The North Carolina Baptist Assembly
The 250-acre (1.0 km2) property was abandoned by the Navy after World War II and was purchased by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina as surplus property for a mere $86,000 in 1949. It is now used as a year-round coastal retreat and conference center for churches, associations, agencies, and other affiliates of the Baptist State Convention. One of the facility's main purposes has been to serve as a camp for the youth of North Carolina's Baptist churches, especially during the summer months.
Because of the influx of visitors during summer youth weeks, young adults and college students are hired to live and work at the assembly; they are known as the summer staff. Many of the current full-time employees and administration started out as summer staff in years past.
The facilities, which include housing and program buildings such as Hatch Auditorium, are also used by non-Baptist church and educational groups. It can accommodate over 1,000 people at a time. It still occasionally houses military personnel who have been stationed at the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal, a military port north of nearby Southport, during conflicts such as Operation Desert Storm.
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