Call it a soft launch, but on 16 September 2017 we welcomed our first guest to our bed and breakfast. We’ve truly entered the commercial lodging business, but hope to be more home than hotel.

We’ve had many, many guests over the years, mostly friends and family, some friends of friends, and a few complete strangers. Better than any hotel, we’ve tried to be a home away from home as best we can. Some we rescued from sleeping the night in the airport. Some needed to find their feet in a new city. Some came to see us and some came to see the sights. Some just needed to be somewhere other than they were for a while.

Hospitality is one way we’ve been gifted as pastors. it’s our prayer The Parsonage Inn LLC is Home, Hotel, and Hospitality center all at once.

Sometimes we chat with people from our front porch as they walk by. Sometimes they come up for lemonade, some stories, and even a prayer or two. Sometimes we bring them in for a tour of our 1882 Queen Anne house, built without plumbing until 1900, tiled floor to ceiling in the 1940s, and remodeled in the 1990s. And now, sometimes, people can come stay with us overnight, catch some stories, and explore the whole city.

And sometimes we may well reserve a weekend or two just for guests who want to join us for a seminar on marriages and families. We lead retreats from coast to coast, so it seems like a good chance to lead a few right here, literally at home.

In any case, we’re in business now. We’re looking forward to how our home will be used to bless all who enter.