Gulfside Assembly 20 years after Katrina

By Lilla Marigza
Aug. 13, 2025 | WAVELAND, Miss. (UM News)

The buildings of Gulfside Assembly are gone, but the memories of decades of joy are still vivid for those who grew up spending summers at the African American Methodist camp. Video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

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.

Editor's Picks

How does the church lead courageously?

Theology and Education

Church, SMU resolve legal dispute

Social Concerns

Across US, churches plan Palm Sunday protests

Church merger results in win-win-win-win

Ask A Question

Do you have a question about The United Methodist Church? This is the place to get answers. Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, will answer your question or direct you to an appropriate contact.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now

Social Concerns

Christians from many faith denominations join a Palm Sunday march through the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on March 29, 2026. The rally was one of about 30 events across 16 states. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists put faith into action on Palm Sunday

Christians in 16 states began Holy Week by following in the footsteps of Jesus and standing up to injustice.

Church History

A protester holds a sign seeking an end to racial segregation in the Methodist Church during the 1968 General Conference in Dallas. The conference merged the denomination with the Evangelical United Brethren Church, creating The United Methodist Church, and did away with the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction. A new book by the Rev. Bonnie McCubbin details the long road for Black Methodists to get full equality in the denomination. Photo courtesy of United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Mapping the Black United Methodist pilgrimage

The Rev. Bonnie McCubbin, a historian, details the long road — with some setbacks and detours — for Black Methodists to get full equality in the denomination.

Social Concerns

Recipients of sun-powered ovens learn to adapt local recipes to the new cooking method. This photo was taken during a United Methodist Solar Oven Partners workshop for new oven owners in Bo, Sierra Leone, in December 2025. Photo courtesy of Solar Oven Partners.

Solar oven ministry changes lives

United Methodist Solar Oven Partners promotes renewable energy and improves health in vulnerable communities in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Sierra Leone and the Navajo Nation.