 Hello, I'm Mike McKee, the Bishop of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. I'm at First United Methodist Church of Richardson, where we will gather together June the 5th to begin the North Texas annual conference session for this year. Every meal at annual conference is a fellowship event, but this year we have something really special happening at lunch on Monday. We have partnered with Together We Dine, a program from Project Unity to offer lunch experience I know you'll want to be a part of. You may be familiar with Project Unity. It was started by our own pastor Richie Butler of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church as a way to unify the community and improve race relations. Today, Project Unity hosts community and educational events throughout the year, including Together We Dine meals across the Metroplex, the state, and even the world. Each Together We Dine meal offers the chance to network with a diverse group of community members and engage in courageous and safe conversations about race relations. Led by trained facilitator at each table, diners participate in a structured dialogue and listen to the perspectives and experiences of people who look and think differently than they do. Earlier this year, Holy Covenant United Methodist Church gathered with congregants from Hamilton Park United Methodist Church for a Combined Together We Dine event. The meal was a powerful way for Holy Covenant to kick off their congregational journey toward racial justice work, and the program is one we want to make available to more of our churches as you engage in these important conversations. Here is what guests at that lunch had to say about this experience. This program gives people an opportunity to listen to each other. Let's hear, let's be silent for just a moment so that I can hear your story and begin to process it and how I'm affected by it and how you are affected by it. We create a mission that you're here to talk and have that conversation. You're here to exchange values. You're here to exchange your thoughts. And in the end, we are going to be better off than we were before. At some level we've all experienced hatred for either who we are or what race we are, and it helps identifying that now I can look at somebody and I know or I can at least empathize with their struggle. Over the years I've seen a lot happen in the United States, and so I wanted to jump in with both feet to share what I know, how I can help make a change, what I can do to make a difference. And that happened today. It was awesome. The Together We Dine program at Annual Conference will be the featured launch on Monday and a highlight of our time together. Because there is a facilitator at every table, seating is limited. Please reserve your seat by visiting the North Texas Conference website. I look forward to seeing you June 5th through 7th at the North Texas Annual Conference, and especially at our Together We Dine experience. God bless you.