A Welcoming Community
November 19, 2025
Mulberry Street United Methodist Church has been a staple of Macon for almost two hundred years. It has a long and rich history that is intertwined within the Macon community. As one of the oldest congregations in the city, its Gothic architecture, traditions, and worship style are clues of its long Methodist heritage. On Sunday mornings, the sanctuary is filled with music from the choir and organ, and the rhythm of a congregation that knows each other well. Mulberry Street United Methodist uses its long history to create an open and welcoming atmosphere for anyone who walks through the doors.
Organized in 1826, Mulberry Street United Methodist was the first Methodist church in Macon and known as “The Mother Church of Georgia Methodism.” The first building was built in 1828 and not long after Sunday school was first held in 1831. Formerly Macon Church, it underwent a name change in 1847 to what is now known colloquially as Mulberry Methodist Church. As a rapidly growing community, the congregation built a new church in 1848. With the new space, other organizations started to use the church like the pioneer Women’s Missionary Society in South Georgia which was founded in the church.
On their 100th anniversary in 1926 they built another sanctuary as more space was required, and the building needed significant repairs. The Great Depression struck the members hard, like most of the population. Unable to pay the loan until after WWII, they almost defaulted on the loan of the sanctuary during the Great Depression. After WWII, they collected enough money to pay the building loan off in full. They hosted multiple meetings for organizations, including South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South’s last meeting, South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church’s first meeting, and Macon Outreach, which is run out of Mulberry. Tragically, in 1965 a fire destroyed the inside of the sanctuary, including the organ, but the stained-glass windows survived and reside in the current sanctuary.
The church is a stone Gothic Revival structure that was built in 1965 as a result of the fire. There is a courtyard that has beautiful green space and some alternate entrances into the church. Going up the front steps, three large wooden doors stand beneath lantern-style lights. Above them, tall windows rise toward a cross at the top of the building.
Upon entering the church, there is an entrance area made of stone. A second set of wooden doors opens into the church proper. When one walks into the sanctuary, the beauty of the space is noticable. The sanctuary has high ceilings, stained-glass depicting many different Bible stories, a large cross above the altar, and rows of polished dark wood pews on the left and right. The pews run in two sections with a carpet runner between them. The altar at the front always has fresh flowers that are donated by members. To the left, there is a podium and smaller pews for the women’s choir. To the right, there is the organ and additional pews for the men’s choir.
Exiting through the back of the sanctuary leads to the offices of the church. Here, a display depicts the history of the church. Nearby is a dining area where events are held, which seems to be more modern than the church chapel, but still sticks with dark wood, keeping a coherent theme throughout the building.
The style of worship is traditional, yet not rigid. The service moves steadily and intentionally. The choir sang in organized sections, beginning with the women’s voices and then blended with the men’s as youth walked down the aisle carrying candles before taking their places at the front. Clergy wore white robes with green stoles, and most congregants come dressed in what could be called “Sunday best,” with men in suits or dress shirts and women in dresses or business-casual attire.
On Sunday mornings, the service begins with a simple, steady rhythm. Ushers hand out printed worship booklets at the door, and the sanctuary quiets as signaling bells ring and a soft prelude plays. People rise together for the Call to Worship, following the cues in their booklets, and the choir leads into their first hymn. Before moving on, the pastors briefly acknowledge those joining online, connecting the wider community.
The choir has around twenty members every Sunday. A Mercer graduate student plays the organ, and on one visit, a violin and saxophone joined the ensemble. Mulberry’s renowned choir has performed in more places than just the church. Their conductor composes some of the music they perform and is extremely intentional with the song choices. He works in connection with the organist to perform beautiful songs in every service that sets the mood and themes of the service.
Theologically, Sunday worship foregrounds classic Methodist emphases such as scripture, confession, congregational hymnody, and the call to personal and social holiness. Sermons tie biblical texts to everyday ethics like truthfulness, fidelity, generosity, and to public peacemaking, with explicit prayers for national healing and nonviolence. Liturgically, the church is sacramental and orderly, because of the printed order of worship, the set moments for standing, and the structured movement from prelude to readings to hymns.
Culturally, the service can be characterized as “traditional yet approachable.” For example, pastors often connect scripture to everyday situations like family communication or navigating a busy life, which makes it feel relatable. Mulberry is part of the United Methodist Church, and its worship reflects that identity clearly through its structured liturgy, strong hymn singing tradition, and emphasis on scripture woven throughout the service.
The spirit of the service is not stiff or distant, it feels calm and warm from the moment it starts. Rev. Stone described Mulberry’s identity as “high church, but not a church that takes itself too seriously.” The formality is there with the robes, candles, the printed order of worship, but it never takes over the room. People quietly greet each other before the prelude, and the pastors add little moments of gentle humor that make everything feel relaxed. During the hymns, some members even sway or tap along to the music. All these small things make the service feel steady, welcoming, and genuinely lived in.
Rev. Jack Varnell, the senior pastor, and Rev. Payton Stone, the associate pastor, lead the church in ways that feel practical and grounded. Their sermons grow out of real-life situations rather than abstract theology. One Sunday, Rev. Varnell preached about honesty and faithfulness, using examples from marriage, friendships, and communication framed not in distant concepts, but in ways that reflected the actual relationships sitting in the pews. Several congregants nodded along or exchanged looks with their partners, clearly recognizing themselves. His style is caring, and he has a way of turning everyday relationships into part of a larger “moral” conversation.
