Pastor, State Rep Apologizes for 'Error in Judgment'

ENFIELD, CT — An Enfield state representative who serves as pastor of a community church which meets in East Windsor has issued an apology for an inappropriate Facebook Messenger exchange with a female member of the congregation.

Greg Stokes, who leads the Cornerstone Church and was sworn in as the 58th General Assembly District representative in January, wrote a statement following social media publication of a message exchange between him and the woman.

The woman's husband, outraged at what he perceived as Stokes' innuendos about her, published screenshots of the exchange on his personal Facebook page. He said he contacted Stokes about the matter, as well as Stokes' wife, and received an apology, but decided to publish the excerpts as a way to hold Stokes accountable for his actions.

Following a deluge of mainly derogatory comments on the Facebook thread, Stokes issued the following statement:

"Recently our community has been made aware of an error in my judgment. I am truly sorry. I am sorry to have embarrassed my family, the people involved, my friends and supporters. I realize that I have some self reflection and self improvement to work on.

I have apologized to all the people involved and my church board was informed and I will be following their decision for accountability and direction.

I will not make excuses for my conduct or blame it on anyone else but myself.

I hope there is understanding that we are all human and make mistakes. Mine is very public and I truly regret my actions."

Photo credit: House Republicans