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". .
. There may yet be hope." Lamentations 3:29b
NEWS
1) Flood of statements, resources respond to start of war on
Iraq.
2) Theme, coordinator chosen for National Young Adult Conference
2004.
3) Brethren meet for World Day of Prayer services at three sites.
4) BBT opens its new Community Development Investment Fund.
5) O Canada! Disaster Child Care reaches across border.
6) US Senate votes against oil drilling in Alaska refuge.
7) Eastern Regional Youth Conference explores "Tools"
for
Christian living.
8) Global Food Crisis Fund sends $30,000 to North Korea.
9) Bethany events help youth, young adults explore call to
ministry.
10) Brethren bits: Board meetings, BVS, Caring Ministries, and
more.
PERSONNEL
11) Bethany announces Stephen Reid as new academic dean.
12) David K. Gerber named interim president/CEO of Brethren Home
Community.
FEATURES
13) Brethren Service Center lives out its peace heritage to the
letter(s).
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1) As the US officially announced the beginning of military action
against Iraq this week, a torrent of statements and resources
poured out from the Church of the Brethren and other groups who
have expressed opposition to war.
Judy Mills Reimer,
general secretary of the Church of the Brethren
General Board, issued the following statement to the denomination:
"With profound
sadness we see our nation once again at war. Our
hearts and prayers go out to all the people who will be affected
by
this war -- soldiers and civilians, Iraqis and members of the
coalition waging the war, and leaders and citizens of our own
nation who find their lives increasingly consumed with concerns
for
security.
"In this
moment, we reaffirm our historic commitment to the way and
teachings of Jesus. The 'things that make for peace' are those
he
taught and embodied. Let us lift high his banner of love for
friend
and foe, respect for others, attention to the outcast, and
sacrificial service. These indeed are the doorway to the brighter
and better day that we seek for ourselves and all of God's
children.
"The General
Board is providing resources to assist congregations
and members in responding to the current crisis. We will be alert
to opportunities to help meet the enormous humanitarian needs
that
will be forthcoming. We pray for a speedy end to the war, and
to a
just and lasting peace in the Middle East and beyond.
"May we
turn to our God for courage to bear witness, for compassion
to offer service, and for resolve to work for a world where peace
prevails."
Other statements
and events related to the war in Iraq include the
following:
*Church of the Brethren members Cliff Kindy of North Manchester,
Ind., and Peggy Gish of Athens, Ohio, remain in Baghdad as part
of
their work with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). A spokesman
in
Iraq confirmed to Newsline Thursday that Kindy was at a hotel
in
Baghdad, but Kindy could not be reached for comment. The
News-Sentinel of Fort Wayne, Ind., ran an extensive article on
Kindy this week. Four other CPT delegation members have also
elected to remain in Baghdad as observers and to witness for
peace.
The group held communion Wednesday. An additional 10-member CPT
delegation is in Amman, Jordan. Another Brethren, Nathan Musselman
of Roanoke, Va., is in Syria after earlier spending time in Iraq.
*On Earth Peace
issued a "Message to the Church" beginning with
Jesus' words as he wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19. "In this
time of
war, On Earth Peace grieves the suffering and pain on all sides,
and the loss of life, the lives or Iraqis and our own sons and
daughters," the statement says. It calls Brethren to "a
deeper
prayer and dependence on God in the midst of this conflict."
*The Church of
the Brethren General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund
is sending $22,000 to Iraq in a new grant, supporting a CARE
International project that will provide safe drinking water to
the
most vulnerable populations. Distribution priorities will be
at
hospitals and health clinics. It is estimated that 20,000 people
could be served through the project.
*The Church of
the Brethren Washington Office issued an "action
alert" asking Brethren to pray and fast, to call the White
House
and members of Congress and express opposition to the war (and
thank those who supported legislation to slow the rush to war),
and
to make use of resources being posted on the www.brethren.org
website. Brethren Witness, the Washington Office, On Earth Peace,
and Brethren Press all added new resources this week. A central
page for Iraq-related resources and issues is at
www.brethren.org/Iraq.html. The Washington Office
also planned to
sign on to a World Council of Churches (WCC) statement to the
UN
Security Council expressing opposition to the war.
