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WHAT’S NEW
EASTER EDITION
The quarterly newsletter of Waterloo’s Anglican Church of the Holy Saviour. March 2015
FROM THE RECTOR
Dear Friends,
I want to share with you the modern parable
of the Forsythia branches. It is an active
parable which has been taking place in our
church since the first Sunday in Lent when I
brought some branches of forsythia into the
church for the children’s focus. The
branches were very bare and looked as if
they were dead. I asked the children if they
thought that they might still have life in
them and what was needed to see if new life
could come to bloom. We decided to put
them in water, and wait to see what would
happen. I was a little worried as I had
fought through deep snow on a very cold
day to cut the branches. Was it too early in
the season? The altar guild was very helpful
by taking the branches to the parish hall to
keep them warm during the week but by the
next Sunday not much had changed. There
might have been a few bud tips starting to
form, but I was worried. Thankfully by the
next Sunday the branches were full of bloom
with beautiful yellow flowers. The new life
concealed within the “dead looking”
branches had come to bloom!
The following Saturday
I went to my office to
do some work and
when I checked on the
branches, they were
nowhere in sight, not in
the church, nor in the
hall. I phoned my wife
Jane, who was on altar guild duty that
morning to see if she knew what had
happened to them. Jane told me that all the
flowers had died and fallen and created a big
mess in the hall so she had taken the
branches outside and cleaned up the mess.
She also told me that if I wanted them the
branches were outside by the evergreen
trees. I went outside to retrieve them but
Worship for Holy Week
Sunday of the Passion (Mar 29) 8:00, 9:00 (BAS & Sunday School),
11:00 am (BCP)- Holy Eucharist
Maundy Thursday 12:00 pm Blessing of the Oils
6:00 pm Seder Supper
7:30 pm Holy Eucharist with symbolic hand washing and
stripping of the Altar
Good Friday 11:00 am - The Solemn Liturgy
Holy Saturday 8:00 pm Easter Vigil at All Saints, Waterloo
Easter Day (Apr 5) 8:00, 9:00 (BAS & Sunday School), 11:00 am
(BCP)- Holy Eucharist
they really were a mess, nothing attractive about them at all. It looked as if
they had served their purpose as well as they could but then I noticed that
there were a few green leaves beginning to emerge, so I plucked off most
of the remaining dead flowers and returned them to their stand by the
pulpit, and the leaves continue to flourish.
This is a common everyday parable which teaches us that things are not
always as they seem, and of the need to often look past the surface, beyond
the obvious, to look deeper into our life events in order to see the true
realities and the much deeper truth. The forsythia branches stand as a
silent witness to the nurturing purposes of Lent and the hope and glory of
Easter. I am thankful for this message!
On March 14th, my Uncle Bob, Bishop Bob Townshend died. I am
grieving, but I also know that at least five other members of our parish
family are also grieving the recent deaths of loved ones. I know this is an
experience of life with which we can all identify. We all need to hear the
Easter message, that Jesus Christ is risen today. Alleluia! However to
really appreciate those wonderful words we need to go a little deeper and
to explore their meaning. Therefore I invite you to join your parish family
here at Holy Saviour as together we relive the events of Holy Week. The
events of that first Holy Week were not really as they first appeared. They
held many surprises. The joy and promise of Palm Sunday was very
deceptive. The excitement of the potential of a new messiah soon faded
away much like the flowers of the forsythia branches, withered and fell to
the ground. Jesus had made a good try of it but by Friday it was obvious
that the power of the religious authorities and especially the power of
Rome were too much for Jesus. Jesus was defeated. Rome had won. But,
look a little closer, look into the tomb and see it empty. Look into the
garden and discover Jesus alive, risen from the dead. God had won! Love
is stronger than death! Remember the words of John’s gospel “God so
WHAT’S NEW
loved the world that he gave his only Son, so
that everyone who believes in him may not
perish but may have eternal life”.
Remember Jesus own words, “This is the
will of my Father, that all who see the Son
and believe in him may have eternal life”.
Believe in God! Believe in Jesus! Together let us
proclaim the Good News, that Jesus Christ is
risen today. Alleluia! That is the truth! In the
midst of the ongoing challenges of life may you
always seek the truth, and know the joy of God’s
love for you!
Our book for discussion will be " No Man's Nightingale" by Ruth Rendell.
If you have read any other books by this author, we will be glad to include
those titles as well.
Why not bring a friend? All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you.
Our May Book Club meeting will feature the autobiography, Wild, a recent
film release. Read the Book or see the Movie and join us on May 27th. A
special guest will join us that evening so come out and share in the
discussion about this title or any of your own hiking adventures.
-Call Vivian Russell for more information. 519-884-3528
MEET DAVE BARTON
Yours in Christ, Peter
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
The discussion group on the Gospel of
Matthew will meet again on Tues, April 21
(7:30) to discuss the last segment of the
Gospel: the Mount of Olives discourse,
Gethsemane, and the crucifixion and
resurrection (chapters 24-28). If this interests
you, come along--previous participation not
required!
–Rob Lofthouse
ALTAR GUILD
The Easter season is fast approaching. With
it comes the expectation of spring flowers
adorning our place of worship. If you wish
to contribute to these flowers, please place
your cash or cheque, made out to the
Church of the Holy Saviour, in an envelope
on the offering plate and mark it
"Flowers...Altar Guild". This support is
much appreciated by all.
On Maundy Thursday, towels will be
provided for the washing of hands, but if
you would feel more comfortable bringing
your own towel, please feel free to do
so. Thank You.
-Chris Schmidt, Altar Guild Convenor
BOOK CLUB
Holy Saviour Book Club will meet in the
Fireside Room at the Church on April 22 at
7:30 pm.
www.holy-saviour.ca
I interviewed our new Property Chairperson at his home in north Waterloo
in the dark! There was a local power outage that night so we proceed to
chat by candlelight. The lights came back on just as we were wrapping up.
Dave and I sing together in the bass section of the Generations Choir so I
knew bits about his life but our longer conversation filled in the gaps.
Dave is from Saint John, New Brunswick and traces his Anglican roots
back to his great-great-grandfather Edward Barton. He is a first-born with
a younger brother and sister. “I was baptized in a nice old Anglican church
with massive columns”, he said, adding that he’s always had a love for
Tudor church architecture. His childhood
included several moves in
the Kennebecasis Valley and several
different churches, including a United
Church. His grandfather was a barber, and
when made a warden, the elitists said it was
good to have a ‘commoner’ on the board.
Dave felt influenced by his
grandfather James Woolley from a young
age, even trying to sing bass like him, his
uncle was also a Warden and Property
Chair. While taking confirmation classes in
the United Church, he felt jealous of his Anglican cousins whose
catechumen was much stricter: “they memorized all the names of the
books of the Bible.”
After finishing high school in 1986, Dave was hoping for architecture but
settled on engineering. He had the misfortune of graduating into the 1992
recession, so he returned to school for his masters. By the time he finished
with an M.Eng. degree in ’96, the Maritimes was still not thriving, so
in 1997 he was lured to a job in Florida. Kelly, his fiancée joined him after
their wedding, nearly a year later. Three years after they married, they had
Taylor, their first of three daughters. He admits to being a workaholic in
Florida, finally getting to the beach five years after arriving. They found an
Episcopal church they liked, St. Paul’s of Delray Beach, and as witnessed
at several churches in his youth, Dave was part of visioning exercises and
strategic planning.
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WHAT’S NEW
The shocking events of 9/11 and work
life called them back to Canada. Barton
applied to a job with Conestoga-Rovers &
Associates and they arrived in Waterloo in
the summer of 2002. Their family expanded
with the births of Kylie and Jamie. He
continued to put in long hours at work. It
was in 2007 that “gut issues” began to
interfere with his busy pace, even though he
continued to make time for his daughters'
hockey practices and music. A colonoscopy
finally determined that he had ulcerative
colitis. A plethora of drugs and diets were
tried in hopes of avoiding surgery but by
July, 2013, removal of his colon was
required. He considers steroids prior to
surgery to be a silver lining: “They gave me
extra energy. I got to edit videos of the girls’
hockey seasons, and of the church
Christmas pageants.” Dave gets frustrated
when extra work triggers health problems,
even a return to hospital. He's clearly a guy
who finds it hard to ask for help.
