Garden City Chapel and Retreat

What Garden City Chapel and Retreat does

Garden City Chapel and Retreat is a non-profit interdenominational Christian retreat center located in Garden City Beach, South Carolina, operating continuously since 1952. The organization provides dormitory-style retreat facilities for church groups from approximately 22 states, serving roughly 9,000 young people annually. Core physical assets include 11 dormitories accommodating up to 568 guests, a 144,000-gallon outdoor pool, multiple auditoriums (worship center capacity 900, fellowship hall 350, small auditorium 200), the Bagnel Youth Building, extensive outdoor recreation facilities, the Sea Shack on-campus snack bar, and the Inlet View House for staff and speaker accommodations. The campus sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Murrells Inlet, one block from the beach and seven miles south of Myrtle Beach.

The business model is multi-stream: per-person nightly dorm rates ($33-$42 depending on season), reservation fees ($50-$75), daily house rental ($225-$275), Sea Shack food/beverage/merchandise sales (March through October), and donations supporting the Children's Home Ministry. Booking is direct-to-consumer via phone and a website availability calendar, with summer reservations opening 50 weeks in advance and early-registration incentives for returning groups. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization operates a live beach cam and streams Sunday worship via sermon.net.

The Children's Home Ministry, established in 1961-62, hosts 12-15 residential children's homes annually for free retreats, funded by donations from visiting church groups (via in-dorm collection boxes) and individual donors, with 100% of donations directed to program costs. The ministry serves as both a differentiator and a community-engagement anchor. Leadership consists of four full-time staff supplemented by seasonal summer staff, with Rickey Bass serving as the first Executive Director since January 2023, Casey Clark as Facilities Director since 2016, Michael Saulen as Marketing Director since 2024, and Ginger Beasley as Administrative Assistant since 2026.

Name

Garden City Chapel and Retreat

Legal name

Garden City Chapel and Retreat

Website

https://gardencitychapel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Garden City Chapel and Retreat is a non-profit Christian retreat center in Garden City Beach, SC, serving church groups from approximately 22 states with dormitory facilities for up to 568 guests, plus a Children's Home Ministry hosting 12-15 underprivileged homes annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Retreat and Group Hospitality Services

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Conference Retreat Hotels (THAGALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Christian retreat lodging
• Beachfront group lodging
• Religious hospitality services
• Church retreat facilities
• Vacation house rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Murrells Inlet

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dorm and Facility Rental: Primary revenue from per-person-per-night dorm rentals across three seasons. Groups pay based on dorm size minimums. Revenue varies by season with Summer being highest rate ($42/person/night). Accommodates groups of 18-568 people.
2. House Rental: On-campus house rentals for speakers, musicians, and group leaders. Daily rental rates of $275 (peak season) or $225 (off-season). Inlet View House accommodates 8-10 people at $30/person overage.
3. Sea Shack Snack Bar: On-campus coffee and cafe serving pizza, smoothies, shakes, ice cream, snacks. Also sells merchandise, souvenirs, and beach items. Groups can open tabs for purchases. Revenue from food/beverage sales and retail merchandise March through October.
4. Donations - Children's Home Fund: Donations from church groups and individuals supporting the children's home ministry. Groups contribute via Children's Home collection boxes in dorms. 100% of donations spent on underprivileged children visiting for free retreats. Also accepts online donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Garden City Chapel and Retreat operates a beachfront Christian retreat center at Garden City Beach, South Carolina, providing dorm-style accommodations, recreation facilities (including a swimming pool and recreation center), an on-campus snack bar (the Sea Shack), an on-campus vacation house rental, and ministry programming that includes a Children's Home Ministry and Sunday Worship Services for visiting church groups and individuals.