*Additional worship
resources -- such as litanies, children's
stories, prayers, and sermon ideas -- are being sought for the
Way
of Peace website (www.brethren.org/genbd/BP/WayOfPeace/), jointly
sponsored by Brethren Press and On Earth Peace. Submissions can
be
sent to wayofpeace_gb@brethren.org.
*Congregations
across the denomination were planning prayer
services and vigils in response to the start of war. Brethren
Volunteer Service workers attending a retreat in Illinois
participated in protests in Chicago and St. Charles, Ill., and
European BVS coordinator Kristin Flory reports that many of the
BVS
workers there participated in local anti-war demonstrations.
*A statement
by WCC general secretary Konrad Reiser expressed
"profound sorrow" at the beginnings of attacks on Iraq.
He termed
the attacks "politically dangerous" and "culturally
unwise" and
called on churches to continue efforts to stop the war and assist
those of all faiths who are in need. WCC "Lenten Fast from
Violence" resources can be found at www.ecumenismnow.org.
*Churches for
Middle East Peace, of which the Church of the
Brethren is a partner, said it "deeply regrets the decision
by the
United States and other nations to begin military action against
Iraq." The group pledged to "recommit ourselves to
God's vision of
peace."
*General Board
Global Mission Partnerships executive director Merv
Keeney reported that he spoke Thursday with Archbishop Avak
Asadourian, primate of the Diocese Armenian Church of Iraq. The
archbishop, who had been invited to speak at this year's Annual
Conference Global Ministries Dinner, was "clearly disturbed
at the
situation," according to Keeney, and asked for prayers for
Iraq's
churches and people. "I expressed our deep sadness that
his members
and all the people of Iraq are now under attack," Keeney
said.
*US National
Council of Churches (NCC) general secretary Bob Edgar
and president Elenie Huszagh issued a joint statement as
hostilities began in Iraq, naming prayers for soldiers on both
sides of the conflict, for innocent civilians, for leaders of
the
nations involved, and others. Earlier in the week, Edgar suggested
that churches open their doors for all who wish to pray and to
keep
"a candle burning for peace on every altar."
*The Church World
Service (CWS) board of directors also issued a
statement Thursday, noting the "human cost of modern warfare,
especially to the most vulnerable." It called the war on
Iraq
"wrong and unjust." In a separate statement, CWS executive
director
John L. McCullough expressed his grief for the suffering in Iraq.
CWS, a longtime provider of humanitarian services in Iraq (about
$3
million in the past five years), pledged to "continue that
commitment and presence" and even to accelerate relief services
to
the people of Iraq. Some relief supplies were positioned in Iraq
and Jordan prior to the war's beginning.
*The Institute
for Peace and Justice of St. Louis has released two
resources titled "The Things That Make for Peace,"
helping children
and youth deal with war and terrorism. Visit www.ipj-ppj.org or
call 800-833-0245 for details.
2) Planning for
National Young Adult Conference 2004 commenced
recently as the Young Adult Steering Committee met March 14-16
in
Elgin, Ill.
This will be
the first conference of this style and scope for young
adults in the Church of the Brethren. The committee is hoping
for
400 to 500 young adults to gather for this new event, which will
be
held June 14-18, 2004, at Snow Mountain Ranch in Winter Park,
Colo.
Becky Ullom of
McPherson, Kan. -- one of the 2002 National Youth
Conference coordinators -- has been chosen to serve as coordinator
of this National Young Adult Conference. She will begin her
13-month assignment in the General Board's Youth/Young Adult
Ministry office in Elgin on June 1, 2003. Other planning committee
members are Josh Brockway, Laura Stone, Kim Sittig, Emily Tyler,
Aaron Lahman, Bob Etzwiler, and Youth/Young Adult Ministry director
Chris Douglas.
Committee members
said they envision this conference as one "where
a diverse group of young adults, all with individual hopes, dreams,
and struggles, may join together for a week of spiritual
refreshment, relaxation, and fun." The conference's activities
will
focus on the theme, "Stand at the Crossroads and Look,"
based on
Jeremiah 6:16.
