SteepleTalk

A Newsletter for the Members and Friends of John Knox Presbyterian Church

SteepleTalk

www.johnknoxpres.org 35 Shannon Drive Greenville, SC 29615 P 864.244.0453 F 864.244.0461

May 2015 Edition

SPORTS

MISSIONS

BUSINESS

FINANCES

FELLOWSHIP

MESSAGES

VIEWPOINTS

MUSIC

WORSHIP

I watched with joy as the Holy Spirit was at work this past Sunday (April 26). Hopefully you were there to hear Joseph’s power-ful sermon about God’s presence through the storms of life, and the incredible story he shared of one church member’s experience in a storm at sea. One of the benefits of the early service is that its casual atmosphere leads to quick improvisation and great flexibility (Hon-estly, I have found there to be quite a bit of flexibility at both services, and our organist, Steve, has also been more than gracious when I’ve asked to sing a stanza of a hymn again). Following Joseph’s sermon, as we recited the Affirmation of Faith together, out of the corner of my eye I noticed our choir director Elizabeth, walk up to the piano and whisper something to Betty, and place a note on the pulpit for Joseph. With a smile on his face, Joseph declared that he and Elizabeth had the same thought, and that we would being singing a different closing hymn. At some point during the sermon, Elizabeth realized that the better hymn for our group of worshippers that morning would be “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.” Perhaps it was only my imagination, but I think we sang a bit louder than usual for that one! Thank God for Holy Spirit moments, and for people who are tuned in to what the Spirit is saying and doing!

Chris

Church EducatorThe Christian Education Committee and Administration Committee are in the process of creating a search committee for a new Direc-tor of Christian Education. Please keep these committees in your prayers. As we move forward in this process, the church leadership will do its best to keep the congregation up to date on the progress of the search.

Capital Campaign UpdateAfter many meetings and many emails, the session, with the help of the Administration and Property/Operations Committees, is ready to move forward with replacing our HVAC units in the Administration building and the Education wing. There will be more details in the coming weeks, but during the next few months, there will be a need to make some adjustments, as the air conditioning will be off while renovations are underway.

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For Kids & Parents

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Nursery and Children’s Church Schedule

May 3 May 10 May 17 May 24 May 31Infants / Toddler Paige Rostin Anna Cain K3 / K4 Amy Osborne Jamise Ferguson J. Allender Sarah Carter Ann Williams K5 Jordan Campbell Donna Drake Heather Pratt Rob Wright Jodi Starnes

Carol’s CornerMay is a month that we can “wind down” from some of our normal John Knox activities. Our Wednesday night programs will “take a rest” until next season. Be watching for our start back date. Our basketball teams are resting for a while, and we will generally have a more leisurely atmosphere here.Vacation Bible School will be June 15-19 and we have begun taking registrations. Check out the sepa-rate article for more details.Basketball Camp this summer for children K5-Grade 5 will be held July 27 – 30, from 9am – noon. The cost will be $30. Registration forms are available. Sandy Garrett will again be leading the camp. If you would like to help out, please let Sandy Garrett know.A big THANKS to Mrs. Martin for a great spring music program with our children. The kids had fun play-ing drums and bells and the church members enjoyed listening and watching! We appreciate the chil-dren, the parents, and all those involved in making it a special evening.Kids Club, a special Sunday school program for grades 1-5, will be studying “Pentecost” this month. The scripture is taken from Acts 2:1-11 and the memory verse is “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). Our theme is that from now on, God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit, will be with everyone who believes in Jesus. He will be alive in our hearts!Attention 5th Graders! We will be having a special Sunday School class for our 5th Graders begin-ning in May and going until Rally Day (August 23). This will be a transition time when these children can prepare for being a part of the Youth Group of John Knox. We will have special curriculum and teach-ers (Merry Beth Smallridge, Penny Rogers, Stevie Greene and Jennifer Whatley). The class will meet in the classroom at the bottom of the steps from the Kindergarten Hallway. We are very excited about this class and hope that all our 5th graders will be able to join us.

