The Outsiders' Inn
A four-room cottage First Baptist Church of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, acquired when it bought property next door is being put to good use until the day it's torn down for church expansion. The little house is offered free to families coming to visit inmates at nearby Eglin Federal Prison Camp.
"By the time these women and their children make a long trip to see Dad, there certainly isn't money left over for a motel," explains Pastor James L. Monroe. "So for the last five years or so, we've made the cottage available as part of our overall ministry out at Eglin." (The church also does Sunday school, a Tuesday night Bible class, and special events in conjunction with Prison Fellowship.)
Families hear about the lodging through inmates or the prison chaplain. Some stay just a weekend, other for several weeks. Maintenance is handled by the church custodian, while the missions committee oversees and sets policy.
Guests don't usually attend Sunday morning worship at the church, since they're out at the prison for visiting hours. But some come on Sunday nights or to the midweek potluck; children and teens join the church's various youth activities.
The only problem Monroe remembers was one man who, upon release, stayed in the house a few days and used the address to charge merchandise at local stores before slipping away. "But on the other hand," says the pastor, "another family stayed there for an extended time, and when the dad got out, they decided to settle here in town. That man is now a deacon in our church."
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