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Everybody is Welcomed at Sweet 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 and welcoming environment that will allow you to experience real folks abiding in Community, loving each other, and 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, heart-felt 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 Sweet Magnolia!
Enjoy Connection
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THROUGH WORSHIP | Sunday services begin at 9:45 am. Prior to 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 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 the most important values of Magnolia 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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Throughout November, we are cultivating GRATITUDE as a soul-fulfilling spiritual practice.
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Flourishing: Cultivating Gratitude in Troubled Times
We are living in a dangerous time — and our people know danger well. Across this land, evil forces — baptized in the lies of race, trained in the practices of discrimination, and discipled in the theologies of White, male, heteronormative, Christian supremacy — are working to drag us backward. These assaults are not random; they are targeted strikes against our collective progress.
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Black women are being forced out of work in disproportionate numbers
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SNAP benefits are being cut as food and housing costs rise
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Colleges and support programs for Black and Brown students are being stripped and starved
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ICE raids are spreading fear through immigrant and mixed-status families
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Voting rights — the very tools of our collective power — are under siege
Our ancestors would tell us: This is familiar. Whenever we advance, the powers of the world try to roll us back. And yet — this too is true: Flourishing is our birthright. ​The Rev. Dr. Neichelle R. Guidry of Spelman College reminds us that cultural, systemic, and interpersonal forces constantly threaten our personal and communal flourishing. These are not abstractions — they are lived realities. But she also teaches that flourishing is an act of holy defiance.
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Flourishing does not mean trouble is gone. Flourishing is not make-believe optimism. Flourishing is not pretending things are okay. Flourishing is our refusal to surrender our humanity to oppressive conditions.
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We understand the assignment. It is healing under pressure. It is expanding under threat. It is blossoming in the wilderness. Flourishing is what happens when we remember who — and whose — we are.
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This is one of the New Testament's most popular and often-memorized verses. Jesus is teaching about God’s providence. As we know God and recognize God’s sovereign hand over all of creation, we can move beyond fear, worry, and doubt about our lives.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Food insecurity is a growing crisis: over 18 million U.S. households struggle to afford enough to eat. Children, elders, and working families are hardest hit as costs rise and support programs shrink.
At Magnolia, we follow Jesus of Nazareth, who fed the hungry and commanded us to do likewise. We provide local food assistance, partner with community organizations, and advocate for policies that protect our neighbors—because flourishing requires that every person is fed.
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Learn about Food Insecurity. Support the work. Get the help your family needs.
Awareness Campaigns
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Magnolia Minister's Appreciation​
This month, we pause to give thanks for the spiritual leaders who preach, teach, comfort, and guide our church family. Ministers walk with us through joy and sorrow; they nurture our faith, stand with us in struggle, and point us toward the hope found in Jesus Christ. Honoring them is both biblical and necessary, for their labor strengthens the entire body of Christ.
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On Sunday, November 16, 2025, we will host a special Minister’s Appreciation Luncheon following the worship service to express our gratitude for those who serve in ministry.
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This year, we also joyfully celebrate 13 years as pastor and people with our beloved shepherd, Rev. Dr. Francys Johnson. We give thanks for his prophetic leadership, faithful preaching, compassionate service, and unwavering commitment to our flourishing.
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Come help us honor those who have answered the call. All are welcome.
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Investing in Our Youth. Honoring Our Legacy. Building Our Future. At Magnolia, we believe that investing in our young people is not just charity—it is a sacred calling. It is an act of faith in what God can do through them, an act of justice in a world that too often denies them access, and an act of love for a future we may never see but are still called to shape.
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​The Scholars Fund is one of the ways we answer that call. It provides vital financial assistance to graduating seniors from Bulloch County who are pursuing higher education. With your support, we help turn caps and gowns into careers, and dreams into destiny.
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But this isn’t just about scholarships—it’s about legacy.​​
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Scholars Fund
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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.
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 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. Sweet Magnolia" has always served people through its Watch, Witness, and Worship.
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At Sweet 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 Sweet Magnolia, everyone is welcomed and affirmed.
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 25 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.