Time For Summer Camp!It is already May and time for summer camp is nearly here. Registration for Camp Buc in Sapphire, NC is currently open. The first sessions start on June 7th. Sessions run through the week ending July 31st. We have a bulletin board set up on the Adult Sunday School hall-way with extra brochures for anyone who needs them. Included is information on each session. Camp Buc is a safe place where campers can explore their faith through Bible study, worship, fun and fellow-ship with the supportive guidance of caring staff. Camp staff strives to create this safe place by build-ing healthy relationships. Campers grow together, play together, and learn new skills as they work and play, worship and pray, and live together in Christian community.

Check it all out at HTTP://campbuc.org/summer-camp/register/

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Kids’ Club Teachers for May Amy Ballard, John & Kelly Colacioppo, Chris Mathews, Jennifer Whatley

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For Kids & Parents

For All Members and Visitors

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL “G-FORCE: GOD’S LOVE IN ACTION” Join us this summer for VBS as we put God’s love in action with our exciting G-Force theme! VBS will be held June 15-19 (9am–12pm) with a parent lunch and slideshow on Friday. Registration has begun – forms are available in the Narthex, on the Kindergarten Hall bulletin board, and on the church website. The regis-tration fee is $5 per child until May 17 and $10 after May 17. A limited number of interactive VBS CDs are available from the office for $5. Many volunteers will be needed to make VBS a success! Even if you don’t have a child attending VBS, we’d love to have your help, so please consider volunteering! If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Laura Sims (630-0231).

Young at Heart Program for May: Join us for a covered dish lunch in the Fellowship Hall at noon on May 19 for fellowship and fun to discuss ideas for programs next year. As we eat, those at each table will develop a list of suggestions to be shared with the group. Afterwards, there will be a brief program to remind us about the importance of up-dated wills and powers of at-torney. Bring your ideas and your favorite dish to share. Please contact Bessie/Bill Lee at 233-5518 or Joanne George at 268-6822 by May 17 for reservations.

CMO Mission Moment:

Mother's Day OfferingA meaningful tradition supporting Pres-byterian Communities started in 1954 where Pres-byterian churches began to participate in a special offering to help these communities care for their senior residents after they had outlived their finan-cial resources.Celebrate the Mother's Day Offering, give gener-ously, and help John Knox support those seniors in Presbyterian communities who now need our help.

The PNC has received over 70 PIFS (Personal Information Forms) for the head pastor position and is no lon-ger taking new applications. We are excited about getting started with the interview process.

Boy Scout Troop 259 will be having an outdoor service project to enhance our landscaping. They will be putting out our annual pine straw bales around campus. Feel free to join them behind the Chapel on May 9th at 8:30. Please contact Caleb Stephens with any questions at cstephens@johnknoxpres.org.

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For All Members and Visitors

Those to remember in prayer...† Ed Bischoffberger † Nona Beeson† Jean & Art Baiden † Carl Stenzel† Sue Renault† Pat Norton, Pam Oates’ mother† Kathy Vincent, daughter of Katherine† Lana Roberts, niece of Karen Jackson (JK Con-necting Hearts facilitator)† Katily Summer Johnson, friend of Lucy Sewell,† Charlie Pratt’s grandfather, Charles Pratt, Sr.† Kaliana Velez, family member of Lucy Sewell.

Sympathy to...† the family of Lucille Simpson (former member) who died on 3/19.† Paul Ambrose and familyh in the death of his brother, Rob, on 3/22.† Miller McClintock and family upon the death of his father, Gales, on 4/3.† Annell Patterson’s friend, Margaret Odoi, whose mother died recently in Ghana.† Rhonda Rusch upon the death of her father, Otto.

