Epworth by the Sea is an 83-acre Christian conference and retreat center in Georgia, United States. It is used for Methodist-based events. It is located on the banks of the Frederica River, north of Gascoigne Bluff on Saint Simons Island, Georgia. The center was named "Epworth by the Sea" in honor of Epworth, the boyhood home of Charles and John Wesley, founders of Methodism. It is owned and operated by the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Epworth is located on part of Hamilton Plantation which was purchased on October 29, 1949. It opened to the public in 1950, under the leadership of Bishop Arthur James Moore. Moore, from Georgia, was an elected bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and also a leader of the Atlanta Area of the Methodist Church. At the start, the center featured only a few rural camp facilities and old plantation buildings. Epworth's stated mission is "to provide a Christian place for worship, study and fellowship."