The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:29 PM

Whitestone Country Inn In Kingston Staying Open To Help Grieving Families

KINGSTON, Tenn. (SOURCE: WVLT) - Whitestone Country Inn founder Paul Cowell passed away during the holiday season in 2016, and this holiday season his family is inspired to help others who are grieving. So, they are offering "There's Room at the Inn for You!" as a ministry on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Whitestone's manager, and Cowell's daughter-in-law, Vicki Cowell, said the inn is typically closed for Christmas, so employees can be with their families. This year volunteers and donations are keeping the inn open so they can fill their 22 rooms with people who have suffered a loss. Cowell has tried to choose from applicants around the nation, to help those in the deepest need.

"Christmas to us means Christ's birth and there was no room at the inn for him and he was laid in a manger which is a feeding trough. Whitestone is called Whitestone Country Inn and I thought, you know, there's room at the inn for you," Cowell said.

The ministry will include a Christmas Eve service, lodging, musical entertainment and meals, along with free time on the resort grounds.

Cowell said, "What inspired me this year are people who've had losses this year. That want to come out and be loved on. We want to provide them with a place of rest, a place that they can just get away from their troubles for a while."

For more details on applying for a remaining space, or for information on how to help, you can visit the Whitestone Inn website.