When Dave and Kelly first tried to find Holy
Saviour, they drove past it five times before
spotting the small sign on the building.
(Procuring a new sign, and changing the
lettering each week, is one of his proudest
projects.) Dave had had a dream before
leaving Florida in which an owl swooped
down transforming into a gold eagle as it
flew away, and a voice in the background
telling him, “You will follow the legend.”
When he mistakenly thought that he
had spotted an owl in the sanctuary artwork,
he told Kelly they had found the right
church. The Bartons are a busy family who
make time for church –
ncluding Sunday School, Generations Choir,
youth group and parish council. I’m glad
they found Holy Saviour and have made it
easier for others to find. His
grandfathers would be proud.
www.holy-saviour.ca
In the past fifteen years, our church has undergone at least six exercises in
defining who we are: Who Is My Neighbour?, The Magnetic Church,
VIVA (Values, Identity, Vision, Action), Appreciative Inquiry, Five
Practices of A Fruitful Congregation, and a Parish Council Workshop.
The streams of ministry model was a response to the 2009 death of John
Capindale, a lay person who’d been responsible for both social and bricksand-mortar ministries. That’s when the council delineated the three streams
of ministry (Caring Communities, Christian Nurture and Church
Operations), but we’ve been slow to mentor new volunteers to lead those
areas. We have instituted some of the recommendations such as member
name tags and a new website. But many more plans never get off the
ground.
Holy Saviour is considered by the diocese to be a strategic inner-city
location. The nearby highrise condominiums signal a growth in population,
many of whom are retirees and could be enticed to come back to church.
We are also unique in the number of young couples and families in our
congregation: our Sunday School has more children than the majority of
parishes in the diocese, including much larger ones.
The vestry in early February committed to a $250,000 Renew Campaign to
continue the youth ministry, refurbish parts of the building, and hire a
consultant to develop a long-term plan for the building. This will be the
year that our church moves ahead with an action plan.
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WHAT’S NEW
FROM THE WARDENS
WE PRAY FOR
Angela-Marie,
Matthew, Stephanie, Angie,
Lauren, Lloyd, Ron, Heather,
Harold, Wendy, Elyse, James,
John, Jessica, France, Alvina,
Michelle, Rebecca, Ross, Heather,
Reta, Jennifer, Eileen, Caroline,
Joseph, John, Alex, Susan,
Frances, Albert, Russell, John, Lisa
AND For those in
Nursing/Retirement Homes and
people who are Shut-in:
Esther Madill, Dorothy Gilbert,
Doris Leland, Francis Whittaker,
Shirley McHugh, Mary Culliford,
Bernice Hodgson, Esther
Hodgson, Manley Richardson,
Shirley Beaudry, John Ford, Bette
Kaufman.
WE REMEMBER our brothers
& sisters departed this life, who
now share in our Lord’s eternal
life:
Kay Finney, 1915-2014
Ronald Barry, 1931-2014
Sadie Parsons, 1925-2015
Mildred Burn 1931-2015
Dacres Talbot 1942-2015
www.holy-saviour.ca
The Parish Council welcomes both new and returning faces to its ranks, all
prepared to offer their time and talent to the challenges, initiatives and
committee work at Holy Saviour. After several years, serving as a Warden,
Brian Knight is stepping down. We thank Brian for continuing to
contribute to our Church as a member of the Parish Council. Richard
Blumenauer joins the Wardens as Deputy’s People Warden. Welcome
Richard. Once again, we thank Jane and Peter Townshend for the
luncheon provided to Parish Council members – for those leaving, for
those returning and for those who are joining. It always provides a great
opportunity for fellowship.
One of the Caring Community Ministries that did not continue this year
was Out of the Cold. After much soul searching and assurances from the
Region of Waterloo that it had the resources and programs to help the
homeless on our streets, the decision was made to close our door. Some
parishioners continued to assist in these programs. Out of the Cold gave
us the opportunity not only to help but, also to expand our skills and
awareness as relates to those who struggle living on the streets. Last
September, several parishioners attended a full day training session for
OOTC volunteers at Knox Church. In fact, it was the kind of program
that any citizen would have
found informative.
