Support

Epworth is striving to grow a $15 million Endowment Fund to ensure this special place is available for generations to come. If you would like to help Epworth's great ministry continue its dedication to making disciples for Jesus Christ, please consider becoming a partner in ministry. Every gift, large or small, is greatly appreciated and tax-deductible.

For generations, Epworth By The Sea has been impacting individuals, families and groups for Jesus Christ by providing a premiere Conference, Retreat & Vacation Center. We consider our grounds, buildings, staff and programs integral to our mission and a huge part of what makes Epworth By The Sea a special place.

To continue our ministry and provide guests with modern facilities and accommodations, Epworth By The Sea receives donations and gifts from the Friends of Epworth, foundations and the ever-growing community of guests who are inspired to support our mission.

While the renovations of Epworth’s facilities are ongoing, we perform an annual assessment of Programming Needs & Property Improvement projects to help donors align their gifts with specific and timely needs. This allows for tax-deductible gifts from our faithful friends to be used in a direct and effective manner.

Your gift will be applied as most needed for improvements, operations, and related programs, or to build up the endowment funds that support the operation of Epworth By The Sea. Any specific donor restrictions will be fully honored. If you are making a donation through the South Georgia United Methodist Conference, please note the Advance Mission Special for Epworth By The Sea is #6639.

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Discuss Your Giving Options in Depth

Making a gift to Epworth By The Sea is an important choice and we are grateful for your consideration. To better assess your desires and ideas on how to give to Epworth, we encourage you to set up a meeting with Rev. Wayne Racz. As our Executive Vice President and Director of Spiritual Formation, Church Relations & Development, Rev. Racz is uniquely qualified to confidentially discuss your desire to give to Epworth By The Sea. With so many ways to give and so many ways your donation can make an impact, we urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss your giving options in depth.

For more information, contact:

Rev. Wayne Racz, Executive Vice President
Director of Spiritual Foundation, Church Relations & Development
(912) 638-8688
wracz@epworthbythesea.org

There are many convenient ways for you to contribute to Epworth By The Sea:

Outright Gifts

Cash or Check made payable
to Epworth By The Sea
Mail to:
Epworth By The Sea
P.O. Box 20407
St. Simons Island, GA 31522

Appreciated Assets
and Retirement
Distributions

Appreciated Stock
Real Property
Qualified Charitable
Distributions for donors
age 70 ½ and above

Online Giving

Credit Card (MasterCard, Discover, Visa)
Virtual Checks (Personal or Business)
Donate Online Now

Life Income Gifts

Charitable Trusts
Charitable Gift Annuities

Testamentary Gifts

Leave Epworth in your Will
Revocable Living Trust
Life Insurance Beneficiary

Epworth Changes Lives

We were blessed to have our Women’s Retreat for the 2nd year at beautiful Epworth By The Sea! We saw life change through Jesus Christ as we spent time away focused on our Lord! We relaxed, meditated on the Word, and enjoyed sweet fellowship! Trice and her team made us feel welcomed and cared for! We left blessed and refreshed having time away with our Jesus and friends! Thanks for a great weekend as we learned how to ABIDE with Christ!
<Parkview Retreat Team
Epworth By The Sea changed my life. I can think of several pivotal moments in my journey when my life trajectory was profoundly affected while I was at Epworth. Sometimes it was sitting in a session in Nalls Auditorium. Sometimes it was during a powerful inspirational worship service in Strickland. Other times it was having an adult volunteer pray for me in Lovely Lane Chapel, or just all by myself looking for hope in the Prayer Chapel. The first time I ever heard preaching that pricked my heart was at Epworth in the 8th grade. In the 11th grade I attended a retreat that began to plant the seeds of a call to ministry in my heart. Years later I would come to Epworth as a young pastor, and again, I got much needed encouragement and teaching so that I could stay in ministry for the long haul. I now have children of my own attending retreats and coming home bursting with their own stories. Stories of how God showed up! Stories of how Epworth was amazing!

< Rev. Tom Carruth - Senior Pastor, Perry United Methodist Church
As a high school football coach, I have had the great pleasure of bringing my football teams to Epworth By the Sea for the last 22 years. It is one of my favorite places on earth. It started with Camden County, then Prince Avenue Christian, Grayson, T.L. Hanna, and now Camden again. EVERY year has been a great experience for our players and coaches. The facilities are good, the food is excellent, and everyone on the staff is so welcoming that you feel like you are at home! I know that our players and coaches have benefitted not only from our football time together but also the spiritual reflection that you can’t help but feel as you walk around the beautiful grounds and churches. It is truly good for the soul and for developing any type of team.

