“Lord God, you
have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by
paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.
Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but
only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus
Christ, our Lord.” (Lutheran Book of Worship p.153).
April 2, 2014
Dear Sisters and Brothers in
Christ,
Once every six years voting members from around our synod gather together in assembly to pray, discern, and vote in the election of a synodical bishop. At our upcoming Synod Assembly in June, voting members of the assembly will do just that.
Two months ago, I was approached by a colleague from the Niagara Frontier Conference of our synod and asked to consider allowing my name to be put forward as a candidate for bishop. After a great deal of prayer and discussion with Joanne and the kids, I agreed to allow my name to go into nomination. In my twenty years of ordained ministry, I have never entertained the thought of serving the church in this capacity. I may or may not be called to this servant office, but if this is a call of the Holy Spirit, I must be open to the discernment process. This being said my first love is and has always been the parish. I continue to give thanks to God for you and for the ministry we share here at Incarnate Word.
There are a
number of very qualified individuals who have been nominated for bishop this
year, any one of whom would serve our church with faithfulness and
integrity. I am honored and humbled to
have my name counted among theirs as those who might serve the congregations of
our Upstate New York Synod as bishop.
As we journey
together in the coming weeks, I would ask you to pray not only for all who are
nominated for positions of synodical leadership, but for our Upstate New York
Synod as well. These are challenging
times for the church. No longer can we
count on a culture to know our story of a God who has become one of us in Jesus
Christ. Now more than ever, all
expressions of the church are called to be a relevant presence in the
world. As Lutheran Christians, we have a
unique take on a God who not only becomes flesh and dwells among us, but who
does so out of an abundance of amazing grace.
We are a church
in mission. No longer is the mission
field located on the other side of the world.
It is right outside our church doors.
May we as a congregation and as a synod, let our holy imaginations loose
as together in Christ we bear God’s creative and redeeming word to all the
world. If you have questions or would
just like to sit down over a cup of coffee and chat, please let me know. These are indeed challenging times, but what
an exciting time to be the church!
Peace and Love,
Pastor Doug