Each day's schedule
will include two worship experiences of various
styles. Several worship services will feature keynote speakers,
while other services will focus on silence, reflection, or music.
Tony Campolo has already been secured as a keynoter. More
information on additional speakers will be available soon.
Recreation, educational opportunities, community groups for sharing
and networking, and a possible service activity will also be
part
of the week.
For more information
about National Young Adult Conference 2004,
visit the Youth/Young Adult Ministries booth at Annual Conference,
or contact Douglas at 800-323-8039.
3) Brethren gathered
at three denominational sites on March 7 for
special prayer services held in conjunction with the World Day
of
Prayer. The services were planned by an interagency committee
in
response to the "Call to Prayer" query passed by the
2002 Annual
Conference, asking the denomination "to be constant in prayer
as
well as. . . offer guidance, resources and instruction for
deepening our prayer lives and expanding our understanding of
Jesus' call to personal and corporate prayer."
At Bethany Theological
Seminary, in Richmond, Ind., Bethany student
Evan Garber carried primary leadership for the service. Noel
Naff,
another Bethany student, and Jeff Bach, associate professor of
Brethren and Historical Studies, shared personal stories about
their experiences with prayer. Participants explored prayer through
liturgy, song, and activity, with opportunities to focus on
particular prayer concerns through writing and lighting of candles.
In Elgin, Ill.,
at the Church of the Brethren General Offices,
prayer beads, candles, and a reflective mood set the tone. In
his
meditation, Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren pastor Joel
Kline discussed the Lord's Prayer, pondering if Jesus would be
disappointed today with the sometimes rote recitations of those
well-known words, often being used "to fulfill our most
selfish
whims." Kline and worship leader Susan Brandenbusch of Brethren
Benefit Trust led a time of reflective prayer, framed by the
verses
of the hymn, "Spirit Divine, inspire our prayers,"
and using a
strand of colorful beads and the lighting of candles as focus
points.
And in New Windsor,
Md., at the Brethren Service Center, General
Board members and staff on campus for spring meetings joined
others
from the community for worship. Soft music, quotes projected
on a
screen, song, guided prayers, and a prayer walk around the meeting
room filled the hour. "We hope for you to connect personally
with
the Spirit of a living God," worship leader Stan Noffsinger
said.
The time ended with the upbeat singing of "Asithi, Amen!"
accompanied by guitar and drum.
4) Brethren congregations,
organizations, and active Brethren
Pension Plan members can now make investments that aid economically
disadvantaged communities in the United States and abroad through
a new Community Development Investment Fund established by Brethren
Benefit Trust (BBT).
The Community
Development Investment Fund, announced by BBT at its
fall board meeting, is a form of community investing that directly
supports communities in need through four primary sectors of
lending: affordable housing, micro-enterprise, small business,
and
nonprofit facilities. Investments are placed with nonprofit lenders
and are used to finance affordable homes and small businesses,
and
to help fund agencies working directly with disadvantaged
populations and communities.
Investments in
the fund are through the Calvert Foundation, which
has 10 years of community investment experience. BBT has invested
an initial $100,000 in three Community Investment Notes; additional
amounts invested by Brethren Foundation clients and Pension Plan
members will be added to these three notes, with more notes to
be
purchased as additional funds become available.
"Traditional
investing emphasizes companies and potential gains and
losses, whereas community investing emphasizes people,"
says Don
Fecher, director of Pension Plan and Employee Financial Services
for BBT. "The potential in people is limitless."
While all Pension
Plan members and Foundation clients may choose to
invest in the fund, BBT staff are suggesting the allocation of
just
1 percent of a portfolio due to the risk involved with this type
of
investment. Anyone choosing to invest more than 1 percent will
be
required to sign a disclaimer. Due to limited liquidity in this
fund, investors are also encouraged to consider this a longer-term
investment option.
"Allocating
a small amount and leaving it in place over a longer
period of time has a minor impact on individual returns,"
BBT
president Wil Nolen says, "but collectively the impact on
communities can be significant."
Those expressing
interest in the fund will receive informational
materials describing it as a social-return investment, rather
than
one focused primarily on financial returns. (An investment return
of 2 to 3 percent is expected.) Included with the informational
materials will be a prospectus for the Calvert Community Investment
Notes. Foundation and Pension staff will also counsel clients,
both
individual and agency, before processing a transfer into the
fund.