< Jeff Herron - Head Football Coach, Camden County High School
The Georgia Head Start Association has been traveling to beautiful St. Simons Island and Epworth by the Sea for many, many years for our annual Spring event. We always look forward to this event and it is highly much anticipated. Epworth provides us with a calm, relaxing, tranquil environment and plush surroundings for our event that is also conducive to learning, networking and fostering relationships. The staff is always friendly and courteous and eager to help us make our event run smoothly and efficiently. The food is delicious, the facilities are always clean, and the grounds are well maintained. Visiting Epworth by the Sea is an excellent way to jumpstart Spring! We can't wait to come back in 2024.

< Juanita Yancey - Executive Officer, Georgia Head Start Association
I’ve been in youth ministry for 37 years. I first brought a youth group to Epworth in 1986. Since that summer, I have brought multiple groups each year through my church and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I have seen hundreds of teenagers and young adults make life changing commitments to Jesus on those Holy grounds. The retreat atmosphere at Epworth is second to none. Everything you need for a successful event is right inside the gates. Worship areas for large and small, beautiful quiet time space right by the river, up to date housing, good food, fire pits, recreation areas and much more. The thing I appreciate the most is the partnership in ministry that I have with their staff. Their main goal is to make our time at Epworth the most stress free environment it can be. I have never had a bad ministry experience at Epworth. It is truly Holy Ground!

< Scott Adams - Area Director, East Cobb, FCA
Epworth By The Sea has provided a place of solitude and recovery for police officers from across the country who have experienced traumatic events beyond the imagination of most people. The first home of the Post Critical Incident Seminar in Georgia, the GA Office of Public Safety Support partners with Epworth in providing this field-tested peer-based support seminar to help officers put the past in the past. As one of the founders of the PCIS program for state and local officers, I have always said, “the place” where you provide the assistance to officers is critical to your success. For us, Epworth is exactly the Right Place!

< Rev. Dr. J. Eric Skidmore - State Police Chaplain (SC)
"When we look back on our time at Epworth, we smile. Our minds immediately go to the incredible sunsets of red, orange, and yellow that put us at ease amidst God's creation. We fondly think about the prayer chapel and how it brought us God's peace. We know that the Holy Spirit was present at Epworth as it was felt. The staff became family to us in a short period of time. Last but not least, it was the ideal environment for our families living through Childhood Cancer to find absolute rest, true relaxation, priceless connection, and intersect with God to find hope in more than a cure. Thank you, Epworth!" - Lighthouse Family Retreat

< Chris Woodruff - CEO, Executive Director, Lighthouse Family Retreat

Signature Giving Programs

The D. Abbott Turner Donor Tree

Located in the Walker Lobby, the Turner Donor Tree provides a unique way to honor or remember a loved one or friend while contributing to the operation and maintenance costs of the D. Abbott Turner Lodge.

Engraved brass leaf: $1,000 to $5,000

Walkway of Remembrance

The engraved brick walkway affords a unique opportunity to permanently record life’s special memories and occasions. Honor or remember a family member, friend, pastor or Sunday school teacher. Acknowledge the birth of children and grandchildren. Record a wedding, anniversary or graduation day. Give a special gift that will last forever in a beautiful setting designed for prayer and reflection. Each brick can have up to 6 lines of text with up to 16 characters on each line. Text will be centered on the finished brick.

8" x 8" brick including engraving: $300

Epworth By The Sea Endowment Foundation, Incorporated

The Epworth Endowment Fund provides a permanent source of income that will only be used for the mission and ministry of Epworth By The Sea. Gifts to the Endowment allow donors to extend their stewardship beyond their lifetime. The principal remains intact while providing an ongoing source of income to Epworth By The Sea.
To ensure Epworth's mission across the ages, the Endowment Fund provides distribution for various ministry needs including:

Ministry to Clergy and Laity
Scholarships
Renewal for Children, Youth and Adults
Supplemental Operational Needs
Meeting the Spiritual Needs of a
Changing Society