Please remember our military...Emily Grigsby Erick Sewell Graham Ward Matt Wright

May8:45 ServiceJack Hansen

11:00 Service Head Usher: Guy CloerLeaders: Jeanne PeakCare Group and Ryan O’Sullivan Care Group

Dear John Knox family,What a wonderful congregation you are! As I write my last Steepletalk as a staff member, I am reminded of all the great experienc-es I have had for these (almost) 11 years! Thank you for your support and friendship over this time. John Calvin and I will certainly miss you all! We both wish you all the best.Carol & John Calvin Kendall

Dear John Knox friends,We cannot thank everyone enough for the support, prayers and cards we received while Chase was sick and in the hospital. We are truly blessed with an amazing church family and cherish each one of you. Matt, Melanie, Chase and Calvin Hendrix

Dear Anonymous, What a surprise to see our names among those honored with a lily on Easter Sunday! Since we have tried unsuccessfully to determine who you might be, please accept our sincere thanks for your lovely gesture. How blessed we are to have such dear people in our lives! Your secret is evidently still safe with you! Ann and John Brumley

I am very happy to let you know that we donated $600.00 worth of food to United Ministries on Eas-ter Sunday. Thank you so much to everyone who took part in this mission.Kathy Hopkins

CMO would like to gratefully thank everyone who gave blood and shared the gift of life with others.Our next blood drive will be in September.

CMO THANKS YOU!!Many thanks and much appreciation to all those who shared their time and fellowship with our GAI-HN families during April Interfaith host week. Car-ing for the less fortunate is an important ministry to John Knox, and our volunteers are the best!

Staff Anniversary

Betty Ward - 4 Years

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For All Members and Visitors

Summer program registration is in full swing! Registration will continue up until summer program begins. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please call Laurie at 322-0045. Here are the details: Begins on Monday, June 22nd through the end of July. The program operates on Mon-day through Thursday each week and the daily hours are 9:00 a.m until 1:00 p.m. There are extended hours for families that need it until 5:00 p.m. Summer program is a very flexible program so that families can enjoy vacations, other activities, etc. The daily rate is $20 per day, per child if they are registered for 10 or more days. Any child registered for 9 or less days, the rate is $25 per day. The extended hours are $5 per hour, per day past the 1:00 time. We invite you to sign your child up even if it is just for a few days. Activities include water play, arts and crafts, playground and gym play, games, music, and more. Our program is open to all church and non-church members. Hope to see you this summer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enrollment continues for fall registration. Please call if interested in beginning our regular Kindergarten and Parent's Day Out programs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our K-5 class graduation is scheduled for Thursday evening, May 21st at 6:30 in the Chapel. Graduates this year are: Elliott Burton, Adriel Isaac, Eli Kakaras, Ella Jane Lee, Andrew Reilly, Piper Schreel, Cassee Shepherd, Wyatt Sivori, and Ben Thrailkill. Congratulations to our graduates!

For Kindergarten and PDO Families

Mark your calendar and save the date: Relay For Life, May 15, 7:00pm, Con-estee Park next to the old Braves Sta-dium.Come support the John Knox and Friends Re-lay For Life Team. Bring some extra money and support our own Miss John Knox Relay in the Womanless Beauty Pageant. You know him as Jim Barnett, one of our awesome cancer survi-vors. There will be a JK&F tent where we can meet up and enjoy visiting with each other as we celebrate, remember, and fight back.

Wednesday Night Suppers will take a rest until the end of summer. Be watching for details as the time gets closer for starting back.

2016 Women’s RetreatWomen of John Knox:

Save the Date

February 28, 2016Beth Templeton as Speaker

Watch for more news!

John Knox Congregationis cordially invited to

The Crescent Music Club Performance of Scholarship Winners

Thursday Evening, May 7, 2015, at 7pmin the Sanctuary

Reception to follow in the Kirk Room

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For All Members and Visitors

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CLERK’S REPORT

The Session met in the Kirk Room on Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 6:30 pm for their regular monthly meeting. Some of the key actions of the Session were:

• Charlie Pratt gave a wonderful report to the Session on his progress towards ordained ministry. Es-sentially, he is three years into the process and has two to go. He is presently an Inquirer for Ministry and is doing a four month internship at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Simpsonville.• Kathryn Ferguson gave a brief update on the PNC search. She said it was pretty much the same information that Paul had shared at Wednesday Night Live. They have received 75 or so resumes and have narrowed that significantly after the first cut.• Bill Fuller explained that the loan revisions for the HVAC project should close next week.• Kara Foster-Lee, as CE chairperson, was given approval to work with the Administrative Committee on forming a search committee for Carol’s replacement as DCE. • Anna Cain gave the report from the group of elders who examined the 2015 Confirmation Class. The seven confirmands who were approved are Meredith Glass, Gramling Grant, Nicholas Colacioppo, Benjamin Jackson, Ridgway Jackson, Ella McCall, and Sarah Claire Mullis.• The Session continued their conversation about the 2015 theme, ‘Legacy of Faith, Commitment to Education in Christ’. There has been a great response to the Service of Remembrance of Baptism. Some other ideas for special programs include education on Communion, foot washing service, open house for parents to view Sunday School programs, like the Kids Club.• Folks were reminded to attend Carol’s retirement reception on April 26th.• The session voted to move the time for the regular monthly Stated Meeting to 6 PM on the 3rd Sun-day of the month.• The session approved a request from Laura and Cliff Kendrick to be dismissed from the roll.• Joe Stall shared a preliminary schedule for the HVAC construction and when it will impact each area of the church.• The session had a lengthy discussion about Chris’ comments in the April Steeple-Talk.

Respectfully submitted,Dick PowersClerk of Session

Steve Doughty, who is a PCUSA min-ister and attends our church, has writ-ten and donated a book to our Adult Library entitled The Man with Six Typewriters. Steve taught one of our Wednes-day Night Live programs on Faith Stories and used some of the input from our members to help in the writing of this book. He has written a very nice inscription in it and he hopes that you will read and enjoy it.

What should we expect as we age? The Nurture Committee is looking to begin a class/support group as a way to respond to this vey question. Be on the look out for more information.

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John Knox Youth Group Rox!!!!!Today, I want to start out by recognizing some very special youth. First, I want to let everyone know how wonderful our Confirmation Class was this school year! We met from October until April and talked about our faith and what it means to be a Presbyterian. I learned so much from our youth and they all did a great job discussing their beliefs with members of our Session. All were ap-proved for membership at our April Session meeting. We will close out our time with a fun lock-in and bowling night on May 1. They will present their Statements of Faith on Mother’s Day (May 10) at both services. Here is our outstanding 2014-2015 class:Nicholas Ellison Colacioppo, Meredith Elizabeth Glass, Gramling Mills Grant, Benjamin Reece Jackson, Thomas Ridgway Jackson IV, Ella August McCall, Sarah Claire Mullis We are also recognizing our high school and college graduates in this issue.

High School GraduatesCaroline Mary Ambrose - Caroline is graduating from Riverside High School and will be attending The University of South Carolina in the fall. Caroline served as Riverside’s Senior Class President and was a member of the Beta Club, Warrior Nation, and Art Honor Society. She was an active member of the Foothills Presbytery Presbyterian Youth Council and has been an active member of our youth group; par-ticipating in mission trips and many other youth activities. I am so thankful and blessed to have Caroline as a part of our group and look forward to being part of the amazing things that God has in store for her life!

Charles Benjamin ("Ben") Carter – Ben is graduating from the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. He plans to major in Music Education and Performance and is still weighing many options as to which school he will attend. He was a member of the All State Orchestra, Piccolo Spoleto Rising Star Showcase, Greenville County Youth Orchestra, and has been accepted for Great Mountain Music Festival in Burlington, VT. He was a member of the State Cross Country Team while at Wade Hampton High School. Ben attended Montreat, served at Triune Mercy Center, and played on church basketball teams. His talent, drive, and character will take him to great places and we know he will do wonderful things as he pursues his dreams! Edward William Cazel – Will is graduating from Eastside High School and will be attending The Univer-sity of Missouri. He ran varsity Cross Country & Track at Eastside and has been active at John Knox since birth. He participated regularly in Youth Group including trips to Montreat, mission trips, church basketball, and service to our members and community. He is an avid disc golf player and plans to major in Investigative Journalism. On a personal note, he will always be part of my family and I know that his wonderful mind and caring heart will lead him as he enters this exciting stage of his life!

