North Carolina Baptist Assembly facts for kids
The North Carolina Baptist Assembly is a special place for Christian groups to gather. It's like a big camp and conference center. This place is owned by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, which is a large Christian group in the state.
You can find the Assembly right next to Caswell Beach on the eastern side of Oak Island. This area has a lot of history! The Assembly grounds used to be a military base called Fort Caswell. Soldiers were there from 1836 all the way to 1945. Even today, many people still call the Baptist Assembly "Fort Caswell."
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Where is Fort Caswell?
This special spot is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). The ICW is like a long canal for boats. The Assembly is about 35 miles south of a city called Wilmington. It's also about 70 miles north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Just across the ICW is the town of Southport. Southport has old houses and buildings. You can visit Fort Johnston there. There's also the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport. You can even take a ferry from Southport across the Cape Fear River. The ferry can take you to the NC Aquarium and a Civil War battleground at Fort Fisher.
History of the Assembly Grounds
The land for the Assembly is about 250 acres (or 1 square kilometer). The Navy stopped using it after World War II. In 1949, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina bought the land. They paid about $86,000 for it.
Since then, it has become a place for churches and other groups to meet all year long. It's a popular spot for retreats and conferences.
A Camp for Young People
One of the main reasons for the Assembly is to be a camp for young people. Many kids from North Carolina's Baptist churches come here. This is especially true during the summer months.
When summer youth weeks happen, lots of visitors come. Because of this, young adults and college students are hired to help out. They live and work at the Assembly. These helpers are known as the "summer staff." Many people who work full-time at the Assembly today actually started out as summer staff years ago!
What Can You Do There?
The Assembly has many buildings for housing and activities. One important building is Hatch Auditorium. Another is the Smith Conference Center. These buildings are used by Baptist groups. But other church and educational groups can use them too.
The Assembly can hold over 1,000 people at one time. Sometimes, military people even stay there. They might be from the nearby Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal.
