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.
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.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Transfiguration
29 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
40 – Children's Sermons / Resources
25 – Worship Resources
27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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120+ – Illustrations / Stories
40 – Children's Sermons / Resources
25 – Worship Resources
27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Ash Wednesday
16 – Sermons
60+ – Illustrations / Stories
20 – Children's Sermons / Resources
13 – Worship Resources
15 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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60+ – Illustrations / Stories
20 – Children's Sermons / Resources
13 – Worship Resources
15 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Lent 1
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
31 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
25 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
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25 – Commentary / Exegesis
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New & Featured This Week
The Immediate Word
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
George Reed
Christopher Keating
For February 15, 2026:
- Listening on the Mountain: Transfiguration, Power, and Liberation by Nazish Naseem based on Matthew 17:1-9.
- Second Thoughts: Eyewitness Testimony by Dean Feldmeyer. “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” — Anaïs Nin
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen, Chris Keating, and Mary Austin.
CSSPlus
Bethany Peerbolte
The disciples see Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and then Jesus tells them to tell no one. I don’t think I would have been up for the task of keeping that secret. I know this because the first time I played The Green Wall a friend told me the secret and I had the hardest time not telling everyone else the answer.
Good morning, boys and girls. Kermit the Frog came along with
me this morning. How many of you watch Kermit on public
television? (Let them answer.) I've watched a bit of Kermit
myself. One of the things he does that I like the best is when he
pre tends that he is a television newscaster. When he does this
he always reports events as an eyewitness. How many of you like
his eyewitness TV reports? (Wait for a show of hands.) Can anyone
tell me what it means to be an eyewitness? (Let someone answer.)
It means that someone actually saw an event take place. That
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT
HOME
Materials:
Blue construction paper
White cotton balls
Glue
Alphabet pasta
Directions:
1. Give each of the children a piece of blue construction paper.
2. Tell the children to use the cotton balls to make clouds and glue them onto the paper.
3. Have the children use the pasta letters to spell, "Listen to him," by gluing the letters on the blue construction paper under the cotton ball clouds.
Materials:
Blue construction paper
White cotton balls
Glue
Alphabet pasta
Directions:
1. Give each of the children a piece of blue construction paper.
2. Tell the children to use the cotton balls to make clouds and glue them onto the paper.
3. Have the children use the pasta letters to spell, "Listen to him," by gluing the letters on the blue construction paper under the cotton ball clouds.
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became dazzling white. (v. 2)
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the Transfiguration of our Lord and it is one of the special days of the church year. Today we talk about Jesus changing in several ways while three of his disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- watched. How did he change? The Bible says that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became gleaming white. There were other things that happened that the disciples remembered and
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the Transfiguration of our Lord and it is one of the special days of the church year. Today we talk about Jesus changing in several ways while three of his disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- watched. How did he change? The Bible says that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became gleaming white. There were other things that happened that the disciples remembered and
Emphasis Preaching Journal
Mark Ellingsen
Transfiguration is a celebration of God’s glory and how that glory is revealed in Christ when he was transfigured. The festival was observed as early as the sixth century in Eastern Christianity, but did not become a festival in the Catholic Church and its Protestant heirs until just 70 years prior to the Reformation. Sermons in line with this festival will aim to focus the flock on coming to appreciate a bigger, more majestic picture of God and Christ than what they brought to church. Assurance will be provided that this majestic God overcomes all evil.
William H. Shepherd
It was the most boring sermon I ever heard, until it became the most interesting.
At first, I did not understand what had come over my student. Up to this point in the class, I thought she had been getting it. She laughed when I quoted Kierkegaard, "Boredom is the root of all evils." She nodded her head when I said that the dullest presentation would not be redeemed by the soundest content. Her critiques of the other students' sermons were right on target.
At first, I did not understand what had come over my student. Up to this point in the class, I thought she had been getting it. She laughed when I quoted Kierkegaard, "Boredom is the root of all evils." She nodded her head when I said that the dullest presentation would not be redeemed by the soundest content. Her critiques of the other students' sermons were right on target.
