In a desert environment - hot days, cold nights, where food and water are scarce, hospitality literally meant the difference between life and death. Even today among the Bedouin, offering hospitality to travelers is a requirement of tribal life. Our texts this morning illustrate the place and importance of hospitality in our faith." (2008) it is related by Hermanson that the story of the Exodus in the Bible is about God's hospitality to God's people. Lost, tired, and hungry, the children of Israel are starting to lose hope in a promised land. God feeds them with quail and manna. God offers them hospitality in the desert. An act that more than restores their bodies - it restores their spirits. This image of feeding is played out in the New Testament for Jesus feeds the poor and hungry seekers who come to the wilderness to hear him and his message of good news with a few loaves and fishes. He re-enacts Gods gracious hospitality with generous abundance of his own." (2008) Hermanson relates that the faith of the individual and the church is demonstrated through "meeting people where they are and satisfying their physical needs..." (2008)

Hermanson discusses the letter of Paul and states that in the first days of the church hospitality existed as."..an ancient gift and practice of the church" (2008) in fact, the church "stood out from other organizations and groups because of its practice of hospitality." (Hermanson, 2008) Paul gave the church members instructions informing them that they are to "be hospitable to one another without complaining. They are to act generously toward one another. Since whatever they have is though God's grace, they are to act as stewards not owners of it." (Hermanson, 2008)

There are several connections made by Paul that assist in the illumination of the nature of hospitality and informs the church that hospitality is "not based on liking one another. It is based in love - in sharing and demonstrating the love of Christ and the generosity of God toward one another." (Hermanson, 2008) Finally, Hermanson relates of hospitality in the church as follows:

Hospitality which characterized the original paradise in the garden of Eden is also what characterized the early church. Hospitality is what made the early church distinct. It was through caring for one another, and caring for the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, the sick - all the outsiders of the community - that the church stood out. Christians were known for their hospitality to strangers. It was through hospitality that they made friendship real. It was hospitality that made the early church into a little taste of God's paradise. This insight changed the world for now we see its outcome in action. We see this in such words as hospital or hospice." (Hermanson, 2008)

III. Hospitality in the Contemporary Church

The report entitled: "Hotel Equities Adds 17th Management Contract with Full-Service Conference and Retreat Center in Atlanta" relates that the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church owns the land of Simpsonwood and that it was acquired through a gift deed of land. Simpsonwood is comprised of a complex of nine-buildings, which are full-service including a conference center replete with dining and meeting accommodations as well as four lodges containing hotel rooms and meeting rooms as well as a small chapel. Also included is "full dining service, guests at Simpsonwood enjoy amenities such an outdoor swimming pool, a large athletic field, a covered, open-air basketball court, walking trails, a picnic pavilion, 22 indoor meeting rooms (24,000 square feet), wireless Internet service and guest laundry facilities." (Hotel Interactive, 2007)

Simpsonwood Lodge is stated to be a "Christian Adult and Family Retreat Center of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church" offering a site "for conferences and retreats for worship, study, music, recreation, fellowship, and mission in the Judeo-Christian tradition." (Hotel Interactive, 2007) Hospitality in the church is many things and in order to relate just what hospitality comprises in the church the 'Church Hospitality Assessment' as published by the Evangelism Coach the following questions used in assessing the hospitality features of a church are listed in this study:

1) Is your church easy to find? Do you need new signs on major roads near your church?

____ Is your church's name easy to read from the road?

____ Is it easy to tell which entrance to use for the church office? For the worship center? For Sunday school and evening programs?

2) ____ Does the exterior and overall appearance of your church look well maintained and attractive?

3) ____ Does the landscaping need attention?

4) ____ Are there a few parking spots close to the building which are reserved for the disabled? For guests?

5) ____...

Hospitality: The Religious/Church Sector of the Industry
The Hotel Interactive report entitled: "Getting Religious About Meetings" states that the religious meetings market is a "multi-billion dollar segment with vast potential since they require a variety of venues, love attractions and can make a major impact on yearly revenue." (Kelly, 2008) Kelly states that it is difficult to pin down precise figures but that it is however, indicated that the religious travel market is worth more than $1 billion domestically and $18 billion worldwide." This market is described as being "recession proof" in that this market witnesses "continuous growth, as the number of meetings...increased for the third year in a row in 2005, by 9.2% to 17,545 meetings." (Hotel Interactive, 2008) These figures illustrate the importance of hospitality among those that comprise the church. Findings in this report are that churches book various facilities for religious meetings including:

1) Downtown venues are the most preferred sites (17.2%);

2) Conference centers are the second most popular choice for booking religious meetings (16.6%)

3) Suburban hotels (12.8%);

4) Camps and retreat centers: 11.1%;

5) Resort hotels (11.1%);

6) Airport hotels (10.5%); and 7) Colleges and Universities (7.6%) (Hotel Interactive, 2008)

V. Architectural History of Churches: Hospitality Needs & Change

The work of Hart (2008) entitled: "The Architecture of Hospitality" states that should one carefully examine churches in the area where they live they likely will have notice some of the newer buildings…