William Taylor Howell - Will is graduating from Wade Hampton High School. While at Wade Hampton, Will ran both Cross Country and Track. Will was an active member of the John Knox Youth Group, par-ticipating in all mission and youth trips and the Senior High Boys’ Basketball Team. In addition, Will served on the Evangelism Committee and was a Youth Elder. He was one of the founding members of Soul Coaster as well as the lead singer. His spirit animal is a peacock (that’s my boy!) He will major in Marketing at the College of Charleston. As his father, I am so proud of his faith, his gentle spirit, and his creativity. I could not have asked God for a better son and have been blessed beyond measure to have him in my life!

For Youth & Parents

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For Youth & Parents

Ravanna Claire Jackson - Ravanna is graduating from Greer Middle College Charter High School and plans to take advantage of the 13th year program at Greenville Tech this fall and later transfer to Clem-son University or Appalachian State. While at GMC, Ravanna served over 300 volunteer hours and was chosen to participate in Youth Leadership of Greenville as a representative of the school. She is graduat-ing with a year of college credits and was a member of the Beta Club. She was a Girl Scout for 8 years and a Blue Ridge JV Cheerleader for 2 years. While a member of the Youth Group, Ravanna attended numerous mission trips and church conferences, played for the Pink Flamingos basketball team, partici-pated in Senior High Christmas plays and various other activities. Ravanna was offered the SC Hope Scholarship and the Life Scholarship. We are so proud of Ravanna and look forward to the plans God has mapped out for her!

College GraduatesCatherine Ann Smith - Catie is graduating from USC with a Masters in Language and Literacy. Her activities at college included running the Boston Marathon two times! She and her sister Muffy have been blessed to live together for the last two years! Catie has worked as a graduate assistant and plans to pursue a position as an elementary school teacher. I know she will be a blessing to her students and we all are so very proud of Catie!

Margaret Braun Smith - Muffy is graduating from USC with a BS degree in Exercise Science. Her hon-ors include: Mortarboard Honor Society and the ODK Honor Society. She has been a member of Chi Omega and Common Ground College Ministry. She will be attending Georgia Regents University for Physical Therapy. We are so happy for all that lies ahead for Muffy and have been blessed to have her in our church family!

Patrick J. White – Patrick will be graduating from Winthrop University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts de-gree in Visual Communication with a concentration in Graphic Design. He plans to work in Charlotte or Greenville. We know Patrick’s creativity and talent will allow him to do exciting and great things in the future and we look forward to all that God plans for his life!

We are so proud of all of these fine young adults and wish God’s blessings as they reach new milestones in their lives! If I missed anyone, please let me know and we will recognize them in a later Steeple Talk edition! We have so many great activities and trips planned, so please make sure you have all of your forms and money in ASAP for our trips! Here are some more dates for your calendars:• Confirmation Sunday is on May 10 – Mother’s Day! What a great way to celebrate the fine job our mothers do!• Graduation Sunday for High School Graduates – Sunday, May 17 at 11:00 am! Have your High School grads-to-be there by 10:30 in their caps and gowns!!!! We will have a brief reception in the outer narthex after the service for some snacks and photo ops! • We will have a ½ night Lock-in for the Junior Highs from 8:00 pm-11:00 pm on May 22. If you are chaperoning, please be there by 7:30 to set up! • The Senior Highs will meet at 9:00pm on May 22 to have some fun all night! • Read our weekly newsletter for information about sign-ups for our Junior High Trip to Thornwell as well as details for our Senior High Trips!God bless you all, good and faithful servants!David(o)