The Village Shepherd
Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
When Jesus was transfigured up on the mountain, God said, "This is my son whom I love, listen to him." In our worship today, let us listen to Jesus.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I find it difficult to hear your voice.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I hear so many voices that I don't know which voice is yours.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I turn away from your voice because I don't want to hear it.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
When Jesus was transfigured up on the mountain, God said, "This is my son whom I love, listen to him." In our worship today, let us listen to Jesus.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I find it difficult to hear your voice.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I hear so many voices that I don't know which voice is yours.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I turn away from your voice because I don't want to hear it.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
StoryShare
John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Seeing Clearly"
Shining Moments: "Charlie Is Glowing" by Deb Alexander
"The Horse Whisperer" by William Lee Rand
Scrap Pile: "Picture This" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Seeing Clearly"
Shining Moments: "Charlie Is Glowing" by Deb Alexander
"The Horse Whisperer" by William Lee Rand
Scrap Pile: "Picture This" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt
Argile Smith
Keith Hewitt
Peter Andrew Smith
David O. Bales
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Glenda's Surprise" by Argile Smith
"It Was Just My Imagination" by Keith Hewitt
"The Terrible Dark Day" by Peter Andrew Smith
"In Secret" by David Bales
What's Up This Week
What's Up This Week
"Glenda's Surprise" by Argile Smith
"It Was Just My Imagination" by Keith Hewitt
"The Terrible Dark Day" by Peter Andrew Smith
"In Secret" by David Bales
What's Up This Week
SermonStudio
Mark Wm. Radecke
You go into the movie theatre, find a seat that's suitable, clamber over some poor innocent slumbering in the aisle seat, taking pains not to step on toes or lose your balance. You find a place for your coat, sit down, and get ready to watch the movie. The house lights dim; the speakers crackle as the dust and scratches on the soundtrack are translated into static, and an image appears on the screen. It is not the film you came to see. It is the preview of coming attractions, a brief glimpse of the highlights of a film opening soon.
John N. Brittain
Leslie D. Weatherhead, the great British preacher who served many years at City Temple on Holborn Viaduct in London, told the story of the elderly gentlemen who sat on the benches near the church trading stories. As one might expect, in addition to the good old days, a popular topic of conversation was their aches, pains, and ailments. "I have heard that such-and-such a clinic has a very effective regimen of treatment for this," one fellow would say. "Well, I understand that Dr. So-and-So is very efficacious in dealing with this particular ailment," another would counter.
Stephen M. Crotts
Grandma was well into her eighties when she saw her first basketball game. It was a high school contest in which two of her great-grandsons played. She watched the action with great interest. Afterwards everyone piled into the van to get some ice cream, and a grandson inquired, "Grandmama, what did you think of the game?" "I sure liked it fine," she chirped. And then a little hesitantly she added, "But I think the kids would have had more fun if somebody had made the fellow with the whistle leave the players alone!"
R. Glen Miles
Whenever I read from the book of Exodus, especially a text which includes a visit by Moses to the mountaintop to be in the presence of God, I get an image in my mind of Charlton Heston in the movie version of The Ten Commandments. I'll bet you have that problem too, don't you? It doesn't matter if you were born a decade or two since that movie was first released. It gets a lot of play on television, especially during "holy seasons" of the year like Easter.
Joe E. Pennel, Jr
Remember that fog we had last November? I had to venture into it early that Sunday morning. I left home about 6:00 a.m., long before most people even thought about getting up. The fog was dense. My automobile headlights would not cut it. Visibility was reduced to about ten feet. I turned on my dimmer lights and hoped that on-coming traffic would do the same. As I drove, I felt like my car was pushing through a tunnel of smoke.
John T. Ball
There is an old story about a Sunday school teacher who asked a young girl in her class why her little brother wasn't coming to Sunday school any longer. The girl replied, "Well, to tell the truth, he just can't stand Jesus!" Her brother had more of Jesus than he wanted.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
we come to listen to what God has to say to us.
All: God has invited us to this place;
may our faces reflect our hopes and our hearts.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
people of the new covenant of hope and promise.
All: We boldly enter into the presence of God,
hoping to be transformed into new people.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
our fears melting away in the heart of God.
All: We come to share in the freedom of the Spirit,
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
we come to listen to what God has to say to us.
All: God has invited us to this place;
may our faces reflect our hopes and our hearts.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
people of the new covenant of hope and promise.
All: We boldly enter into the presence of God,
hoping to be transformed into new people.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
our fears melting away in the heart of God.
All: We come to share in the freedom of the Spirit,
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Gathering Litany
Divide the congregation into two parts (left and right would be easiest here) with the choir or assisting minister as a third voice besides the pastor (marked "L" in this litany).
L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: Do not be afraid.
Intercessory Prayers
Divide the congregation into two parts (left and right would be easiest here) with the choir or assisting minister as a third voice besides the pastor (marked "L" in this litany).
L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: Do not be afraid.
Intercessory Prayers