It was stated that for every $1
Presentations were offered
invested in addressing persistent
by a Regional Community
homelessness, $9 of social value is
Police Officer, a detective
created.
from the local Drug Unit,
and representatives from various agencies speaking to education, treatment
and Housing First initiatives. To date, almost 40 people from the homeless
community have found housing with the help of the Region of Waterloo
and other agencies.
Safe Church got underway towards the end of January. Coordinators
Wendy McIntyre and Jennifer Ross are very grateful for the patience, cooperation and good humour parishioners demonstrated as we strove to get
this initiative off the ground. Jeanette Bell assisted greatly with gathering
the required paperwork. In the end, 32 consents for police records checks
were gathered and submitted to Xpresschek, the Toronto company hired
by the Diocese to facilitate contact with the police. Consents were
required for Sunday School teachers, Nursery caregivers, those visiting the
elderly and the vulnerable, youth leaders, organists, Wardens, Clergy and
employees. Those parishioners who have police checks already in place
will renew, as required, through Xpresschek, in January 2016. Next up is
to review written job descriptions developed in 2004. The work that was
done at that time is gives us an excellent starting point. We plan on
approaching several volunteers for their input with these descriptions.
Renew is another area needing some concentrated work, thought and
prayer to make decisions that become more concrete in how we move
forward. Target amounts were endorsed at Vestry to raise money this fall
for youth ministry, Church rejuvenation and strategic planning. Again, we
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WHAT’S NEW
will be looking for direction from the parish
by planning some time to come together on
May 30th this spring.
Youth and Youth Leaders are facing a
significant change with the Assistant Curate
position, so fabulously filled by Sharla
Malliff, coming to an end in June. Sharla
will continue to work with and offer
direction to the youth of Holy Saviour and
All Saints as the difficult transition is made.
We hope you can attend the special Services
offered over Easter. Envelopes for your
generous contribution will be made
available. Please remember your Parish
Church and consider what you can do to
increase your support financially and
support ministry work by sharing your time
and your talent. Thank you.
Jennifer Ross People’s Warden
Glenn Brogden Rector’s Warden
Richard Blumenauer Deputy People's Warden
Tricia Siemens Deputy Rector's Warden
MOVIE REVIEW
The Miracle Maker: The Story of Jesus
(2000 UK/Russia) dir. David W. Hayes and
Stanislav Sokolov
Considering it’s the founding story of the
world’s largest religion, you’d think that
good films about the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ would be more
common. But they’re not. The period setting
and complexities of the Jesus story often
results in films that look cheap and/or are
over-simplified, marring the material.
Around Easter time, folks looking for a
Jesus film that’s less traumatizing than The
Passion of the Christ, but more sophisticated
than a Hallmark card, might be feeling a
little hopeless.that if I told you that one of
the best Jesus films I’ve ever seen was a
stop-motion animated Welsh/Russian filmÉ
And that it features Ralph Fiennes (you
might know him as Voldemort from Harry
Potter) as the voice of Christ? The Miracle
Maker: The Story of Jesus (2000) is pretty much
the perfect film to make part of your family
Easter celebrations. It’s sophisticated
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enough for adults, but not so traumatizing that older children won’t be
able to enjoy it. The animation is great, with the settings and costumes of
the puppets giving the film an authentic flavour without requiring the
budget of a Hollywood mega-blockbuster. An all-star cast of actors
provide the voices, including Julie Christie, Ian Holm, Miranda Richardson,
and Alfred Molina in addition to Fiennes. Also, it’s haunting and beautiful
flute-driven score adds substantially to the film’s aesthetic appeal.
