hospitality

We've gor a couple of families that have "vacation homes" not far from the church. They usually open them up for visiting preachers.

 

The amazing hospitality of the Holiday Inn Express has been more than gracious in the last few years.

We have a missionary house as well.

 

I was on the road for five years and most of the time there were no offers to stay. On mission conferrences a place was always provided but when speaking on Sundays I can only think of one offer prior to our arrival, and one pastor assumed I would be overnighting but did not say anything to me and I had already made plans to be many miles away by morning for a meeting (read that driving most of the night).

I often wondered about I Tim. 3.2 and Titus 1.8 on the long drives home on Sunday night and looking to work on Monday morning :thumbsup: Have to admit it didn't bother me much for I enjoyed very much the gorgeous sunrises I was treated to from rest areas and being on the road at dawn.

I made a number of 4-6 week trips to the midwest and a kind friend opened his church for me to spend the weekdays in between meetings. (He would have invited me into his home but it was realllllly packed with his kids and I would reaalllly have been an intrusion with difficulty

 

ON THE OTHER HAND we have opened our home many times to guest speakers, choir members and missionaries and have completely enjoyed it all but one time which is a long not very happy story :laugh:

Most of the churches we have been a part of have taken people into homes. To be quite honest I had never thought about "strangers" since they are brothers and sisters. Most are with mission agencies or known by the pastor so don't know that there would ever be a problem, though could be I suppose.

 

The parsonage we live in has an extra room that is suppsoed to be for the "visiting preacher" lol. We have never been comfortable with that concept, unless we got to pick the evangelist. The only time it worked well for us was when we invited some very dear friends of ours to come lead a revival and we had the best time visiting that week.

THe other times, it has been the biggest pain. With my husband gone in the day and me at home with 2 babies, it didint make for a comfortable stay for anyone involved. A couple times a church family offered to host the evangelist, but we usually try to get one that lives within driving distance. There are no motels within 30 minutes of here.

Now that we are older and the girls and I are at school all day, I still would not be comfortable with a stranger in my home alone all day.

And when we used to speak at World Mission conferences, we hated staying in strangers homes lol. Maybe I am just a grouch lol

 

We put them up in a nice hotel here in town.

 

In past years we had missionary friends from South Africa stay over at our house.
Between my three kids and their four, things got a bit crowded.

In recent years the church has converted a house into a missionary enclave, it is avalable to missionaries from around the area that are visiting for times as long as 6 months.

Rob

 

We have offered to host visiting evagelists and have been taken up on it once -- over 20 years ago.

My son, while preaching revivals, has been put up in church members houses, cabins, hotels. He's never had to pay himself so far, but . . .

 

"I still would not be comfortable with a stranger in my home alone all day."

Good point. And so you shouldn't, I would trust the man would have sense enough to find something to do while the husband is abscent.

For the most part when I was staying with someone I excused myself when the husband was leaving. There is always the mall or a park where you can go over your notes and catch up on things you need to do. During conferences most of the pastors had things for us to be involved in anyway - maybe they were wise men :thumbs:

 

We always put people up in a hotel. That way the evangelist/missionary can have some real down time and the host family doesn't feel the need to be a source of entertainment.

 

Okay, Brother Tim, we'll hold you to this on our next furlough! :thumbsup: :laugh:

 

We have had some wonderful experiences, literally answers to prayer, in people's homes. On the other hand, we have had some terrible experiences, "times that try men's souls," in people's homes. In general, though, staying in a motel or hotel is more restful and private.

Every missionary or evangelist has horror stories. Our worst one is when we stayed with a pastor, believe it or not, whose house was extremely dirty. I sat down on his steps in my brand new suit, and stood up with bubble gum sticking to the pants. Our son stayed in their son's room, and it was so deep in trash, clothes and toys that he couldn't find his own pants in the morning--and neither could we!! The pastor said, "Aw, just choose a pair that looks like it fits!"

Horror hotel story: We were put in a nice motel by the hospitality director at a very large church. (You would know it if I told you.) Our room looked out over a balcony into a night club, and we were kept awake until the wee hours by a loud rock band!

 

I've stayed in church buildings, other people's homes, RV's, whatever is available.

However, if WV is anything like Alaska, better compare the word "nice" with a local.

 

You got it brother!

 

hehehe....

Nah... it is nice... nice enough for our state convention staff... it is their preference when anywhere around here...
It is more like a bed and breakfast... a step back in time.

I have never stayed there... but the restaurant is to die for!!!
I love their haystack salads.... Tossed salad with french fries and steak, with ranch dressings..... Man, I can't wait until our next pastors meeting!!
http://www.hermitageinn.net/menu/

http://www.hermitageinn.net/history/
Or we have The south Branch Inn..
http://www.wvafun.com/sbi-files/sbim-html/southbranchmoorefieldpage.html