Sardis Primitive Baptist Church, Charlton County, Georgia.
From Folkston, take Georgia Highway 121—The Okefenokee Trail -- for about two miles to Sardis Road. Turn right and go another two miles to Sardis Primitive Baptist Church. It's on a dirt road on the right behind Sardis Cemetery.
Sardis is an excellent example of the meeting houses built by the Crawfordite faction of the Primitive Baptist Church, a group unique to the "Wiregrass" area of south Georgia. Named after Elder Reuben Crawford, they follow an especially rigid and austere form of Calvinism. They do not believe in Sunday Schools or sending out missionaries, nor will they wear neckties or allow radios or television in their homes.
Their meeting houses reflect their philosophy, made as they are of rough, unpainted pine with neither heat nor electric lights—nothing that, in their view, would distract them from worship. However, one aspect of modernization has reached them: instead of outhouses, all their churches now have separate, outdoor restrooms with running water, as required by public health regulations.
The pulpit at Sardis Church. Notice the simple plank pews on the right.
Organized in 1821, the Sardis congregation is the oldest of any denomination in Charlton County. The present church was probably built around 1840, although the pulpit is thought to be from an earlier structure. The cemetery is large and has many interesting pieces of statuary.
The front door at Sardis. All Crawfordite Churches also have a side door.
I originally visited the Sardis Church in 2016. When I visited again in 2021, it did not appear to be in current use, as there were evidences of deterioration. Some boards needed replacement, and the grass had not been mowed recently.
Never very numerous, the Crawfordite Primitive Baptists, with a worship and life style not conducive to attracting converts, are a gradually dying denomination.
This post was adapted from my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia.
About the photos: The church exterior and door were photographed with an Olympus E-M5 digital camera and the Panasonic Lumix Vario G 14-140mm lens. For the pulpit, I used a Canon EOS 6D and the Canon 28-105mm EF lens.
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