Epworth by the Sea
Epworth by the Sea is a nonprofit Methodist conference, retreat, and vacation center on a 100-acre riverfront campus on St. Simons Island, Georgia, serving churches, youth groups, corporate clients, families, and wedding parties with 235 rooms, meeting facilities, dining via ARAMARK, and on-site recreation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersSaint Simons Island, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Epworth by the Sea does
Epworth by the Sea is a nonprofit Methodist conference, retreat, and vacation center operating a 100-acre riverfront campus at 100 Arthur J. Moore Drive on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Founded in 1949 by the South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church and dedicated on July 25, 1950, the organization is named after the boyhood home of John and Charles Wesley, founders of the Methodist revival. The property serves up to 1,000 overnight guests across 235 rooms (Turner Lodge, Robertson Inn, Pitts Motel, Booth & Jones Motel, Reynolds Court Motel, Reynolds Apartments) and 22 Aldersgate Youth Cabins, supported by more than 20 meeting and event spaces ranging from the 800-seat Strickland Auditorium to the 16-seat Pitts Board Room, plus the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum and outdoor recreation amenities.
The business operates an all-inclusive American Plan model for groups (accommodations, three daily meals, and meeting space bundled per person per night), with separate individual and wedding pricing. Food service is delivered through a partnership with ARAMARK. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a Reseze-powered online booking system, a dedicated reservation phone line, and an in-house group sales team. The organization markets through its website, Constant Contact email newsletter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, complemented by partnerships with the Golden Isles Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce, and The Wedding Spot marketplace.
Revenue streams comprise accommodation services, food services and catering, meeting and event space rental, wedding and special event services, museum donations and tour fees, and a $15 million Endowment Fund campaign. Customer segments span Methodist and non-denominational churches, youth ministries (including Fellowship of Christian Athletes since 1986), corporate and government groups (including Georgia first-responder peer-support programs), families and couples, and wedding parties. The organization is governed under the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and currently led by President/CEO Carlos Cantu.
Epworth by the Sea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Epworth by the Sea
- Legal name
- Epworth by the Sea
- Website
- https://epworthbythesea.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Epworth by the Sea is a nonprofit Methodist conference, retreat, and vacation center on a 100-acre riverfront campus on St. Simons Island, Georgia, serving churches, youth groups, corporate clients, families, and wedding parties with 235 rooms, meeting facilities, dining via ARAMARK, and on-site recreation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Epworth by the Sea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Conference and Retreat Center
- NAICS
- Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (721310), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Hotels & Motels (7011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conference Retreat Hotels (THAGALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Marina & Waterfront Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAK)
Keywords
Where Epworth by the Sea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Simons Island
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Epworth by the Sea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Accommodation Services: Revenue generated from overnight lodging across multiple accommodation types including Turner Lodge (71 rooms, 2 suites), Robertson Inn (42 rooms), Pitts Motel (40 rooms), Booth & Jones Motel (40 rooms), Reynolds Court Motel (27 rooms), Reynolds apartments, Aldersgate Youth Cabins (22 cabins), and VIP House. Group rates are per person per night based on American Plan (three meals included). Individual rates are also available with optional meal tickets.
- Food Services and Catering: On-site dining provided through ARAMARK partnership. Cafeteria-style meals for groups, banquet and catering services for events including rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, and special occasions. Meal costs are included in group accommodation bookings; individuals may purchase meal tickets. Additional charges apply for special banquet services.
- Meeting and Event Space Rental: Revenue from renting meeting facilities and event spaces including Strickland Auditorium (800 seats), Brown Center Auditorium (400 seats), Jones Auditorium (250 seats), Nalls Auditorium (250 seats), Lovely Lane Chapel (120 seats), and numerous smaller meeting rooms. Access to meeting rooms is included based on group size for those on meal plans.
- Wedding and Special Event Services: Revenue from hosting wedding ceremonies at Lovely Lane Chapel, Wright Prayer Tower, and outdoor venues. Rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, and bridal events are accommodated. Smoke-free and alcohol-free environment with Epworth's own catering services required.
- Donations and Endowment: Epworth operates a $15 million Endowment Fund goal. Accepts outright gifts (cash, check), appreciated assets (stock, real property, qualified charitable distributions), online giving (credit card, virtual checks), life income gifts (charitable trusts, gift annuities), and testamentary gifts. Donors can contribute to general improvements, operations, endowment, or specific projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Group Rate (15+ guests) - American Plan |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Rate - Room Only |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bike Rental |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Museum Tours |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Donor Recognition Programs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Epworth by the Sea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Epworth by the Sea operates a Christ-centered conference, retreat, and vacation center on a 100-acre riverfront campus on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It sells overnight accommodations across nine property types (235+ rooms plus 22 youth cabins), rents more than 20 meeting and event spaces ranging from an 800-seat auditorium to a 16-seat boardroom, and provides on-site dining, catering, recreational activities, museum visits, wedding services, and mission volunteer coordination.