Product overview

Garden City Chapel and Retreat is a Christian retreat center offering a unified portfolio of facilities and programs. The core offering is retreat facility rental, providing 11 dormitory buildings that accommodate up to 568 guests with full meeting, dining, and kitchen facilities. Additional facilities include the Chapel Complex with multiple auditoriums, the Bagnel Youth Building meeting hall, a large outdoor pool (144,000 gallons), the Sea Shack snack bar, and extensive outdoor recreation areas. The center also offers the Inlet View House for housing speakers and staff. Beyond accommodations, the ministry operates Children's Home Ministry hosting underprivileged children at no cost, and seasonal Sunday Worship Services. The center serves church groups from approximately 22 states annually, hosting around 9,000 young people per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sea Shack: On-campus snack bar serving pizza, smoothies, shakes, coffee, tea, specialty drinks, hand-dipped ice cream, and snacks. Also sells merchandise, beach items, and Christian merchandise.
• Children's Home Ministry

Products and services

• Dormitory Retreat Accommodations Dormitory-style group lodging on the Garden City Beach campus for visiting church groups, Christian ministries, and retreat participants needing multi-night accommodations.
• Sea Shack Snack Bar On-campus snack bar at the retreat serving casual food and beverages to retreat guests and visitors during their stay.
• On-Campus Vacation House Rental A standalone vacation house on the retreat campus available for rental to families or smaller groups seeking a private beachfront stay with access to the retreat amenities.
• Children's Home Ministry A faith-based children's ministry program operated from the Garden City Beach campus serving children and families through the retreat's Christian mission.
• Sunday Worship Services Weekly Sunday worship services hosted at the on-campus chapel, available to retreat guests, visiting church groups, and the local community.
• Recreation Facilities (Pool and Recreation Center) On-campus swimming pool and recreation center available to retreat guests as part of the integrated retreat campus experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~9,000 young people served annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Camp Pinnacle: Christian summer camp and retreat center in Hendersonville, NC offering group retreats, summer camps, and conference facilities for church groups. Comparable as a faith-based retreat operation in the Carolinas serving church youth and family groups.
• Kanuga Conference Center & Camp: Episcopal-affiliated retreat and conference center in Hendersonville, NC offering lodging, meeting facilities, and summer youth camps on a lake/large-campus setting. Directly comparable as a faith-based retreat destination serving church groups with dorm-style accommodations and conference facilities in the Southeast.
• Montreat Conference Center: Presbyterian-affiliated conference and retreat center in Montreat, NC hosting church groups, youth retreats, and conferences with lodging and meeting facilities. Directly comparable as a long-established (since 1897) interdenominational-friendly Christian retreat center in the Southeast mountains.
• Ridgecrest Conference Center: LifeWay Christian Resources-operated retreat and conference center in Ridgecrest, NC hosting church groups, family camps, and ministry conferences. Directly comparable as a large-capacity Christian retreat with dorm lodging, dining, and meeting facilities serving denominational groups across the Southeast.

Broad incumbents

• Forest Home (Forest Home Ministries): Established Christian retreat and conference center in the San Bernardino Mountains of California offering camp, retreat, and conference programming for church groups. Comparable as a large-scale multi-purpose Christian retreat destination, though geographically distant.
• Sky Ranch Christian Camps: Multi-location Christian camp and retreat organization operating across Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado serving church youth groups and families. Comparable as a large faith-based retreat operator targeting the same church youth demographic, though with multiple sites and broader geographic footprint.

Regional players

• Myrtle Beach Christian Retreat (Faith Assembly): Faith-based retreat and camp ministry operating in the Myrtle Beach area, directly competing for the same South Carolina coastal church group market. Comparable in geographic positioning and target customer base.

Emerging players

• Toccoa Falls College & Conference Center: Christian college in northeast Georgia operating retreat and conference facilities for church groups and youth ministries. Comparable in faith-based retreat offerings and church group focus, though primarily academic rather than pure retreat operation.
• CentriKid Camps (LifeWay): LifeWay's network of summer church youth camps held across multiple Southeast locations. Comparable in serving the church youth group market in the same region, though operating through partner host sites rather than owning a single destination campus.
• Winshape Retreat at Camp Barnabas: Faith-based retreat programs in the Southeast focused on youth and family ministry experiences, often combining recreation with spiritual programming. Comparable in mission orientation and target audience (church youth groups), though smaller scale and more programmatic than facility-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gardencchapel
• Facebookfacebook.com/gardencitychapelandretreat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Garden City Chapel and Retreat