Pageant News Bureau - Christian queens

Miss Atlanta Christian Winners pose for a group picture after being crowned in the 2004 pageant, which was held March 13, 2004, at Covenant Christian Academy.

The queens said, "Amen!"

Photos by On The Spot Photography

It's a fact that some religious people -- including some Christians -- don't like pageants. Maybe these people are not very numerous, but they are vocal. On the other hand, a striking number of women who compete in pageants have traditional values and strong religious beliefs. Active Christians are probably a majority in many American competitions.

So why did it seem so strange to us when we heard about the Miss Atlanta Christian Pageant? Maybe we expected something like a church service instead of a competition.

But we were thinking too narrowly. This event -- held on March 13, 2004, before a packed crowd at the Covenant Christian Academy -- was as entertaining as it was uplifting. Though there was no swimsuit competition, and the focus was on "spiritual beauty," the contestants enjoyed themselves and competed with all their hearts. A panel of judges from the "real" pageant world chose eight winners.

The winners were: Alexis Gill of Lawrenceville, Tiny Miss Atlanta Christian; Christian Smith of Dacula, Young Jr. Miss Atlanta Christian; and Kacey Reid of Monroe, Little Miss Atlanta Christian.

Arielle Thompson, Sandra McNutt, Jenifer Hersh and another pageant contestant gather to pray before the pageant begins.

Also, Antoinette Niland of Duluth, Supreme Miss Atlanta Christian; Meredith White of Grayson, Junior Miss Atlanta Christian; Ashley Pelletier of Snellville, Teen Miss Atlanta Christian; Jenifer Hersh of Snellville, Young Miss Atlanta Christian; and Lacie Smith of Snellville, Miss Atlanta Christian.

But these people don't forget the "Christian" part. Lacie Smith, 18, has become the leader of "Queens for a Cure," a Relay for Life team in which she rallies beauty queens from various pageant systems to raise money for cancer research. In recent years, she had walked the relay with her grandfather as a cancer survivor. This past year, she lost both her grandfathers to cancer.

Who said there's nothing sacred in pageants?