Mason Global Methodist Church welcomed Rev. Stella Burkhalter as their new pastor on November 1. Pastor Stella, a native of Laredo, Texas, is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She was ordained in the United Methodist Church and has served as pastor in and around Austin at Oak Hill, Covenant, Kyle, and Bethany United Methodist Churches. She joined the Global Methodist Church in 2024.
Stella and her husband Hunter have been part-time Masonites since 2013 when they purchased a property on Lower Willow Creek Road. They have enjoyed hunting, hiking, and exploring the town and are thrilled to finally call Mason home. Hunter, Chief Judge at the Public Utility Commission, will continue to work during the week in Austin until his retirement next year. The Burkhalters have two adult children, Wyatt and Emery, who live in Austin and Seattle respectively.
Mason Global Methodist, located in a historic church building on Spring Street, is a new and growing congregation. Pastor Stella has been a frequent guest preacher, so she and the congregation are off to a running start making plans for the coming Advent and Christmas season and building programs for their vibrant youth and children’s ministries.
