.png)
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.
​
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.
​
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!
​
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.
​
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​
.png)
#ROOTED2RISE
May at Magnolia: Memories, Milestones, and Movement
​
This Season of Easter does not let us stay at the empty tomb. It sends us back into the world with a question: now that you have seen what God can repair, how will you live? At Magnolia, May is our answer.
​
We are living in a time when the ground is shifting beneath our feet. In the wake of Louisiana v. Callais, we are reminded that progress is not permanent and rights are not self-sustaining. What previous generations secured through sacrifice can be narrowed, weakened, and reinterpreted in a single decision.
​
So we cannot afford to be casual. We cannot afford to forget. We cannot afford to stand still. This month, we hold three things together: memories, milestones, and movement. Not as ideas, but as a way of life.
We are #Rooted2Rise by Growing from the Ground Up!
For 112 years, Magnolia Baptist Church has served as a beacon of faith, hope, resilience, and community throughout Statesboro and Southeast Georgia. Founded on March 18, 1914, by faithful pioneers rooted in the Black Baptist tradition of liberation, Magnolia was born from courage, sacrifice, and a determination to create a spiritual home where Black families could worship freely, grow in faith, and build community.
​
The first worship services were held under a bush harbor near the present church grounds. There were no grand buildings or abundant resources, only determined faith and a vision for generations yet unborn. Yet from those humble beginnings emerged a congregation that would become a refuge for the weary, a source of strength for families, and a witness to the enduring power of the Black Church for more than a century.
​
Through segregation, economic hardship, social change, and seasons of uncertainty, Magnolia has remained standing because God has remained faithful. The prayers, labor, sacrifice, and stewardship of faithful members carried this church through difficult seasons and helped shape the living testimony Magnolia represents today.
​
As we celebrate our 112th Church Anniversary, we do so with gratitude for the past and hope for the future. This year’s celebration reflects our continued commitment to preparing Magnolia for the next generation of ministry while remaining deeply rooted in the faith and sacrifice of those who came before us.
​
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.
​
For more than a century, Magnolia has remained rooted in faith while rising to meet the needs of changing times. And through every season, one truth remains constant: We have come this far by faith. Rooted in faith. Rising in purpose. Growing strong in shifting seasons.
Seven Intentional Ways We Rise in May
Formation, then action, then multiplication.
​
1. Remember your history
Learn it. Write it. Share it. Memory is orientation.
2. Tell the truth about your life
Name what shaped you. Healing begins with honesty.
3. Honor Black women in action
Protect, support, and uplift. Honor is a practice.
4. Take your health seriously
Make the appointment. Change the habit. Sustain your life.
5. Invest in the next generation
Give, mentor, and open doors. What you plant will rise.
6. Build what you believe in
Support the work. Show up. Faith requires participation.
7. Celebrate, but keep moving
Give thanks, then take the next step. Progress is not the finish line.
​
Magnolia, we are not just a church. We are a people with memory, a people marking milestones, and a people in motion. God has been faithful for 112 years. Now it is our turn. We remember. We mark. We move. #Rooted2Rise
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.
​
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.
​
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.
​
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.
Our
A CHARGE TO KEEP I HAVE
​
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.