, Terry described. On Saturday the girls were treated to a Dress Up Tea Party, which included wearing scarves, hats and gloves.

The little ladies were served beautiful trays of food, furnished by the church for the tea party and during the week the meals were prepared by Janet Rogers, Paul Schultz and Virginia Shearers. According to Terry, they treated them like royalty.

Rev. Kenneth Rogers is pastor and he has been very encouraging in backing up the Esther Conference, said Terry.

We could not have done this without the churchs help, said Terry. One person cannot do everything. If it wasnt for a lot of people pulling together, we could not have done this, she concluded. However, with everyone pulling together it becomes a success and it is all worth it.

Terry also extended a special thanks to Cindy Brantley, who was the banquet decorator, and Ariel Waits and Brenda MacPhee who were registration greeters.

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