Shelby Castner, 24, a fourth-grade teacher at DeLeon Elementary School, can remember going with her mother, Shelly Brown, to decorate the Inspire Women’s Conference at Faith Family Church as early as age 5.

When she was 10, she attended her first conference, “Daddy’s Girls,” with her mother. The church has hosted the women’s conference for at least 25 years, and each has featured a different theme and guest speaker.

As an adult member of the church with a child of her own, Castner now helps teach “Girlfriends” Bible study classes every Tuesday. This year, she looks forward to attending her 15th conference, which starts at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 and 9 a.m. Feb. 29.

“Every year, we have a different guest speaker from other churches or well-known speakers come to speak to us about different topics,” Castner said. “The first one (I attended), ‘Daddy’s Girls,’ talked about how we are all princesses of the King and God’s daughters. This year, it’s about how God can take anything and make it beautiful.”

This year’s theme, “Beautiful,” is based on the first line of Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Laura Koke, pastor with her husband Rob Koke at Shoreline Church in Austin, will speak Friday night about how God brings redemption to the most difficult situations that people walk through in life when they trust Him, said Tamara Graff, wife of Faith Family Church Pastor Jim Graff and overseer of the missions and women’s ministry. The evening will kick off with worship and creative expressions by dancers and a painter. Koke will share stories, specifically of her journey through losing a 17-year-old son about 10 years ago. Guests then will mingle, shop and dine on desserts at the after-party. Accessories including purses, scarves and jewelry will be available for purchase for the benefit of the church.

Saturday also will start with worship. Graff will speak about “finding answers in the ashes of our lives.” An interview with the Kokes’ daughter, Danielle Koke Germain, 25, about finding healing after addiction will follow. The Graff and Koke families are longtime friends, so the interview will include the Graffs’ son, Geoffrey Graff, as well as the two mothers.

With her pastor father, Germain published a book, “Prodigal Daughter: A Family’s Brave Journey Through Addiction and Recovery.”

“We call it ‘Inspire’ (because) women need to be inspired by each others’ faith, stories and struggles,” Graff said. “We come together and talk about things we struggle with and things God helps us with. Women need courage in our marriages and with our kids, or just learning to be who we are. We just help each other by inspiring, encouraging worship and sharing our stories.”

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An Italian lunch will be served in two seatings. Alternating, one group will be seated while the other enjoys a panel presentation featuring women from the church sharing their stories.

To date, a conference that Castner attended in high school is her favorite because the message resonated with her at that time. The guest speakers included popular Christian singer, Kari Jobe, and well-known author, speaker and youth minister Becky Tirabassi.

“In high school, it was just the coolest experience to get to see them and to talk to them and get to know their hearts as regular, everyday people,” Castner said. “They talked about being brave in your faith and being willing to stand out, and as a kid in high school that can be hard to grasp … that was something I really needed to hear at that time in my life.”

Castner said the experience gives women of different ages an opportunity to come together and learn from each other.

“You learn from those further along in their faith than you are, and now I’m in the middle age group, and I can be a mentor to younger girls coming to the conference,” Castner said. “It’s a great time to share with each other and help each other and grow in our walk with God. And we have a fun time, eat snacks and chat – all the things girls like to do, too.”

The conference is open to women ages 13 and older, Graff said.

“It’s not just for people going to church their whole lives or new believers, it’s for anyone interested in learning more about God’s message. It’s a good way to make new friends,” Castner said. “It’s always spoken to me. I always get something out of it. I encourage everyone to get out and give it a shot. They won’t be disappointed.”

Graff wants to inspire women to keep moving forward in their faith. In addition to the conference, Girlfriends Bible study is offered at noon and 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the church and about 130 women combined attend.

“We want women to know that we are for them wherever they are in life,” Graff said. “We really believe with faith in God and a lot of good friends around you, you can come to a really beautiful place in life. It doesn’t matter where we start; it matters where we finish. We just want everyone to feel welcome.”

Elena Anita Watts covers arts, culture and entertainment for the Victoria Advocate. 

Features Editor

"I'm glad to be reporting on the events that bring people in my hometown together for fun, culture, camaraderie and good causes."