For questions
related to the Brethren Foundation's Community
Development Investment Fund contact Will Thomas at 800-746-1505
or
wthomas_bbt@brethren.org; for inquiries about
the Pension Plan's
Community Development Investment Fund, contact Don Fecher at
800-746-1505 or dfecher_bbt@brethren.org.
5) The Church
of the Brethren General Board's Disaster Child Care
program regularly reaches out to those in need. Now it's reaching
across national borders, too.
Disaster Child
Care (DCC) has entered the first stages of
partnership with the Canadian Disaster Child Care Society,
according to Church of the Brethren Emergency Response director
Roy
Winter.
The two volunteer
administrators of the Canadian program, Marlene
Mulder and Donna Grobell, attended this year's training for
Disaster Child Care trainers held in New Windsor, Md., in February.
At the same time, the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund
made
a $10,000 grant to the all-volunteer Canadian group.
A DCC volunteer
from the Christian Reform Church, Bev Abma, started
the Canadian program in the early 1990s, drawing on many of the
DCC
materials and policies. The DCC coordinator at the time, Lydia
Walker, assisted with initial training for the group.
Contacts dwindled
over the next decade, but renewed after the
Canadian Disaster Child Care Society became independent of the
Christian Reform Church in 2002. Another DCC volunteer and trainer,
Gloria Cooper of Pasadena, Calif., became a member of the new
Canadian board of directors and kept Winter informed of the group's
work. That, in turn, led to the invitation to the February event.
Winter hopes
the new cooperative effort will help in responding to
major events, or to disasters along the US-Canadian border where
DCC volunteers are often not nearby.
"We can
respond to a lot of disasters, but if there would be a
really huge event, any extra people like that would be vital,"
Winter says.
The $10,000 grant
will help the Canadian program while it searches
for support from sources in Canada. Future partnership initiatives,
including a possible joint project manager training event in
2004,
are being discussed.
6) The US Senate
on Wednesday voted 52-48 to reject oil drilling
in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, according to Associated
Press reports. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) offered the amendment
to remove the drilling provision from a budget resolution. General
Board Brethren Witness director David Radcliff called the vote
"a
very welcome development."
The Brethren
Witness office led a Faith Expedition to the refuge
last summer, studying issues and visiting with the region's
Gwich'in Native American people. Radcliff says the Gwich'in culture
depends on the Porcupine Caribou herd that has its birthing grounds
in the refuge.
"Small changes
in our lifestyle and vehicle use could eliminate the
need for extracting from this pristine area what would amount
to a
six-month supply of petroleum for the United States," Radcliff
says. Details are at www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/Alaska.htm.
7) "Tools
For These Times" was the theme for one of the largest
Eastern Regional Youth Conferences (ERYC) in recent years. Three
hundred youth and advisors from the four Pennsylvania and Northeast
districts gathered at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., March
7-9
for a weekend of worship, inspiration, and fellowship.
Picking up where
the NYC 2002 ". . . For Such a Time as This" theme
left off, the ERYC theme -- based on 1 John 3:18 -- provided
some
of the tools needed by today's youth to help them live a Christian
life and recognize God's presence working within their lives.
Mennonite comedy
team Ted Swartz and Lee Eshleman ("Ted & Lee")
served as keynote speakers, sharing from their Old Testament
drama
"The Creation Chronicles," which was incorporated into
three
worship services. Brethren folksinger Joseph Helfrich provided
musical leadership for worship and led a coffee house at one
of the
Saturday evening activities.
Sixteen workshop
were offered for youth and advisors, including
"Understanding Islam," "All War is Sin,"
"God and Dating," and
"Finding Your Voice in the Church." Tom Piotrowski
from the Center
for Parent/Youth Understanding in Elizabethtown, Pa., led a
workshop on Cultural Forces Shaping Today's Youth. Youth in a
workshop titled "What Are Your tools? An Artistic Exploration
of
These Times" created a mural that was added to the worship
area.
