Brief Bio
Sondra Willobee most recently served as lead pastor at South Lyon First United Methodist Church in southeast Michigan. She is an adjunct professor of preaching at Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio. Her first full-length book, The Write Stuff: Crafting Sermons that Capture and Convince, brings together her love of preaching and her passion for writing. Her articles, reviews, poems, and stories have appeared in religious and literary journals including The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Driftwood Review, and Windhover. An outdoor enthusiast, she and her husband Ed have canoed, hiked and camped throughout the United States.
Publications
The Write Stuff, Westminster John Knox, 2009.
Courageous Spirit, Upper Room, 2005 (contributor)
Keeping Holy Time, Year C, Abingdon, 2003 (contributor)
Keeping Holy Time, Year B, Abingdon, 2002 (contributor)
FaithLink, United Methodist Publishing House, 2003 - 2005
Education
Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Master of Divinity, 1982
Wayne State University, B.A. in English, 1977 (summa cum laude)
Ordination
Elder, Detroit Annual Conference, of the United Methodist Church, 1984
Professional Activities
Former Chairperson, Board of Ministry, Detroit Annual Conference
Academy for Preaching, United Methodist Church
Springfed Arts/Metro Detroit Writers
The Authors Guild
Experience
Lead Pastor, First United Methodist Church, South Lyon, Michigan, 2007-2017
Associate Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Farmington, Michigan, 1995-2007
Editor, Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Detroit, Michigan, 1991-1994
Pastor, North Lake United Methodist Church, Chelsea, Michigan, 1985-1991
Pastor, Whitefield-Grace United Methodist Church, Detroit, Michigan, 1982-1985
Teaching
"Storytelling Techniques for Preaching," MTSO, 2017, 2010, 2017, 2019
“Practice of Preaching,” Course of Study School of Ohio at MTSO, Spring, 2007
“Hook, Book, and Stone: Storytelling Techniques in Preaching,” MTSO, Spring & Fall 2000
Family
Married for 47 years to Ed Willobee with two adult daughters and four grandchildren.