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Calendar

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May Birthdays1 - Katherine Gutierrez1 - Millie Gettig2 - Jake Smith3 - Dylan Russell3 - Jackson Campbell4 - Norman Brooks5 - Hazel Bowman5 - Jennifer Campbell5 - Lori Beaumont5 - James Whatley5 - Elle Mehagan6 - Barbara Oak6 - Duffy Brown6 - Jackie Weaver7 - Caroline Syracuse8 - Emily Nelson8 - Addy Aldrich9 - Jerry Hamrick10 - Patricia Gailey10 - Jennifer Smith11 - Carly Thatcher11 - Emma Moore12 - Sandy Forrest13 - Colin Anderson13 - Henri Pelletier14 - Annell Patterson14 - Jordan Meggs16 - Laurie Davis16 - Gail Ross16 - Kathie White16 - Montgomery Allender17 - Kemper Kenan18 - Marilyn Jones18 - Freddie Witherspoon18 - Dallas Schaaf18 - Matthew Krumins19 - Laura Adams20 - Evelyn Pollard20 - Jim Herd22 - Perrin Kreidler23 - Marianne Bolton23 - Alex McCutcheon24 - Jenna Livingston25 - Doug Brown25 - Mike Starnes26 - Kathy McCall

26 - Nathan Rowe28 - Tina Whitlock28 - Joshua Frattolin28 - Kyle Wettlin28 - Ellie Vickery29 - David Kinnard29 - Frances Blue29 - George Auld29 - Paul Ambrose30 - Jim Williams31 - Scott Aman31 - John Colacioppo31 - Kelly Weekes

**Please contact the church office with any additions or cor-rections: mscott@johnknoxpres.org.

PW May Circle Meetings

Deborah Circle will meet on Sunday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Chris Mathews, 212 Wis-casset Way, Green-ville.

All other circles will meet on Tuesday, May 12:Lydia 1:30 p.m.Women in Christ ClassroomMartha 6:30 p.m.Women in Christ ClassroomRuth 1:00 p.m.Lunch at City RangeSarah 10:00 a.m.Home of Ann Brum-ley, 302 Bridgewater Dr. Greenville

SESSION MEMBERS AND COMMITTEESAdministrative *Bill Fuller, *Nancy Atkinson, Jack Hansen, Danny Schaaf Property & Operations Mike Starnes, *Joe Stall, Jim Barnett Christian Mission & Outreach Ann Rowland, *Jen Campbell, Bill MathewsEvangelism *Ann Brumley, Jenna Livingston, Maury Purcell, Patrick Kress Nurture Jerry Gravett, *Amy Leidheiser, Anna Cain Fellowship *Charles Robertson, Jim BarnettMusic and Worship Jack Walter, Tom Jackson, Jeanne Peak Christian Education Amy Leidheiser, Ryan O’Sullivan, *Kara Foster-LeeClerk of Session - Dick Powers*Chair

Please turn in all information and ar-ticles for our May edition of Steepletalk by Noon on Tuesday, April 21. Please understand that any entry may require editing for space.

Email to: mscott@johnknoxpres.orgFax to: 864-244-0461

Weekly Worship....

Sundays - 8:45 am - Early Worship 9:45 am - Sunday School 11:00 am - Worship

The Rev. Chris Berardi - Interim Senior Pastor cberardi@johnknoxpres.orgThe Rev. Dr. Joseph Gaston - Assoc. Pastor jgaston@johnknoxpres.orgThe Rev. David Howell- Assoc. Pastor davidhowell66@charter.netBrett Simmons- Financial Assistant bsimmons@johnknoxpres.orgMandy Scott -Administrator mscott@johnknoxpres.orgLaurie Davis- Kindergarten Director davislaurieusa1@cs.comBetty Ward - Pianist ward1402@yahoo.comLane Moore - Chancel Choir/Handbell Director lane.moore47@gmail.comSteven Grant - Organist millhouse1835@aol.comElizabeth Guest Martin - Chalice/Children’s Choir emartin@johnknoxpres.orgGreta Williams - Nursery Director gretawilliams38@yahoo.comCaleb Stephens - Facility Manager cstephens@johnknoxpres.org

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