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Bonnie Bates

The Reverend Doctor Bonnie Bates currently serves as the Associations Associate for Congregational Vitality and Development for the Eastern Ohio and Western Reserve Associations of the Ohio Conference of the United Church of Christ.  The Reverend Dr. Bonnie Bates received her Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Colgate Rochester Divinity School.  The focus of her doctoral work was transformational leadership and her dissertation is titled, Navigating the River of Grief.   She has served churches in New York both as a licensed and ordained minister.  She directed and taught in the Graduate Human Resource Development program at St. John Fisher College in Rochester.  She has worked for several non-profits and has served on several not-for-profit Boards including the Dunkirk Camp and Conference Center in western New York.  She has been an active member of the associations where she has served as well as numerous leadership positions within the New York Conference including its work in becoming a Global Mission conference and designing its current governance structure.   She has recently completed the development and implementation of a Boundary Training model for local congregations.

Her hobbies are singing, reading, fly fishing. She once sang with a national choir in Carnegie Hall, Constitution Hall, the White House, Royal Albert Hall, and a variety of locations in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.   She and her husband, Steve Vulcheff, have one son Samuel and two grandsons Kiel and Jakob.
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Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sermon Illustrations for Transfiguration Sunday, Cycle C (2025) -- Exodus 34:29-35, 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2, Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a) -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Transfiguration Sunday - C -- 2025
Exodus 34:29-35
Sermon Illustrations for Ash Wednesday (2025) -- Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2025
Isaiah 58:1-12
Sermon Illustrations for Lent 1 (2025) -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Romans 10:8b-13, Luke 4:1-13 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2025
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 7 | OT 12 (2025) -- 1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2025
1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a and Psalm 42-43
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 8 | OT 13 (2025) -- 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14, Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2025
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 and Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 9 | OT 14 (2025) -- 2 Kings 5:1-14, Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16, Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, Psalm 30 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2025
2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30
Sermon Illustrations for Palm/Passion Sunday (2025) -- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2025
Isaiah 50:4-9
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 10 | OT 15 (2025) -- Amos 7:7-17, Colossians 1:1-14, Luke 10:25-37 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2025
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
Sermon Illustrations for Maundy Thursday (2025) -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2025
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 11 | OT 16 (2025) -- Amos 8:1-12, Colossians 1:15-28, Luke 10:38-42 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 2025
Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52
Sermon Illustrations for Good Friday (2025) -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1--19:42 -- Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Bonnie Bates -- Good Friday - C -- 2025
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 12 | OT 17 (2025) -- Hosea 1:2-10, Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19), Luke 11:1-13 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C -- 2025
Hosea 1:2-10 and Psalm 85
Sermon Illustrations for Easter Day (2025) -- Acts 10:34-43, 1 Corinthians 15:19-26, John 20:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, Isaiah 65:17-25 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Easter Day - C -- 2025
Isaiah 65:17-25
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 2 (2025) -- Acts 5:27-32, Revelation 1:4b-8, John 20:19-31, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2025
Acts 5:27-32
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 3 (2025) -- Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2025
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)
Sermon illustrations for Easter 4 (2025) -- Acts 9:36-43, Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-30 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2025
Acts 9:36-43
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 5 (2025) -- Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2025
Acts 11:1-18
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 6 (2025) -- Acts 16:9-15, Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5, John 14:23-29 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2025
Acts 16:9-15
Sermon illustrations for Ascension of the Lord (2025) -- Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:44-53 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Ascension of the Lord - C -- 2025
Acts 1:1-11
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 7 (2025) -- Acts 16:16-34, Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21, John 17:20-26 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2025
Acts 16:16-34
Sermon Illustrations for Day of Pentecost (2025) -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17 (25-27) -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2025
Genesis 11:1-9
Sermon Illustrations for Christmas 2 (2025) -- Jeremiah 31:7-14, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Second Sunday after Christmas - C -- 2025
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany of the Lord (2025) -- Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 -- Mark Ellingsen, Frank Ramirez, Bill Thomas, Bonnie Bates -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 2025
Isaiah 60:1-6
Sermon Illustrations for Baptism of Our Lord (2025) -- Isaiah 43:1-7, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 2025
Isaiah 43:1-7
Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 2 | OT 2 (2025) -- Isaiah 62:1-5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2025
Isaiah 62:1-5

