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Everybody is Welcome at Magnolia.
For over 100 years, Magnolia has served as a Progressive Witness of Jesus Christ in Statesboro and Bulloch County. At Magnolia, you find yourself in a warm, welcoming environment where you can experience real folks abiding in Community, loving each other, and loving God. We are a small congregation in a rural setting with convenient parking located near the front entrance for our first-time guests. Our Magnolia Ushers will be glad to help you find a seat for the worship service.
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Beyond hospitality, Magnolia is committed to being Christian stewards of love. As such, we practice love, build the beloved community, and pursue social justice. We believe the overwhelming message of the Bible, in story after story, is that of God's radical love and welcome. Every time we think we know who's in and who's out, God does something to challenge those assumptions, unbind our hearts and minds from old ways of understanding, and draw the circle ever wider.
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Our doors are wide open to people from all backgrounds, regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey. Together, we are striving to become a place where there's relevant teaching, heartfelt worship, honest friendships, constant prayer, and compassionate care. So whether you are a spiritual seeker who is just starting to ask questions about God or a committed Christian who wants to sink the roots of your faith even deeper, you can find a home here at Magnolia!
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Enjoy Connection
THROUGH WORSHIP | Sunday services begin at 9:45 am. Before Worship, there is an engaging Sunday School that starts promptly at 9:00 am on the First, Second, and Third Sundays. Learn More.
THROUGH STUDY | Sunday School for all ages is on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am. Additionally, there is a Morning Devotion every Wednesday at 6:30 am. Just dial 717.908.1726 and use Passcode 1065315# to participate. Learn More.
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THROUGH SERVICE | One of Magnolia's most important values is our mission to the Statesboro community. Magnolia's members are involved in a variety of church-based ministries and community partnerships. Feel free to contact our church office at (912) 225-3151 or via email with further questions. Learn more.
Impact Through Ministry​
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We are #Rooted2Rise by Growing from the Ground Up!
NOVEMBER IS ALL ABOUT CULTIVATING GRATITUDE
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“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Colossians 3:17
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November comes with a word for us: Remember what has sustained your life.
Remember the grace that claimed you.
Remember the love that carried you.
Remember the hands that helped you.
Remember the responsibility that comes with what you have received.
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To be #Rooted2Rise is to recognize that our lives have been nourished by sacrifices we did not witness and prayers we did not hear. Gratitude requires cultivation. We must practice noticing, remembering, thanking, and giving.
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GRATITUDE IS SACRED | Thanksgiving begins before we gather around the holiday table and continues after we say amen. We can thank God for family, then speak harshly to the people we love. We can appreciate our blessings while overlooking those whose labor makes them possible. This month, let gratitude shape our conduct. Name a blessing each day. Thank someone specifically each week. Speak with care. Share the work. Let somebody experience the goodness you are thanking God for.
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REMEMBRANCE AND CARE | November can bring joy and an ache to the same table. We remember familiar voices, favorite dishes, and loved ones whose chairs are now empty. Make room for those memories. Speak their names. Receive the tears that come. Check on someone facing the holidays without a loved one. Invite someone who might otherwise eat alone. Give a caregiver time to rest. Our gratitude for those who nurtured us should deepen our care for those still beside us.​
Artist of the Month - Andrew Nichols
This month, Sweet Magnolia highlights two works by Andrew Nichols that invite us to cultivate gratitude for Black life, love, and possibility.
In Sweet Dreams, a Black woman sleeps with a young child nestled in her arms. This tender scene invites us to remember those whose care made rest possible: mothers, grandmothers, and caregivers who offered shelter in a world that too often denied our families security. We receive it as an invitation to honor their love and help carry their burdens. In Just For Me, a young Black girl meets the viewer’s gaze. Her presence invites us to contemplate the Psalmist’s affirmation: “I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Every Black child deserves to grow with that assurance, surrounded by people who recognize their dignity and nurture their gifts. Together, these works invite a grateful response: cherish those who hold us, protect those entrusted to us, and make room for rest, beauty, and dreams. We give thanks for the love that raised us and the lives we are called to nurture.
MINISTER'S APPRECIATION SUNDAY
Enduring Relationships Are Resilient. This year, Sweet Magnolia celebrates 14 years of ministry with Rev. Dr. Francys Johnson and First Lady Dr. Meca Williams-Johnson. Pastor Johnson is Magnolia’s second longest-serving pastor, following Rev. G. W. Carter’s 16 years of service. Our enduring relationship reflects faithfulness through changing seasons, strength through shared struggles, and love renewed through service. We give thanks for prophetic leadership, compassionate care, and the grace that keeps us growing together. Join us Sunday, November 15, 2026, as Pastor Norman Harris and A House of the Living God congregation of Manchester lead worship. Our Ministers’ Appreciation Luncheon follows, honoring those who preach, teach, comfort, and guide us.​​
PROGRESS REPORT
As part of this vision, Magnolia proudly celebrates the completion of major renovations to our kitchen and fellowship hall. These renewed spaces, featuring updated appliances, cabinetry, flooring, plumbing, paint, and energy-efficient improvements, reflect our commitment to strengthening ministry, deepening hospitality, expanding outreach, and increasing our impact throughout the community for generations to come.
About Community
The Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church of Statesboro, Georgia, was organized on March 18, 1914. The pioneers of this Church journeyed from the Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church of Louisville, Georgia in search of a better life for their families. Magnolia of Louisville was organized on May 17, 1868, after the Civil War, but before the ratification of the 14th Amendment, which extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people.
For more than 100 years, this Church has stood as a physical representation of the hope and determination of the African American spirit. Magnolia has always served people through its Watch, Witness, and Worship.
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At Magnolia, all our resources are utilized to provide a Christ-centered setting where people in this community can be redeemed to a personal relationship with Christ, reconciled to God and his people, restored to wholeness, to well-being, and revived for a full life involved in service to others.
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At Magnolia, everyone is welcomed and affirmed!
Show Your Pride
Show your Magnolia pride wherever you go! Visit The Magnolia Shop to browse exclusive shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and other items that celebrate our church’s spirit of faith, service, and community.
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We are proud to partner with Black- and minority-owned businesses to source, produce, and distribute our products — keeping our ministry rooted in economic justice and community empowerment. Every purchase supports the ministries and mission of Magnolia Baptist Church.
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A CHARGE TO KEEP I HAVE
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Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church is well served by the Reverend Dr. Francys Johnson. The pulpit of Sweet Magnolia has long provided community-wide leadership.
Over the last 26 years, Dr. Johnson has also exemplified the values of Christian service with humility before the Mount Moriah Baptist Church congregation of Pembroke. First Lady Meca Williams-Johnson’s particular success in youth programming and academic mentoring are assets to the ministries of Magnolia. Further, they are ambassadors of our faith community to the region and nation.