Guitar player of the rock band Disciple, Andrew Welch is leaving the band.

Andrew Welch shares on Disciple's 'Band' section on their website how he joined the band:

"I was working as a guitar tech for Pillar in 2007. Disciple and Pillar have known each other for years so when Disciple had a need for guitarist they called Pillar. Pillar gave them my name and I auditioned at Christmas Rock Night in Germany in December of 2007. They brought me to their hotel room and I played "Scars Remain" for them and they asked me to play a couple of shows. The rest is history."

Welch played his first show with Disciple on December 31, 2007. Welch will play his last show with the band on August 25, 2012.

Disciple invited their fans to come say goodbye to Welch, "All you hardcore Disciple fans, get ready for a ROADTRIP, as we honor Andrew Welch at his last two shows with DISCIPLE this weekend in Arkansas. Carpool, split the gas money, or borrow your mom's credit card and join us as we celebrate his 4 1/2 years of service to God through the ministry of Disciple."

As of September 1^st, 2012, Andrew Welch will no longer be with the band.

On Disciple's website, Welch wrote his special announcement regarding his departure from the band.

"Disciple fans,

I recently made one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make: it's time for me to leave Disciple. My wife and I prayed, read the Word, and sought Godly counsel and decided together that this is God's path for us. I've THOROUGHLY enjoyed the 4 1/2 years I spent in the band. I've been to some awesome places and met some awesome people and done it all with some of my best friends. It was by no means an easy or impulsive decision, and I know God has chosen this path for me and my family. I want to thank Kevin, Israel, Trent, and Micah for always being there through the good and bad times, and I thank all you fans for supporting the band so fervently. I hope you all will continue to support the music and ministry of Disciple, and support my wife and I with prayer. This is a huge transition for us and we need all the prayer we can get. I'll be playing with the band until September 1st so PLEASE come out to every show you can so I can say my "see you laters".

Love,
Andrew"

Catch Andrew Welch on the road for the last time with Disciple! View Disciple's tour schedule at http://disciplerocks.com/tour.

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