Sermon

SermonStudio

Living Through Hard Times -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10 -- Bonnie Bates -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2021
Sometimes it is hard for us to accept the hardships of this life.
Faithfulness In These Days -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- Bonnie Bates -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2021
As we enter the Lenten season, we reflect on the life of Jesus, his ministry, his sacrifice, and his
Standing Firm -- Philippians 3:17--4:1 -- Bonnie Bates -- Second Sunday in Lent - C -- 2021
The call of Paul in this letter is to stand firm in the Lord, to not falter, to not align our minds
Seeking The Presence Of God -- 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 -- Bonnie Bates -- Third Sunday in Lent - C -- 2021
It is a well-known cliché that “God never gives us more than we can handle”, but I have sometimes fo
A New Creation In Hope -- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 -- Bonnie Bates -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2021
In Christ, we are a new creation.
Pressing On In Faith -- Philippians 3:4b-14 -- Bonnie Bates -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2021
Recently at the gym, working out with my personal trainer, and straining to finish the third set of
Love Lives -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Bonnie Bates -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2021
My friends, as we gather this Sunday to recall the passing of the weeks of Lent and move ourselves i
At The Table -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Bonnie Bates -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2021
In my faith tradition, Maundy Thursday usually involved a remembrance of the first communion service
We Build The Tomb -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Bonnie Bates -- Good Friday - C -- 2021
All my life I have struggled with the concept of calling this day of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion a
We Live In Hope -- 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 -- Bonnie Bates -- Easter Day - C -- 2021
Good morning! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Happy Easter!
Visions Of Hope -- Revelation 1:4-8 -- Bonnie Bates -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2021
Welcome to the Second Sunday of Easter.
My Redeemer Lives -- Revelation 5:11-14 -- Bonnie Bates -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2021
We continue in our Easter season to celebrate and reflect on John’s vision of heaven.
Peace In The Presence -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Bonnie Bates -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2021
How large is your worshiping community?
Transformed And Transforming -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Bonnie Bates -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2021
We continue this Easter season with the epistolary readings from Revelation.
The Mountain Top -- Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5 -- Bonnie Bates -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2021
I love to hike and there is nothing more amazing to me than to climb to the top of a mountain trail
The Balcony View -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Bonnie Bates -- Ascension of the Lord - C -- 2021
This section of Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus is a note of thanksgiving.
The Beginning And The End -- Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 -- Bonnie Bates -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2021
This reading from the book of Revelation, the vision of John, reminds us that Jesus is the beginning
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Baptism of Our Lord
29 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
40 – Children's Sermons / Resources
25 – Worship Resources
27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Epiphany 2 | OT 2
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
39 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
30 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Epiphany 3 | OT 3
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
31 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
25 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
George Reed
Nazish Naseem
For February 1, 2026:
  • What the Lord Requires by Dean Feldmeyer. The world’s requirements are often complex and difficult. God’s requirements are simple and easy. Kinda.
  • Second Thoughts: Resisting The Storms of Winter by Chris Keating. Jesus does not offer a cheery optimism to those enduring the cold blasts of injustice. More than an insulating blanket of hope, the Beatitudes create communities of resistance.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt
Contents
What's Up This Week
Stories to Live By: "You Fool"/ "Us Who Are Being Saved"
Shining Moments: "A Comforting Dream" by Harold Klug
Good Stories: "Mercy, Mercy" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "The Souper Bowl of Caring" by Jo Perry-Sumwalt


What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt

Sandra Herrmann
John Jamison
Contents
"Child Sacrifice" by Sandra Herrmann (Micah 6:1-8)
"Ka-Chang" by John B. Jamison (Matthew 5:1-12)


* * * * * * * *


Child Sacrifice
Sandra Herrmann
Micah 6:1-8

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles....
-- 1 Corinthians 1:23-24