Product overview
Epworth by the Sea is a Christ-centered conference, retreat and vacation center on a 100-acre riverfront campus on St. Simons Island, Georgia. The property offers a comprehensive portfolio of accommodations including Turner Lodge (71 rooms), Robertson Inn (42 rooms), Pitts Motel and Booth & Jones Motel (40 rooms each), Reynolds Court Motel (27 rooms), Reynolds Apartments (12 family apartments), Aldersgate Youth Cabins (22 cabins sleeping 22 each), and VIP House. Meeting and conference facilities range from the 800-seat Strickland Auditorium to the 16-seat Pitts Board Room, complemented by dining services through ARAMARK, the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum, diverse recreation facilities, group activities, mission volunteer programs, and wedding services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Turner Lodge
Quantifiable outcome
- Capacity to host up to 1,000 overnight guests simultaneously
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Epworth by the Sea
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Epworth by the Sea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Epworth by the Sea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ARAMARKcoreEpworth's food services are provided through a partnership with ARAMARK, a major foodservice and facilities management company. ARAMARK operates the cafeteria-style dining, banquet services, and catering for events including boxed lunches for tours, mission volunteer projects, and picnics. Meals are served daily when groups are staying on campus.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Epworth by the Sea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center: Lake Junaluska is a Methodist-affiliated conference and retreat center in the western NC mountains. Most directly comparable peer: same denomination, same faith-based group/conference/retreat business model, similar scale of lodging and meeting facilities, and similar seasonal programming for church groups.
- Kanuga Conference Center: Kanuga is an Episcopal-affiliated conference and retreat center in Hendersonville, NC. Closest direct peer: denominational conference center model, similar lodging + meeting facilities, similar youth camp, adult retreat, and spiritual formation programming targeting church groups and families.
- Montreat Conference Center: Montreat is a Presbyterian-affiliated conference center in Black Mountain, NC. Closest comparable peer: same faith-based retreat/conference model, similar lodging inventory and meeting facilities, similar dependence on denominational group bookings and donations, similar seasonality and group-retreat economics.
- Ridgecrest Conference Center (LifeWay): Ridgecrest is a Baptist-affiliated conference center in the NC mountains run by LifeWay. Direct peer: large-scale, denomination-affiliated, lodging + meeting + recreation retreat business serving church groups, youth groups, and family camps with comparable all-inclusive American Plan pricing model.
- Sandy Cove Conference Center: Sandy Cove is a nondenominational Christian conference and retreat center on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Direct peer: Christian conference/retreat business on waterfront property, similar lodging and meeting inventory, similar youth and family programming with comparable pricing model.
- Wesley Woods (North GA Conference): Wesley Woods is a United Methodist camp, conference and retreat center in Georgia. Direct peer: same UMC denominational affiliation, same camp + conference + retreat business model, geographic overlap in Georgia targeting Methodist youth groups, adult retreats, and conference clients.
Regional players
- Sea Palms Resort: Sea Palms is a coastal resort on St. Simons Island offering meeting and event facilities. Regional peer: same island, similar lodging + meeting + wedding business targeting group bookings and leisure travelers; competes for share of regional group and wedding demand.
- Jekyll Island Club Resort: Jekyll Island Club is a historic full-service resort and conference venue on nearby Jekyll Island, GA. Regional peer: same Golden Isles destination market, similar full-service meeting and wedding business, competes for the same corporate retreat and wedding share within a ~30 minute drive of Epworth.
- The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort: The King and Prince is a full-service resort on St. Simons Island with meeting and wedding facilities. Regional peer: same geography, same coastal lodging + meeting + wedding business model targeting group and leisure segments, although not denomination-affiliated or retreat-focused.
Broad incumbents
- Chautauqua Institution: Chautauqua Institution is a large, established nonprofit lakeside community in NY offering lodging, dining, lectures, religion, and performing arts programming during a summer season. Comparable as a broader heritage destination that combines lodging, education, and faith-adjacent programming at meaningful scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Epworth by the Sea social profiles
Digital presenceEpworth by the Sea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Epworth by the Sea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Epworth by the Sea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Epworth by the Sea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Epworth by the Sea
What does Epworth by the Sea do?
Epworth by the Sea operates a Christ-centered conference, retreat, and vacation center on a 100-acre riverfront campus on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It sells overnight accommodations across nine property types (235+ rooms plus 22 youth cabins), rents more than 20 meeting and event spaces ranging from an 800-seat auditorium to a 16-seat boardroom, and provides on-site dining, catering, recreational activities, museum visits, wedding services, and mission volunteer coordination.
Is Epworth by the Sea a public or private company?
Epworth by the Sea is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Epworth by the Sea founded?
Epworth by the Sea was founded in 1950. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Epworth by the Sea based?
Epworth by the Sea is headquartered in Saint Simons Island, United States, in the North America region.
How does Epworth by the Sea make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Accommodation Services are the primary driver. The others are food Services and Catering, meeting and Event Space Rental, wedding and Special Event Services and donations and Endowment.
Who are Epworth by the Sea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center, Kanuga Conference Center, Montreat Conference Center, Ridgecrest Conference Center (LifeWay), Sandy Cove Conference Center and Wesley Woods (North GA Conference). Regional players are Sea Palms Resort, Jekyll Island Club Resort and The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort. Chautauqua Institution is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Epworth by the Sea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Epworth by the Sea.
What industry is Epworth by the Sea in?
Epworth by the Sea's product category is Conference and Retreat Center. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAGALAG, Conference Retreat Hotels, with a secondary code of THAGAAAK, Marina & Waterfront Full-Service Hotels. Its NAICS code is 721310 and its SIC code is 7000.