While sorting through some file folders  from my active years of ministry, I came across a poem from a Chautauqua experience in 1982.  It was written by R. L. Sharpe from his poem ‘A Bag of Tools’ and quoted by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in his presentation.

A Stumbling Block or a Stepping Stone

Isn't it strange how [leaders] and kings,
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common people, like you and me,
are builders for eternity?

To each is given a bag of tools;
a shapeless mass and a book or rules;
And each must fashion, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a Stepping-Stone.

I am mindful of how God is still speaking through the increasing frequency of conversations with friends about how we can help prepare the way for upcoming generations to become engaged in their communities as volunteers and as leaders. 

In offering resources and providing needed transportation for the new Mainer families with whom the Welcoming Team has been working all year, I am acutely aware of the long-term benefits of helping them get settled and engaged in education, training, employment and the community at large.

As people of faith, we are called to serve as stepping stones for the generations coming behind us and for people of different cultures and ethnicities as they settle into our communities.