Other features
of the conference were a three-on-three basketball
tournament, volleyball, campus tours, and the availability of
high-speed Internet access for participants. A wrap-up video
highlighting the weekend was prepared and used to close the
conference. Plans are under way for the 2004 ERYC at Elizabethtown
(Pa.) College March 26-28, 2004.
8) The first
Global Food Crisis Fund allocation of 2003 will send
$30,000 to North Korea. The General Board's Executive Committee
approved the grant during its spring meeting in New Windsor,
Md.,
as reported in last week's wrapup.
The funds will
assist the work of Agglobe Services International,
enabling the purchase of freezer containers for quick-freezing
and
storing fresh-caught fish and other seafood. This project allows
safe storage and preservation of food supplies for the
famine-stricken nation.
The fish is needed
to address concerns over North Korean children
suffering brain damage due to protein deficiencies in their diets.
The Global Food Crisis Fund has been a long-time supporter of
North
Korea famine relief efforts, giving more than $500,000 toward
a
widespread international humanitarian response that has helped
to
alleviate severe malnutrition.
9) Bethany Theological
Seminary bookended the month of February
with two discernment events: A mini-Exploring Your Call (EYC)
for
youth took place Feb. 7-9, and "Living in the Midst of Questions,"
a discernment event for young adults, was held Feb. 28 to March
2.
Youth from California,
Idaho, and Indiana attended the mini-EYC.
Seminary personnel and ministers from the South/Central Indiana
and
Southern Ohio districts provided leadership, including Bethany
staff Kate Gandy, assistant to the director of Admissions and
Student Development, and Josh Brockway, director of Exploring
Your
Call; Kelly Burk, pastor of Richmond (Ind.) Church of the Brethren,
and Ty Pyles, pastor of Pitsburg (Ohio) Church of the Brethren.
Burk and Pyles
shared their stories of calling with participants
and led creative exercises in which the youth could begin to
discern their own calls. They planned and led Sunday morning
worship at the Richmond church.
Tara Hornbacker,
Bethany's assistant professor of Ministry
Formation, served as the lead resource person for the young adult
event. Gandy and Brockway also provided leadership, along with
2002
Bethany graduate Brandy Fix, now serving as pastor of Wabash
(Ind.)
Church of the Brethren. Hornbacker led sessions on call and
discernment, and how to ask the right questions related to the
personal discovery of God's call.
Exploring Your
Call is made possible by grants from the Lilly
Foundation and the Barnabas and Alina Foundations. Registration
is
still open for the summer 2003 EYC, slated for July 24 to Aug.
4.
Because of the grants' financial support, the only cost to
participants is their travel expense to and from Bethany's Richmond
campus. More information is at www.bethanyseminary.edu/eyc.htm, or
call 800-287-8822 ext. 1810.
10) Brethren
bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
*Two Annual Conference agencies have board meetings scheduled
as
spring begins. The Association of Brethren Caregivers board meets
this weekend, March 21-22, in Elgin, Ill., with benevolent care
funds among the agenda items. Bethany Theological Seminary's
board
meets March 28-30 in Richmond, Ind.
*Thirty-eight
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) workers and five
BVS staff are participating in this year's BVS in-service retreat.
The event, held near the middle of the term for most first-year
volunteers, is being held at Dickson Valley Camp and Retreat
Center
in Newark, Ill.
*The Association
of Brethren Caregivers has announced musician and
storyteller Deforia Lane as a fifth keynote presenter at this
summer's Caring Ministries Assembly, to be held Aug. 14-16 at
Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren. Lane, a director of
music
therapy at several hospitals, will focus her presentation on
the
healing power of music. Registration materials for the conference
were recently mailed to each congregation and past attendee.
Additional details are at www.brethren.org/abc/CMA.
*The Church of
the Brethren General Offices received word Thursday
that longtime church leader J. Benton Rhoades had died in
California. Rhoades had served the denomination in many roles
during his career. Additional details will follow in the April
4
Newsline.
*The Annual Conference
office has discontinued use of its AOL
e-mail address. Any e-mail messages or inquiries for the office
should now be sent to annualconference@brethren.org.
*Jack P. Hauck
has accepted the position of Vice President of
Health Services for Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif.,
effective March 24.
