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Women's Day

Grateful
These are extraordinary times facing our community—times that demand vision, courage, and conviction. That’s why this is no day for the ordinary. This Women’s Day is a celebration unlike any other: an enriching Sunday for the heart, soul, and mind, where we honor the creative agency of Black women who choose to live faithfully over fear.
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This Is No Day for the Ordinary 

Women’s Day at Sweet Magnolia is not about women temporarily stepping into roles traditionally held by men. We long ago discarded that narrow thinking.  Instead, this day is an intentional, liberating moment—a space to reflect deeply on who Jesus of Nazareth is for Black women and why that revelation continues to matter in a world that often tries to silence or sideline us.

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We celebrate the sacred strength, spiritual wisdom, and transformative leadership of Black women shaping the world with faith and fire. We are honored to welcome Dr. Carolyn Jordan as our Keynote Preacher. The granddaughter of Savannah State University founder Richard R. Wright, Dr. Jordan brings a legacy of visionary leadership rooted in education, faith, and community transformation. A bold and brilliant voice for justice and healing, she embodies what it means to be a Woman on the Move.

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Come in your brightest yellow as we shine together in joy and strength. Dinner, coordinated by Sharon Hill and the Culinary Team, will be served following the Worship Service.

 

Special thanks to the Committee: LeAnne Robinson, Chair; Sylvia Tremble, Co-Chair; Stacy Taylor; Deacon Mae Hendrix; and First Lady Meca Williams-Johnson.

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Faith Over Fear—Flourishing in Extraordinary Times Panel

We invite you to a powerful pre-service panel moderated by Rev. Dr. Meca Williams-Johnson before worship begins. This conversation challenges us to move beyond fear and be moved by faith. That courageous act is at the very heart of flourishing. In these extraordinary times, our community, more than ever, needs Black women's boldness, brilliance, and spiritual depth.

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Once central to our community, the Church faces questions about its relevance and reach. Meanwhile, Black women—still the most faithful, according to the Pew Research Religious Landscape Study—are leading innovative ministries, nonprofits, and sacred spaces that stretch far beyond traditional walls.

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So we ask:

  • What does it mean to have faith in a time that demands courage?

  • How do Black women lead the way—surviving and flourishing—and invite the community to do the same?

 

This year marks the 33rd anniversary of Delores Williams’s groundbreaking Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk. In honor of that legacy, we gather wisdom from women built in wilderness places who call us to walk by faith—not fear—and who lead with power, love, and a sound mind.

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A Church That Lives Its Commitment

In addition to elevating the voices of women during this sacred season, our Church is taking bold, year-round action to ensure we embody what we believe:

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1. Promoting Gender Equity in Leadership

As the first church in the area to ordain women as ministers and deacons, we continue to:

  • Appoint women to non-traditional and visible leadership roles.

  • Ensure women receive equal pay and equal opportunity.

  • Actively resist all forms of gender-based discrimination.

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2. Centering Black Women’s Experience in Preaching and Teaching

We confront sexism and misogyny with preaching and pedagogy that affirms Black women’s lived realities by:

  • Regularly featuring Black women in the pulpit and classrooms.

  • Using womanist theology and liberation sources in all applicable ministry areas.

  • Educating our congregation about the work of womanist preachers, scholars, and leaders.

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3. Celebrating and Supporting Women Locally and Globally

We commit to honoring the brilliant + beautiful + brave women who change the world by:

  • Budgeting for ministries that prioritize women and children.

  • Highlighting the impact of women throughout the church year.

  • Supporting community and global initiatives that uplift women and families.

 

This Women’s Day, and every day, we declare: Black women are not just enduring—they are flourishing. And when Black women flourish, the whole community rises. Let’s follow their lead—and walk boldly in the power of faith.

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