About MomQ

MomQ is a Christian community of moms of all ages. Our resources provide encouragement and hope that empower mothers in confidence to build healthy, faithful families and raise children of character. Whether it is through our gatherings, podcast, blog or special events, MomQ is here to help you fulfill your God given role.

Why I founded MomQ

Candace Nassar

When I was a young mom, having a community was critical to me. We lived far from family, my husband traveled a lot, and I had so many questions as I navigated this new season of life. I was blessed early on to find a community of Christian moms who could mentor and teach me how to have a healthy marriage and family. Looking back, I can’t imagine navigating my motherhood journey without them.

As the world was emerging from the Pandemic, I knew that moms would be craving community and would have a lot of questions about how to do family life and motherhood in the new normal. Just like what was done for me so many years ago, I want to provide an avenue for moms to find the courage and strength to build families of faith founded on God’s truth.

My prayer is that MomQ will be a bastion of grace and hope for moms to navigate the tumultuous and ever changing sea of life.

Who We Are

Our Team

Our experienced teachers and mentor moms have successfully walked the road of motherhood and have a passion to share the lessons they learned along the way. Our mentor moms faithfully lead small groups in authentic conversations that build upon the teaching topic. Our core values are reinforced in this community where moms find fellowship, compassion, love, acceptance, integrity, discipleship, empowerment and prayer.

Teachers

Candace Nassar

Candace is a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ, wife and mother of 3 adult children. She is also a visionary women’s ministry leader, disciple maker and experienced bible study teacher with a strong understanding of women’s needs. She attributes this to a life of living all over the country, including the Southeast, the Northeast, California and Texas. She has been married for over 30 years to a wise Christian man and her children are all committed followers of Jesus Christ.

Julie Whitehurst

Annie Mendrala

Annie finds great joy in wrestling with the mysteries of God and inspiring others to do the same. She has her Masters in Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Her life mission is to teach truth and love well. The first part is simple, the second keeps her humble and dependent on the Lord.

Sue McAlinden

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Barbara Bland

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Kendra Echols

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Jan Fletcher

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Lynette Seitzler

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Amy Tipps

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Sandy Rigney

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Board of Directors

MomQ is a 501 c (3) non-profit led by faithful volunteers who believe that God designed the family as the building block of society. They are committed to providing moms with encouragement and counsel from a biblical perspective.

Candace Nassar

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Julie Whitehurst

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Sandy Rigney

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Kevin Whitehurst

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Candace Nassar

Candace has an M.B.A. and spent over 20 years in the business world with experience in banking, consulting and entrepreneurship. She caught the teaching bug while homeschooling her kids during elementary school. After moving to Austin in 2012, she spent 10 years teaching in the Leander Independent School District. She is a member of Hill Country Bible Church Steiner Ranch and on the teaching team of the Saturate Austin Institute. Of all of her roles in life, Candace says none is more important and difficult than being a wife and mother.

Candace is passionate about helping moms become more confident and comfortable in their God given role. Her messages are authentic and deal with the tough issues that moms face today providing insights and answers from a biblical perspective. She hopes to never move again but says she would if God asks her to. “Ever since becoming a believer at the age of 30, God has shown me time and time again that His ways are best!”

Julie Whitehurst

Julie Whitehurst was born and raised in Texas, and has resided in Austin for the last 11 years with her husband, Kevin, and their three children, Matthew, Connor and Lily. She was raised in a family that made Jesus a priority and has continued that pursuit of Jesus daily. She has taught in married couples Sunday School classes and has led bible studies for women for the past 15 years. She loves all candles, coffee, fashion, and her beloved Golden Retriever Jojo-bean. On any given day, you may find her with a blanket and a book sitting near a warm fire in the fireplace. If Tom Brady is playing? bonus.

Annie Mendrala

Annie finds great joy in wrestling with the mysteries of God and inspiring others to do the same. She has a Masters in Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and her life mission is to teach truth and love well. The first part is simple, the second keeps her humble and dependent on the Lord. With her husband Mike of over 23 years, she has raised three young men who continue to reveal that it is God who is working in the hearts of mankind and we can trust His faithful hand to complete what He started. As a family they are most connected when in nature, whether on a mountaintop or riding the waves of the sea.

Susan McAlinden

Susan McAlinden spent twenty-one years raising her family, participating in Bible studies, leading small groups, Moms in Prayer groups, and mentoring moms of younger children. Being a mom was Susan’s favorite job, and she loves to encourage other moms as they juggle their own family, their extended family, their marriage, and time for themselves. As her nest started to empty, God called Susan to new ventures, and He will do the same for you. Currently, Susan is a contributing writer on the website, Freedtoflourish.com. She was recently published in the Proverbs 31 book, “hope when your heart is heavy.” Susan likes dark chocolate, a good book, a daily walk, and encouraging others to be who they were created to be.

Barbara Bland

Barbara is an authentic, disciple-making grandmother who is young at heart. She has been married to her husband Joe for almost 40 years. They have two awesome sons and daughters in law and at present, two wonderful grandsons. Barbara is a shining light striving to reflect the love of Jesus in all she does.They have attended Hill Country Bible Church in Austin for over 20 years and been involved in many ministries including, Women’s Bible Study, Celebrate Recovery, Re-Engage, to name a few. She loves being a mentor mom especially to moms with littles because they teach her so much about raising babies in today’s world. She, in turn, is able to give them insight into how she handled things ages ago. She says, “God’s principles never change from generation to generation.” Barbara enjoys exercising at the gym, working in her yard, and taking care of her grandbabies.