Russell F. Anderson
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS

Lesson 1: Micah 6:1--8 (C, E, L)
John N. Brittain
The other day I stumbled onto a Discovery Channel show about underwater archaeology (not basket weaving). The archaeologist described the process of identifying the probable location of an underwater wreck site, the grueling work involved in beginning the process, and the same kind of methodical work that characterizes all scientific archaeology. But then her eyes twinkled as she described the joy of uncovering the first artifact, or recognizing a significant discovery. And that of course is what it is all about, the final product of discovery.
Tony S. Everett
Late one night, Pastor Bill was driving home after spending the past 23 hours in the hospital with his wife, celebrating the birth of their son. It had been a glorious day. His wife was peacefully resting. His extended family was ecstatic. His son was healthy. Surely God was in heaven and all was right with the world.

Linda Schiphorst Mccoy
When I'm teaching a class, and want to get a discussion going, I often begin with something that's called a sentence stem. I start a sentence and let the participants complete it. This morning, if I were to ask you to complete this sentence, what would you say? "Happy are those who...." What would you use to complete the thought?
Dallas A. Brauninger
E-mail
From: KDM
To: God
Subject: Demands On God
Message: All these demands don't make sense, God. Lauds, KDM
R. Glen Miles
What does God want from us? The answer is simple, but it is not easy to put into practice. What God wants is you. What God wants is me. God wants our whole selves. The prophet Micah makes it fairly clear that ultimately God does not care too much about religion and the things that come with it. Religion isn't a bad enterprise. It is okay as a way of reminding us about what God wants, but in the long run being good at religion is not what God desires. What God requires is us. It is simple to understand but not necessarily the thing we would offer to God first.
John B. Jamison
It was a strange sound. Some said it was a kind of "clanging" sound, while others said it was more of a "ka-ching," or more accurately, a "ka-chang!" It sounded like the result of metal hitting metal, which is exactly what it was.

In the valley off to the west from the hillside is a steep cliff rising up the face of Mount Arbel. The face of the cliff is covered with hundreds of caves, with no good way to get to them without climbing straight up the cliff. That's why the Zealots liked them. They were safe.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Prayer Of Dedication/Gathering
P: Our Lord Jesus calls each of us to a life of justice, kindness, and humility. We pray that in this hour before us our defenses would fall and your love would be set free within us.
Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, your mercy knows no end.
C: Amen.

Intercessory Prayers

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
We have a prejudice in favor of things complex. Not that we necessarily desire complexity, but somehow we trust it more. We figure that complexity is the prevailing reality in our world, and so we feel obliged to be in touch with it. We would love to hear that this thing or that is really quite simple, but doctors, politicians, futurists, ethicists, economists -- and even some preachers -- keep discouraging us. It's actually quite complicated, we are told, and there is no simple answer.
People tend to say in times of personal or community disaster, "God works in mysterious ways." The point they are making is that when we can't figure out any logical answer to a situation, it must be the work of God. It is one way of making sense out of an inexplicable event.
Schuyler Rhodes
In 1993 brothers Tom and David Gardner began a financial information service they named The Motley Fool. Dressed in their trademark court jester hats, the motley fools can be seen and heard offering their advice and warnings concerning the stock market on a variety of talk shows and financial news channels.

CSSPlus

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have spent time around babies? (let them answer) Babies are so cute when they are happy but hard to please when they are upset. Babies can't talk, can they? (let them answer) So when they don't get what they want they cry. When they are hungry they cry. When they are sleepy they cry. When a stranger tries to hold them they cry. How do we know if babies are sick, hungry, or tired? (let them answer) Most of the time a baby's mom can figure out what's wrong even when we can't.
Teachers or Parents: Have the children sit on the floor and pretend that they are on a mountaintop and learning at Jesus' feet. Ask: "How is this classroom different from classrooms you have seen?" "How is it like them?" Read various portions of the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7) that they might understand (such as Matthew 7:7-11 -- prayer; 7:12 -- the Golden Rule; 7:15 -- being true). Be careful -- many parts of the Sermon on the Mount are difficult for children to understand and may lead to great misunderstanding and perhaps fear.

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