Standing Stones
June 2025 - Bruce Fairbairn, Elder
The month of June got me thinking of three things: my Mother’s birthday, Father’s Day, and the Battle of D-Day during World War II. There is a connection. My Mom and Dad met on a blind date during World War II, fell in love, and were married once the war ended. Dad came from a Scottish immigrant family in Chicago, enlisted in the Army Air Corps, became a fighter pilot, and was stationed at the Freeman Field training base near Seymour, Indiana. Fortuitously, Seymour just so happened to be my Mom’s hometown.
Growing up, my Father always took time to be with me and taught me all I needed to know about baseball, basketball, and golf. More importantly, he nurtured in me great values of integrity, dedication to family, self-discipline, truth-telling, and respect for others. Dad also made sure the family went to church every week. He passed away when I was 17 years old, but that all-too-short time was well-spent and crammed with valuable life lessons, strong values, and a drive to always do my best.
My Mother was the epitome of unconditional love and a source of unending support and encouragement. She was a relentlessly positive person; her proverbial glass was not just half-filled, it was overflowing. Mom was friendly and cheerful to everyone she met and helped on numerous community missions. She was very involved in church work and became the first woman elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Michigan City, Indiana. Toward the end of her long life, she lived with us for a time. Seeing me off to work one early morning, she smiled and said that my Dad would have been very proud of me, probably the most wonderful and consequential compliment I’ve ever received.
During Crestview’s Memorial Day service in the Memorial Gardens (where my Mother is buried), Pastor Bob talked about “Standing Stones.” The Israelites set large stones as memorials to commemorate and remember God’s mighty actions and blessings to the people. One such instance was when the nation crossed over the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land. They erected 12 stones to thank God for His faithfulness in bringing them safely across the river and onto the land. These stones stood as a memorial to remind the people what God had done for them at that location and to serve as a testament for future generations.
Pastor Bob extended that practice to include personal standing stones–the important people and consequential events in our own lives that remind us of God’s specific blessings and faithfulness. Crestview carries on that Biblical tradition with the stones we give our children and youth at significant milestones of their faith walks, such as baptism and confirmation. And, for me, my parents will always be tall standing stones testifying to their steadfast love, guidance, and faith in God. These memories and lessons provide rich family histories and traditions that I share with our children and grandchildren.
The Cross is the perfect and eternal standing stone. When we gather round the Lord’s Table to share communion, the Cross looms high over us and light streams through our beautiful stained glass windows. The windows themselves become standing stones filled with rich imagery and symbols of the Triune God, reminding us of faith traditions, church history, and the abundant blessings showered upon us. Take some time soon to reflect on the personal standing stones in your life, testifying to God’s faithfulness and purpose that you can pass on to others.
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