During the Opening Worship, Bishop Carlo introduced the three-year vision for the Conference. The theme for 2026 is “Pruning for Clarity.” He combined both the imagery of relying on good rootstock and pruning branches to produce good fruit. He also shared the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan into the promised land and how the leaders of the 12 tribes brought stones for a cairn on the other side of the river. But, they also left a pile of stones in the middle of the river symbolizing what was part of their formation but needed to be released – was no longer useful. If you’d like to listen to the entire sermon, CLICK HERE.