As for its treatment of the Jesus
story, it includes a flashback to
the Nativity, then moves to the
baptism and ministry of Jesus,
framing it from the perspective
of a young girl Tamar, daughter
of Jairus (voiced by William
Hurt). A significant portion of
the film deals with Holy Week and the crucifixion, but the film doesn’t end
there. Mary’s discovery of Christ’s resurrection and his appearance to
Thomas and the disciples are given suitable dramatic weight, rather than
being ignored or downplayed. One of the film’s more memorable
sequences is Jesus appearance to two followers on the road to Emmaus, a
sequence I can’t recall in any other Jesus film. The Miracle Maker’s synoptic
treatment of the Gospels is surprisingly sophisticated yet accessible.
Western audiences are still getting used to the idea that animation doesn’t
need to be strictly kids’ stuff. Japanese animated films—anime—in contrast
cover every conceivable genre and subject, some of it definitely not for
children. As a European co-production, The Miracle Maker, while certainly
family-friendly for the most part (its treatment of crucifixion is serious, but
not graphic), is more similar in tone to something like the films of Studio
Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro): beautiful in form, serene in
tone, complex enough for adults but appealing to children. This is the
Jesus film many people have been looking for.
Anders Bergstrom is a PhD Candidate in Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.
He lives in Waterloo with his wife, Rochelle Knox, and two sons, Soren and Christian.
He and his brothers run a film blog, Three Brothers Film (www.3brothersfilm.com)
The Miracle Maker is only available to buy online (Amazon $10) or you can
borrow my copy; email me [email protected]
SHARLA’S SERMON
[On March 14th, Sharla preached on John 3:16, the gospel of Lent 3. This excerpt is
from the end of her homily.]
To begin to understand God’s love, it might be helpful to understand the
three different types of love the Bible shares with us. The first of those is
Eros Love. This is usually described as an erotic, selfish type of love. It
can often be seen as an unreciprocated type of love. Think school yard
crush, Hollywood star struck love, or … stalker.
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WHAT’S NEW
The second type of love is Philos love. This
is the kind of love we have for our friends,
our neighbours, the person sitting in the pew
ahead of you. A genuine caring for, concern
for the other kind of love. A love that can
come with some sacrifice on our part.
Think, giving up your free time to shovel the
neighbours driveway, taking a loved one for
dinner to celebrate, calling out the the
neighbour child not to cross the street as
there is a car coming.
The third type is Agape love. This is the
love we are talking about today when we talk
about God loving us so much. This is the
kind of love that is always present. No
matter what, it is there. There is no
judgement, there is no condemnation, there
is no if you don’t do this I’ll take it back,
there is no condition placed on it. It just is.
It exists without beginning or end, without
strings attached, without barriers. THIS is
the kind of love John is talking about in our
Gospel this morning.
“For God so loved the world…” God loves
the world with Agape love. God loves us so
much that, without asking for anything in
return, without expecting anything in return,
without strings, without end… God loves us
so much that He sent Jesus to show us just
how much.
We are loved so much that God, in the form
of Jesus, would come into this broken and
hurting world to show us, to tell us, to prove
to us just how much we are loved, because
we, like the Israelites in the wilderness,
believed that God was a judge and a
punisher. God came into this broken and
hurting world to submit to the most
powerful, destructive, horrific form of death,
a death of shame and punishment, death on
the cross, a form of capital punishment
reserved for the worst criminals and those
who needed to be made an example of, to
show us how much we are loved and the
only cost, the only catch, the only string
attached for us, is that we accept the gift of
love…. “that whoever believes.”
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How amazing is it to know that you, that we, are loved THAT much, in
THAT way, with no condemnation.
God’s love for us doesn’t change the natural consequences of our actions.
God’s love for us doesn’t change God’s desire for us to obey his
commandments, it doesn’t change God’s desire for us to live the way Jesus
taught us… but God’s love is bigger than any of our mistakes, our
missteps and/or our sins.
God loves us with an unwavering,
unconditional, unending agape love that can
never be shaken or moved. God’s love for
us is such that Jesus came to us, in our
darkness, in our sin, in our illness, “in order
that the world [we] might be saved through
him”. There is no better news… or greater
love than this. Amen.
The Rev’d. Sharla Malliff, Youth Pastor
A MENTOR’S INSPIRATION
In his sermon on Sunday March 22nd Archdeacon Townshend did some
reflecting on the experience of his Uncle Bishop Bob Townshend’s funeral
earlier in the week, and also the funeral for his grandfather Bishop William
Townshend in 1988.
