Rev. Bernadine Whitehorn, an Associate Minister at The Cathedral at the Crossroads Church, is The Cathedral at the Crossroads Member of the Month for August 2019. She has two living, loving children, Ronald & Antiana, whom she has brought up in the fear and the admonition of the Lord.  She also had a loving firstborn son, the late Aaron Hooks, who died in a tragic car accident many years ago when the car Rev. Whitehorn was driving was totaled by another vehicle.  Though, of course, it is a tragedy to lose a child, Rev. Whitehorn, who was not a reverend at the time, credits this heartbreak as being one of the experiences that helped lead her ultimately into the ministry. She acknowledges that God didn’t cause her son’s death, but she was consoled by many scriptures, including Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” 

We at the Cathedral have been blessed by the great insightful teaching ministry of Rev. Whitehorn! She was ordained here by the late Rev., Dr.  James Drysdale, our founding Pastor, not long after she joined the Church in 1974. Even before entering the ministry, Rev. Whitehorn always excelled in her endeavors by working hard and studying hard, “putting her nose to the grindstone”!  She prospered as a result of all her hard work, by becoming a very successful cosmetologist and owning her own salon business in East St. Louis for many years, while concurrently, receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education and Early Childhood Development from SIU, Edwardsville, and ultimately teaching in the East St. Louis School District for over 28 years, where she was known for her zeal for teaching and for imparting an appreciation for learning to her students. Spiritually, when she came to the Lord, and ultimately was led into the ministry, the Holy Ghost utilized and further enhanced upon her original skill set of hard work and rigorous study, and she became an even more exacting teacher when expounding upon God’s Word. Besides being led by the Spirit, Rev. Whitehorn also personally and purposefully strives to fulfill the scripture, 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Rev. Whitehorn can not only readily recall and quote scripture, but because of her diligent preparation, she can give you the original context surrounding varied scriptures and the deeper meanings and “conditions” behind the words! As a matter of fact, we at the Cathedral often affectionately call her Rev. Bernadine “Conditions” Whitehorn, because she continually reminds us that with all of God’s promises, except salvation, that there are conditions we must meet as a pre requisite to God granting His promises, i.e., James 2:26: “… so faith without works is dead…”;  2 Chronicles 7:14: “…if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven…”; Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart…”, etc., etc.  These scriptures and more, are effectively often used by Rev. Whitehorn to remind the congregation of our personal responsibilities in securing the Lord’s blessing.

As stated, Rev. Whitehorn is well versed in many, many scriptures, but her favorite scripture of all, she acknowledges is, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son.” This scripture, to Rev. Whitehorn, makes all her diligent study and research worthwhile!