Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ in Connecticut:
I am writi
ng to say, in case you have not heard it already, that the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election o
f the Presiding Bishop has decided to place my name in nomination for election as the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. The election for the next Presiding Bishop will take place on June 27, 2015 at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. I am honored and humbled by this nomination.
I first want to say that I love being the Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in
Connecticut. Working with and among you over the last five years is the greatest blessing and I thank God for the privilege of being your bishop. Your faithfulness to our common participation in the mission of God is inspiring. I believe that my nomination is a result of, and a testimony to, what we have accomplished together serving God's mission here in Connecticut and beyond.
The decision to participate in the nomination process for the next Presiding Bishop has not been easy. In and through my baptism, however, I promised to put my whole trust in Jesus' grace and love, and follow and obey him as my Lord. I have been open to the nomination process because I seek to be faithful to these baptismal vows and the leading of the Holy Spirit. I believe that all will be well if we turn to Jesus and follow him as our Savior.
This afternoon, May 1, I will be available at Christ Church Cathedral, at 45 Church Street in Hartford, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. to answer questions that any of you might have about the election process for the next Presiding Bishop, and how my nomination might impact the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. We will also have time to pray together in these matters.
I ask for y
our prayers for the 78th General Convention -- for the House of Bishops who will elect the next Presiding Bishop, and the House of Deputies who will confirm the election. Please pray also for all the bishops nominated
to become the next Presiding Bishop, for their families, and their dioceses. Finally, I ask your prayers f
or all of us in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut that we will continue to be faithful to and participate in God's mission of re
storation and reconciliation.
God bless you.
Faithfully,
A video of Bishop Douglas sharing the contents of this letter and inviting you to conversation and prayer at the Cathedral today, May 1, is posted online here.
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