 Hello, I'm Reuben Sines Jr. Bishop of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. On June 11th, we'll gather at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano for our North Texas annual conference. This year, we'll seek missional strength and encouragement from the words in Psalm 2714. Be strong, take heart, hope in the Lord. As people of faith, we find strength and encouragement by placing our hope not in ourselves, but in the Lord. Just as our ancestors of faith have done throughout the ages and like generations to come will do. In turn, that hope directs our actions to the future and invites us to think about how we will transmit the faith to the next generation that is clear, compelling, and useful to their everyday lives. Several guests will join us this year to explore the theme of hope and help us understand how we can lay the foundations for the Church of 2050 and beyond. Reverend Esti Valendi, co-pastor at Keller United Methodist Church and chair of the Order of Elders in the Central Texas Conference, will preach at the opening worship service on Sunday evening. I know Esti will set the tone for our gathering and I'm looking forward to the word of hope that she will bring to us. Reverend Trey Wentz and Akilah Lagonde from Ministry Incubators will deliver our keynote addresses. Their expertise will give us valuable insights and practical ideas as we consider how to minister effectively to Gen Z and generations to follow. This year we will also include time in our agenda for toolbox sessions. These breakout gatherings will offer a deeper dive into topics like conflict resolution in the Church, online discipleship, and the ongoing work of anti-racism. Space is limited, so you'll want to register early. Finally, this year we are also introducing legislative committees, a new way to address resolutions that we believe will create more time and space for meaningful conversation and result in well-crafted legislation for the body. This structure is similar to the approach used at General Conference and has been used successfully in annual conferences across the country. More details about legislative committees including how they will function and how you can indicate interest in serving are available on the North Texas Conference website. So please register for this year's annual conference by visiting the North Texas Conference website so that the Church and annual conference can prepare for your presence here. When we gather, it will be a time to worship, learn, pray, commission and ordain clergy and proclaim what it means to be the Church for today and the future. Together, we will look beyond today's fleeting circumstances, find our strength in the Lord, be encouraged and place our hope for a good future in the Lord for the United Methodist Church. So I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, June 11 at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano when we gather for the North Texas annual conference. Peace.