He spoke of having many family memories come to his mind, but
especially of a poem which he had been reflecting upon. The poem was
written by the Reverend E. C. Jennings, a lifelong priest of the Diocese of
Huron who was a mentor to Bishop William Townshend and who had
twice gone out of his way to encourage William to be faithful and
persevere when it looked as if the opportunity to be ordained was being
denied William. When Rev. Jennings was very ill and drawing near to
death, Bishop William Townshend arranged to visit him and discovered
that Rev. Jennings had written this poem for him. It is a reflection on
Christian call and ministry by a beloved priest of the church after a great
man y years of service. Reverend Jennings died a few days later at age
nine-one.
May we each interpret day by day,
Something of Christ as we go our way.
That men may see, in the life we lead,
The love that helps and the worthwhile deed.
The word of cheer that mean so much
to those we meet and the lives we touch.
That the old may feel, and the children see,
that Jesus dwells in you – in me.
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WHAT’S NEW
TERRY DANCE LEADS BIBLE STUDY
ANNUAL WOMEN’S CORPORATE COMMUNION
A few member of Holy Saviour have been
attending the Lenten Bible Study lead by
Bishop Terry Dance. These took place on
Wednesdays at two alternating sites, All
Saints in Waterloo and Trinity in Cambridge
with 80 to 100 in attendance. Bishop Terry is
a flamboyant teacher. He has worked closely
with the Anglican Church in South Africa,
until recently a partner diocese to Huron.
One of the benefits for him of this
relationship was engaging in Contextual
Bible Study, as developed by Gerald West.
While on sabbatical Bishop Terry created the
Lenten series, based on this year’s lectionary
that he used with our deanery. The contents
were also made available online and have
been adopted by Anglicans and others in
various parts of the world.
21st ANNUAL WOMEN’S CORPORATE COMMUNION AND
THANKOFFERING BREAKFAST
A service of Corporate Communion for all the women of Church of the
Holy Saviour will be held on Saturday, April 25th at 9:00 a.m. The service
will be followed by a breakfast in the Parish Hall. A special feature of the
service will be the receiving of the Thankoffering. As an expression of the
thanks and gratitude we all feel throughout the year, it will join the A.C. W.
United Thankoffering and be their share in the total mission of the Church
in our own Diocese, in Canada and around the world.
All donations are receiptable for tax purposes. Cheques should be made
payable to the Church of the Holy Saviour. If you have any questions,
please contact Alison Prittie, our United Thankoffering Representative at
519-745-3433.
ATTENTION: ALL LADIES WHO
ENJOY SINGING
If you would like to join the choir for the Women’s Corporate
Communion and Thankoffering Service, please let Alison Prittie at 519745-3433. A practice will be held on April 23rd from 6:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
in the Parish Hall.
Come out and enjoy!! It would be wonderful to have you in the choir!!
You can access the course at
http://www.anglican.ca/resources/lent2015/.
Here’s an excerpt from the Lent 2 program:
Jesus asked his followers, “Who do people
say that I am?” Alyce McKenzie, professor
of homiletics at Perkins School of Theology
in Dallas Texas, writes these challenging
words in her commentary on Mark 8: “It is
vital that we twenty-first century Christians
take the pulse of those outside the Church,
who they think Christ is and who they
perceive Christians to be. If, as many studies
suggest, the view outside looking in, is that
Christians are judgmental and unloving, then
the Church needs to ask itself, what can we
do about the aspersion this casts on the
identity of Jesus whom we allege to follow?”
MANLEY RICHARDSON
Manley Richardson, a member of Holy Saviour
since 1970, celebrated his 97th birthday on March
3rd and on Wednesday March 4th after the 10:00
am service he enjoyed a birthday cake with other
church members in the Fireside Room.
Rector: The Venerable Peter T. Townshend [email protected]
Editor: Chuck Erion [email protected]
Layout: Jeanette Bell [email protected]
Church of the Holy Saviour
33 Allen St. E. Waterloo Ontario N2J 1J1 Phone: 519-743-8772
www.holy-saviour.ca
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