*Missouri/Arkansas
District has appointed Stephanie Sappington of
the Broadwater congregation to be camp manager for the district
through the 2004 camping season. . . . A celebration of the life
and witness of the 134-year-old Mineral Creek congregation, the
district's oldest, will be held May 3 in conjunction with the
district's spring rally as the congregation closes.
*Pacific Southwest
District's Papago Buttes congregation held
groundbreaking for its new building near Phoenix on March 9.
About
80 people attended the sun-drenched celebration.
*Archer Tyler
Benner of the Chiques congregation (Manheim, Pa.)
finished first in the junior male recurve bow division at the
recent Junior World Team Trials in Harrisonburg, Va. Benner earned
the top spot on the US team at the Junior World Indoor
Championships in France this summer.
*The National
Council of Churches is stepping up efforts to raise
awareness of the "health insurance crisis" in the US,
most recently
sponsoring a "Cover the Uninsured Week" March 10-16.
The NCC says
about 75 million people went without health insurance over all
or
part of 2001 and 2002. The NCC is also offering Poverty
Mobilization resources, including some on health-care issues,
this
month at www.ncccusa.org/poverty/povmarch-2003-intro.html.
11) Bethany Theological
Seminary has announced the appointment of
Stephen Breck Reid as academic dean and professor of Old Testament
Studies, beginning July 1. As the chief academic officer of
Bethany, Reid will oversee and administer the education program
of
the seminary, including the graduate school and the Brethren
Academy for Ministerial Leadership sponsored jointly by Bethany
and
the Church of the Brethren General Board.
Reid has served
most recently as professor of Old Testament Studies
at Austin (Texas) Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He previously
was associate professor of Hebrew Scriptures and Biblical Theology
at Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif., and an instructor
at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He
has
been an adjunct professor at several theological schools, including
Bethany. He was a member of the Bethany board of trustees from
1990
to 1998.
Bethany president
Eugene Roop says Reid brings to the seminary
"superb teaching and preaching skills, extensive experience
in
theological education, a rich and joy-filled faith, and dedication
to Bethany's mission to train witnesses of the gospel for the
cities and communities of the world."
Reid received
his Ph.D. degree from Emory University, Atlanta,
where he completed his dissertation entitled "The Sociological
Setting of the Historical Apocalypses of 1 Enoch and the Book
of
Daniel." He also holds a Master of Divinity from Bethany
and
received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Manchester College,
North
Manchester, Ind.
An ordained minister
in the Church of the Brethren, Reid has held
pastorates in the Church of the Brethren, the Mennonite Church
and
the Presbyterian church. He has provided leadership for ecumenical
agencies including the National Council of Churches USA governing
board and the World Council of Churches. Reid has spoken in a
variety of church and academic settings across the country and
internationally. Reid is a native of Dayton, Ohio; he and his
wife,
Kathy, are the parents of four young-adult children.
12) David K.
Gerber of Hanover, Pa., began serving as interim
president/CEO of The Brethren Home Community of New Oxford, Pa.,
effective Feb. 1.
Gerber has been
on the staff of the home -- one of the
denomination's largest -- for 15 years, most recently as senior
vice president. He succeeds Judith C. Wallace, who retired. Gerber
is a member of the Black Rock Church of the Brethren, Glenville,
Pa., and serves on the Brethren Benefit Trust board. A search
for
a permanent president/CEO is in progress.
13) A group of
characters has been standing on the lawn of the
Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., for several months
as
a witness to peace.
The characters--a
dozen white letters standing several feet
high--spell out "Peace on Earth" in front of the campus'
Old Main
building. They are visible from adjacent Route 31 and are
illuminated at night.
New Windsor Building
& Grounds director Ed Palsgrove came up with
the design when the center was seeking a new display for the
Advent
season several years ago. Palsgrove and his staff cut out the
letters and built the display, which now goes up early each
December.
Palsgrove says
the display typically comes down soon after Jan. 1,
but the center staff decided to leave the message up this year
due
to the troubled state of world events. It was up during the recent
General Board meetings at the center, and will remain up in its
present location at least until mowing needs to begin in a few
weeks.
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