 Greetings members of the North Texas Conference. May the peace of Jesus Christ be with your spirit. I'm speaking to you today from Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, where members of the North Texas Conference met in a special call session and voted to release 41 churches that have completed the Board of Trustees requirements for disaffiliation under the Book of Disciplines paragraph 2553. While this was a sad day of farewells to longtime friends and colleagues, I'm grateful that we could unite one last time in worship and partake in Holy Communion. We recognize that we are all part of Christ one body, even as we send off our disaffiliating siblings in Christ with our blessings and prayers. I know many of you have questions about the impact of this parting. Today I tell you this, the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church remains strong. Eighty-five percent of our churches, more than 230 churches, have committed to continue advancing the core values and mission of the United Methodist Church. And that mission, making disciples of Jesus Christ to transform the world, is compelling and inspiring. So today, we will continue our work, strong, encouraged, hoping in the Lord, and staying focused on the mission. For those members of disaffiliating churches who wish to remain United Methodists, we will host a series of area meetings in the coming weeks. And on March 12th, we will begin a conference-wide four-week prayer vigil through Easter Sunday for healing and joy for a great mission ahead. We invite you to participate in this restorative work by signing up for a prayer shift at the link on your screen. We know that our hope remains in Christ, who has promised to be with us until the end of the age, more particularly on days like these. May God's grace and peace be with you.