Pastor Alice Ann Bonham
My husband Bob and I both grew up in Honesdale in northeast Pennsylvania. We still have family there. After graduating from high school I attended Mansfield University and received a BA in technical theatre in 1985. Following graduation I traveled around a bit and worked several clerical jobs. Eventually Bob and I reconnected and we married in September of 1991.
About the time of our second anniversary I recognized my call into ministry. By our third anniversary I was attending Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer). I graduated with my M.Div in May of 1998. Since then I have served Holmesburg UMC in northeast Philadelphia, Ridley Park UMC in Ridley Park, Trinity UMC in Lebanon and Ackermanville UMC in Bangor. I arrived at Bensalem UMC July 1, 2018.
Bob and I have a daughter, Jessica. She currently works at Weis Markets as an evening cashier. Bob is a retired software engineer. He most recently worked for Siemens Medical. He spends much of his time these days in his woodworking studio. The last member of the family is Pixie our 17-pound terrier mix. Pixie is always ready for someone to stop and pet her.
The focus of my ministry has always come out of Ephesians chapter 4: “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry….” I’m one of those pastor/teachers to equip the saints. Because of this, I have a great love for Disciple Bible Study. I find this to be an invaluable tool in helping people explore their faith in the context of scripture. Also, out of these verses of Ephesians come the strong belief that my task is to help congregations look for opportunities to reach out into the communities in which they are located. We are blessed to be a blessing. I try to live my life from the perspective and hope to help other find ways to do the same.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, walking in the sunshine, reading and watching old movies on Turner Classic Movies.