Contact

Contact Information

2407 Berkeley Ave.
Austin, TX 78745
512-447-6633
bumc78745@sbcglobal.net

Get to Know the Pastor and Staff

Rev. Jeannie Whitehurst, Pastor

I have served the United Methodist Church in a paid position since 1978 as: Mother’s Day Out Director, Children’s Director, Youth Director, Founder and Executive Director of UM-ARMY, Inc. (United Methodist -Action Reach-out Mission by Youth), Diaconal Minister of Evangelism, Mission, and Adult Ministries, and then went to seminary at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City to get my Master’s of Divinity degree and was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church in 1998. Since then, I have served in Coker UMC, San Antonio; Grace, Austin; Bethany, San Antonio; and now Berkeley since 2007.

I received the call to ministry at the age of 12 when women were not allowed to be ordained. I fought the call to ministry most of my life while I raised two sons and supported my husband in his career. I tried to answer God’s call as a lay person but God wasn’t satisfied with “my” plan and called me again to ordination in 1991. My Bachelor of Education from the University of Houston, Texas Teaching Certificate, and specialization in Pastoral Care have been wonderful backgrounds for ministry.

My husband, Newbern Henry “Whitey” Whitehurst, III, is my best friend and supporter through forty-three years of marriage. We have two grown sons with their own families. Our older son, Rev. Dr. John Whitehurst is married to Jana Russell and they have a son, Russell. John is a pastor in Longview, Texas at Grace Crossings UMC. Our younger son, Tom Whitehurst is married to Sabrina and they have a god-daughter they raise, Justice. Tom is the Media Ministry Director at Memorial Drive UMC, Houston.

I love the out-of doors, hiking, traveling, sitting by Lake Travis at our home, reading, quilting, and working puzzles. I love God and the people God created the most of all.

Paul Seeman, Youth Director

I am a Fine Arts student at Texas State University, specializing in Metals. I am a fifth generation Texan on more than one branch of my family tree. I was born in Houston, moved to Bastrop for grade school then Austin in the 8th grade when my mom (Pastor Patti Herndon) started seminary. When I graduate from TX State I plan to go to seminary but don’t know where.

Around the church I do MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship), Sunday school for the Sr. Highs, Mission trips with the youth and some hospital/home visits. I got to preach my first sermon earlier this year at Berkeley. I designed and built the streamer stands around the church as well as the sculpture, “Spirit of The Cross,” in the narthex.