Rev. Stone explained that his approach to leadership is “people first,” and this becomes obvious once you spend time around him. He takes the time to talk with visitors and members after the service. He also leads a young adult group at his home, not just for discussion, but to build relationships that feel genuine. He told us that belonging grows through shared time, and his actions reflect that. Stone invests in slow and steady connections. His leadership feels intentionally relational, especially as the church thinks about how to engage younger generations and help them feel rooted in the community.
The community also supports service, especially the church’s work with Macon Outreach, which provides daily meals and resources for unhoused neighbors. Rev. Stone explained that this ministry represents Mulberry’s belief that the church should be a place where everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, is seen as part of the family.
The church partners with several organizations to support the wider Macon community. They work closely with Depaul Daybreak, which serves the Macon homeless population by providing health services, job training, and education support. Mulberry also partners with Kairos Prison Ministry, contributing financially and by donating baked goods and artwork. In addition, the church supports Wesley of Macon, the Methodist campus ministry that serves many universities and colleges in the Macon area. Mulberry helps sponsor events and meals for Wesley, creating spaces where students can come together through faith and community.
Several members of Mulberry want to do more outreach, which has proven challenging recently. The Children’s Center at Mulberry, which provided daycare and preschool for local families, recently had to be closed due to imsufficient funding. Many people want to eventually bring the children’s center back, as it provided many with childcare, as well as bringing new people into the church.
That commitment to unity was visible in the interfaith service Mulberry hosted when local Jewish communities faced hate-driven harassment. The church opened its doors, filled its sanctuary, and stood in solidarity across faith lines. To Rev. Stone, that is what leadership and Christianity look like.
Most of the congregation is made up of older adults and long-established couples. This congregation is the kind who greets one another easily because they have known each other for years. During our visits, we saw only a few younger families and just a few children scattered among the pews, soon leaving for the children’s worship. Teenagers were present, but participated primarily in the beginning of service, reflecting a gap between younger and older worshippers.
Rev. Stone acknowledged that connecting with younger families is one of the church’s biggest challenges. He explained that people today are pulled in many directions such as their careers, their kids’ schedules, their constant busyness, and the church can end up being “just one more thing,” rather than a grounding part of life. He said the goal now is creating reasons for people to return not just for worship, but for community, belonging, and purpose. Mulberry is a church shaped by those who have stayed, which is both its strength and the challenge it now faces moving forward.
The congregation is predominantly white, with only a few people of color in attendance across several weeks of our visiting. This did not feel intentionally exclusive; rather it seemed like a reflection of generational continuity. Many members have been here for decades; their parents and grandparents likely were too. In that way, Mulberry carries not only religious identity, but also communal identity.
To get to know the life of the members, we interviewed a few of them. One woman shared that she and her husband moved back to Macon because Mulberry is a family. She participates in a woman’s bible study and visits homebound members like many others to ensure they continue to feel the love and the presence of the church if they cannot attend in person. The other person we spoke to was a relatively new member, who sometimes helps with Bible study on Sundays. Some meet in groups for lunch, while some meet just to hang out and chat. These are just some of the regular events that some members participate in.
At Mulberry, everyone seems close and connected to one another. You can hear it just by the way they talk to each other. Before and after the service, members do their weekly check-ins with each other, or share updates, and even wish someone a happy anniversary. “Every Sunday morning, when you come in the back door, the coffee pot is always hot. The hearts are always warm, and our doors are always open to everybody,” one of the members we interviewed told us. This sentence embodies the experience we had as visitors as well as the experience we observed the members seemed to have one another.
Mulberry demonstrates a strong sense of hospitality. During our visits, members remembered our names, asking about school, and engaging us in ongoing conversations. A choir member expressed how glad she was to see us again, and many women spoke with us after service. These small interactions reflected a community in which relationships are prioritized, and newcomers are welcomed.
Our first visit coincided with a Church-wide event. Mulberry regularly holds events after service, such as Second Sunday brunch, where the church provides the chicken, and the members provide sides and desserts. When we attended, everyone was excited and welcoming. We were invited to sit with a group that talked with us for the whole meal. This is just one of the many events Mulberry holds to bring the community together.
From the monthly organ tour, which we attended the next weekend, to the blessing of the animals, Mulberry hosts a variety of events. They advertise upcoming events on Facebook, and it seems like there is some type of event every single week, if not multiple. After the service, a member was working to set up another Bible study, and during the summer they hold a VBS (Vacation Bible School.) Recently, there was a Halloween trunk-or-treat as well.
Every Sunday the members get together to pray, sing, and listen to sermons commonly about being peaceful and caring for those in your life. It is through community outreach that Mulberry helps the wider community as well as bringing in new people who can then help the community more. This cycle is important to keeping the Mulberry community as well as the Macon community thriving. From welcoming arms to their bright energy, Mulberry never has a lack of care for others in and out of the church.
Sumaiya Alrafati is a sophomore majoring in Nursing.
Olivia Lee is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics.
Desirae Meeks is a junior majoring in Physics.
The Macon Religious Communities Project 