Kendra Echols

Kendra is native to central Texas. She and her husband, Jeff, have lived in Austin for almost 25 years. They have 3 teenage children and a chocolate lab. She appreciates authenticity and seeks to build relationships on the truth of God's Word and is grateful to be part of the MomQ Team. Kendra has served in Women's Ministry & Children's Ministry at Hill Country Bible Church for 20+ years. She enjoys playing tennis, the guitar and singing, traveling and hiking with her family, jigsaw puzzles, and college football Saturdays with neighbors.

Jan was born and raised in the midwest, but spent most of her adult life on the Monterey Peninsula in California. She met her husband there while she was teaching and they have been together for 30 years. Jan raised two step-daughters who have children of their own now. She and her husband also have a daughter who is married and lives in Austin and a son who lives in Boulder, CO. Jan loves teaching all age groups and mentoring moms was a natural outgrowth of this. She is excited to be a part of this MomQ team and is strongly invested in its ministry. Community, access to the teaching of biblical principles, and prayer made all the difference when raising her own children. Jan wants to play a part in helping young moms find this same support, encouragement, and prayer through the community of MomQ. Now that she is retired, Jan finds more time to travel to be with her kids, stay connected to friends, read, and play the violin and piano.

Lynette Seitzler

Lynette loves encouraging others to grow in faith. As a Christian who has attended a good number of churches through many moves, she likes to take people where they are at in faith and help them grow deeper in their Christian walk. Originally raised on farms and ranches in both Minnesota and Texas, Lynette graduated from Texas Tech University with a journalism degree in 1992. She married Bill in 1997. The couple moved to Rochester, NY and then Tulsa, OK before Steiner Ranch in Austin in 2006. Lynette started reporting for Four Points News in 2008. In 20011, God gave her the opportunity to own the newspaper. In 2023, she launched a monthly publication called Northwest Austin News. As a journalist for three decades, she feels blessed to be able to work with the community through sharing stories and important information. Lynette is also a faithful assistant to her husband who teaches Bible fellowship class, and she is mom to two amazing daughters who are in college. Lynette does find time to work with textiles at her sewing machine and strives to improve her pickleball game.

Amy Tipps

Amy married Michael and moved to Austin in 1988 where they raised four kids. She is a former high school teacher and coach with lots of ministry adventures over the years. They have called Hill Country Bible Church home since 2000. She’s enjoyed participating and leading in Bible Study Fellowship, HCBC Women’s Bible Study, and Celebrate Recovery. She is also a certified Life Coach through the Forward Foundation. Amy is passionate about emotional health and spiritual growth through discipleship, recovery, and walking closely with God on a daily basis. She loves sharing the journey with her four kids, their spouses, and young women in MomQ. Amy loves sports, movies and time at the family lake cabin in Minnesota. Amy especially loves the role of grandmother to her two grandsons!

Sandy is passionate about helping women connect with God through the Bible and with others through meaningful conservations. Discipleship relationships are key to our spiritual growth and Sandy lives that out as she encourages women to take their next steps spiritually. She has a degree in communications from the University of Northern Iowa and was in full time ministry for many years. She also invested years as a stay at home mom for her 3 children who are now grown and walking with Jesus. Two of them are married and she has one sweet grand baby. She has been involved with MomQ since its inception and is thrilled to be serving this year as a mentor mom.

Sandy Rigney

Sandy loves Jesus and serving His people. She has a degree in communications from the University of Northern Iowa. Her work background includes Moody Press, Willow Creek Church in Chicago, and owning her own business in home organization. She was also on staff at Hill Country Bible Church in Austin and All God's Children International. As a stay at home mom for years, she invested into her 3 children who are now grown and walking with Jesus. Two of them are married and she has one sweet grand baby. Her current focus is discipling younger women. She has been involved with MomQ since its inception and is thrilled to be serving on the board of directors.

Kevin Whitehurst

Kevin is a software entrepreneur and executive for Mindglobal in Austin, TX. Founded in 2000, Kevin has helped grow Mindglobal serving global Fortune 500 companies. Kevin completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Applied Statistics, both from Baylor University.

More importantly, Kevin is married to his amazing wife, Julie and together they have been blessed with 3 children, Matt and daughter-in-law Lauren, Connor, and Lily. Kevin is passionate about being a husband and father, looking to create a legacy of faith and fun. Kevin also serves on the Central Texas board for FCA, has been a leader in youth groups at HCBC, and a men’s small group leader over the years, most recently at Manup.

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About MomQ

Why I founded MomQ

Candace Nassar

Who We Are

Our Team

Teachers

Candace Nassar

Julie Whitehurst

Annie Mendrala

Mentor Moms

Sue McAlinden

Barbara Bland

Kendra Echols

Jan Fletcher

Lynette Seitzler

Amy Tipps

Sandy Rigney

Board of Directors

Candace Nassar

Julie Whitehurst

Sandy Rigney

Kevin Whitehurst

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Candace Nassar

Julie Whitehurst

Annie Mendrala

Susan McAlinden

Barbara Bland

Kendra Echols

Lynette Seitzler

Amy Tipps

Sandy Rigney

Kevin Whitehurst