The Rev. Canon Terri Bays, PhD not elected by The Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes

24 October 2026

The Rev. Canon Terri L. Bays, PhD
Bishop-elect of The Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes

24 October 2026

Dear Sisters, Brothers, siblings,

Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, God’s Word made flesh!

As many of you know, one of our own, the Rev. Canon Terri Lynne Bays, was a nominee for Episcopal election in the Diocese of the Great Lakes. The election took place today and Canon Terri was not elected. I have firsthand experience of not being elected and received great support and encouragement from the people of the faith community I was serving in Rochester, Minnesota, my bishop, and the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. It is my hope that you will reach out in support, encouragement, and gratitude to Canon Terri.

I want to thank Canon Terri and Tim along with their children, Elizabeth and Rachel, for opening their lives to the possibility of serving the wider church in Episcopal Ministry. I am also confident that they will be surrounded with prayer and affection by our sisters, brothers, siblings who are the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana.

May we continue together, engaging God’s mission!

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:  Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen!

Every blessing,

 

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
VIII Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

Fall 2026 House of Bishops Meeting Recap

Diocesan Storm Response in Northern Indiana

Sisters, Brothers, Siblings,

I wanted to update you on our diocesan response to the storms that rolled through last week. Lake, Porter and La Porte Counties were the most affected areas in our diocese. I reached out to Episcopal Relief & Development (E,R & D) for their guidance. Once I received advice from them, I sent an email to the clergy and wardens of the Faith Communities in those three counties, which included the particular ways E, R & D have responded in similar situations. So much of the damage is downed trees and the loss of power and perishable food. Fortunately, no one in our faith communities were physically injured.

I then forwarded that email to the clergy serving in each of our faith communities, asking for their prayer and support for our siblings most affected and if there were persons in their faith communities in need of assistance, to please let me know by Monday, 17 August. I have been in communication Pastor Pamela at CEMP - Calumet Episcopal Ministry Partnership and received an update from her late on Monday evening. While many are working around the clock to address the crisis, some have said that cellphone service and electrical power may be out for the next week in some areas.

Many of our affected faith communities were not able to meet for worship on Sunday, so it will take some time to know how best to respond to those in need. Please continue to uphold in your prayer all those most severely affected by the storms and their aftermath.

I am sure there will be a need for financial assistance. If you would like to make a contribution to assist us in our response, please click the Diocesan Storm Response donate button on the homepage of our website.

I will do my best to keep you updated on our ongoing response.

Blessings during these challenging times,

Bishop Doug

Donate to Bishop's Discretionary Account - Storm Relief Fund

The Rev. Cn. Terri Bays Candidate for Bishop in The Diocese of the Great Lakes

22 July 2026


Dear Sisters, Brothers, Siblings,

Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Light for all people!

Earlier today, the Diocese of the Great Lakes announced their candidates for bishop and the Rev. Canon Terri Bays, a priest of our diocese who serves as the Missioner to the Bishop, is one of their candidates.  Please join me in praying for Terri and Tim and their family, Elizabeth and Rachel, as the public part of this process now begins.  The next step is the walkabout which will occur in August and September.  The Electing Convention is scheduled for 23- 24 October 2026.

I invite you to pray for all of us who are the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana as well.  The bond between a clergy person and those they are called to serve is deep and enduring. Canon Terri Bays has served in our diocese since her ordination to the priesthood in 2012, as Priest in Charge of Holy Trinity South Bend and assisting at the Cathedral of St. James. She began her ministry as a Missioner on my staff on 1 July 2016.  This is indeed a time to rejoice and give thanks for this potential opportunity for Canon Terri to be called to serve the wider church in episcopal ministry.  Nonetheless, this process may profoundly effect the mission, ministry and management of the faith communities in our diocese. Let us also pray for all those involved in this process of discernment and election in the Diocese of the Great Lakes.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:  Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen!

Every Blessing,

Doug

Diocesan Youth Summer Camp Recap

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What a WONDERful week of camp we just had! H2 OH! The Wonder of Water was a week of building friendships, diving deeper into scripture, and enjoying the always amazing Camp Mack. During our camp week we:

  • Hosted 68 campers with 49 staff members

  • Had 19 first time campers!

  • Visited by five clergy on our visit day (highest yet!)

  • Raised more than $3,000 in Thrivent grants

  • Graduated eight ninth graders

  • Awarded $3,650 in scholarships for campers

Each morning we introduced our daily focus with our morning show and our hosts Captain Clark (Fr. Clark Miller) and Wade Poole (Fr. Michael Roeske). They were joined by various guests who provided insight and guidance related to their story. Guests and daily themes included: 

Monday — “Living Water” John 4:13–14
Focus: Jesus offers water that truly satisfies.
Guest: Barbara the Woman at the Well

Tuesday — “Called & Equipped” Matthew 3:13-17
Focus: We are called, equipped, and sent out.
Guest: Johnny B (the Baptist)

Wednesday — “Walk on Water” Matthew 14:22–33
Focus: Keep your eyes on Jesus through fear and doubt.
Guest: Peter

Thursday — “Clean Waters” John 9:1-11
Focus: Healing waters
Guest: Gerald the Blind Man

Friday— “Cast Your Nets” Luke 5:1–11
Focus: Jesus calls us to follow Him boldly.
Guest: Sons of Thunder - James and John

We want to extend a sincere thank you to all the parishes that sent and/or sponsored a camper. We had a total of $11,312 in parish scholarships! This is a great testament to how important our youth are to the life of their parish. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to continue this ministry and for helping us to teach, nurture and bring up these young people in the Word of God.

Jodi, Daniel, Cindy, and Megan
The Missioners for Camping Ministry

The Feast of Pentecost 2026

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A video message from Bishop Doug for The Feast of Pentecost 2026.