Gulfside Assembly 20 years after Katrina

E. Dwight Franklin helps with the gutting of his parents’ home in New Orleans six months after Hurricane Katrina. Virginia Tech student Ivy Gorman (background) was part of a team from her school working through the Louisiana United Methodist Storm Recovery Center during their spring vacation. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.


In Waveland, Mississippi, on the Gulf of Mexico, there’s an oceanfront paradise that’s also a United Methodist Heritage Landmark. For decades during segregation, Gulfside Assembly was a retreat for African American Methodists who spent summers enjoying tent revivals and recreation. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina washed away the summer retreat, but those who remember Gulfside Assembly hope to see this hallowed place restored.

Support the current work of the Gulfside Association in the Community of Waveland, Mississippi, through Advance #760235.

Learn more about the documentary “The Sanctuary by the Sea: The Gulfside Assembly Story.”

Read related:

After hurricanes, Gulfside ministry marches on

Gulfside Assembly re-imagining future of historic site

‘We have to rebuild Gulfside,’ United Methodists say

Marigza is a multimedia producer for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Faith Sharing
Charles Wesley hymn "Come, Let Us Join our Friends Above;" image by StockSnap from Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News

Social media graphics from UM News

Graphic for All Saints Day available to download and share on social media in four languages.
Disaster Relief
Volunteers prepare trees for planting as part of a reforestation project on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. The flood relief project is sponsored by UMCOR and the Manila Episcopal Area. Jhoanna Ragasa reports.

UMCOR supports tree-planting project in Philippines

United Methodists are planting native trees in a flood-prone area on the island of Palawan. The reforestation project is a joint venture between the United Methodist Committee on Relief and the Manila Episcopal Area.
Mission and Ministry
Volunteers with the Canaveral Port Ministry welcome cruise ship workers on leave while their ships are docked in Port Canaveral, Fla. The ministry provides respite for homesick seafarers far from their home countries. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Port ministry offers seafarers home away from home

Members of First United Methodist Church of Cocoa Beach, Florida, provide respite and a “home church” for cruise ship workers.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2025 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved