St. Andrew Primitive Baptist Church on Swancott Road in Madison, Alabama, is known for Bible-centered Sunday gatherings, a long Primitive Baptist history, and ministries that reach from children's church to the Van Ministry. Traces its roots to 1934, the congregation commits itself to strengthening the community through ministry, the Word of God, and Christian fellowship.
From a White Frame House on Swancott Road
In 1934, Elder William A. Holman and his wife, Mary, began what became St. Andrew. Elder Holman sought the counsel of Elder Eli Moore of Mt. Zion Primitive Baptist Church, moderator of the Indian Creek Primitive Baptist Association. Elder Moore convened the first conference for the new congregation. Deacon John L. Rice, Shelly Rice, Willie Copper, Mother Mary Holman, and Deacon Amos Robinson were among its first members. They worshiped in a white frame house on property belonging to Scott Weatherly on Swancott Road.
Sister Patsy Harper was the first secretary, and Sister Susie Ervin served as secretary for numerous years. Brother Waddy Ayers and Brother Fox Burns were the first Sunday School superintendents. Sisters Geneva Kirby Harris, Susie Ervin, and Kelly Betts were among the first teachers. Sunday School thus became an early part of the congregation's life alongside preaching and worship.
Holman's decades-long pastorate also developed a broad leadership lineage. Deacons ordained under him included Jim Waddle, Benny Waddle, Kirk Polk, Ed Caudle, Fox Burns, John Rice, Scott Weathers, and others. Ministers under his leadership included Elders Benny Waddle, Amos Robinson, and Daniel Brandon. Mothers serving during this period included Carrie Jones, Mary Holman, Octavia Cosby, Hazel Jackson, Bulah Gordon, Mattie Waddle, and others.
In 1937, the church moved to its present Swancott Road location and used that structure until 1972. Elder Holman saw the need for a larger building and planned its replacement, but he died on March 2, 1972, after serving as pastor for 42 years. Elder George E. Franklin Sr. became the second pastor in 1972. He completed the earlier construction, oversaw structural changes, and carried forward the vision of a new tabernacle. The congregation began worship in that facility in 2000. Franklin served for 31 years until September 17, 2003.
Franklin's pastoral years saw a Sanctuary Choir, Youth and Male Chorus, Brotherhood and Women Auxiliary, youth and senior usher boards, and Bible Study and Sunday School for all ages. Franklin also began the church's association with CARES and encouraged support for the organization. After a period without a pastor, Elder Benjamin D. Burt arrived on August 29, 2004. He continued CARES support, renewed participation in the Tri-State and National Indian Creek Primitive Baptist Conventions, purchased a church van, and began the Van Ministry. Elder Alan Holman served as interim pastor from March to September 2007.
After prayer and training from Elder Harrison Burruss, Elder Michael Hartwell became pastor on March 2, 2008. He expanded Sunday School and Bible classes, reactivated the Trustees, organized membership wards, and developed ministries for nursery and children, women, and praise. The church also added classes for teens ages 13 to 19 and young adults ages 20 to 34, along with training for Mothers and Deacons. Elder Hartwell reorganized the Mothers into Mothers and Deaconesses and helped revive Monthly Bible Memory Verses.
Elder Buford Clayton Moore III accepted his call into ministry on December 19, 2004. He was licensed as a Minister of the Gospel by the Mallard Creek Primitive Baptist Association in 2006, received a Certificate of Biblical Studies from Huntsville Bible College in 2010, and was ordained by the Indian Creek Primitive Baptist Association in 2015. St. Andrew elected him pastor on September 24, 2019. He teaches the Wednesday Bible study and has also taught New Members, Teen, and Men's Sunday School classes. In addition to ministry, he works as an engineering technician at Marshall Space Flight Center.
Sunday School at Nine, Worship at Ten
St. Andrew's regular week is centered on three gatherings:
- Sunday School at 9:00 AM, open to all ages
- Morning Worship at 10:00 AM, with Children's Church and Nursery available
- Prayer and Bible Study at 6:30 PM every Wednesday, described as a time of midweek rejuvenation
All are welcome at these gatherings. Sunday worship is livestreamed through the church's YouTube channel. When no broadcast is active, the most recent sermon plays automatically. Live worship and replays are also available through the church's Facebook presence.
Christian Education Across the Congregation
Christian education at St. Andrew spans Sunday School, Bible Study, new-member instruction, and classes shaped for particular ages. Sunday School is expressly open to all ages, while the congregation has also developed teaching for teens, young adults, and men. Elder Moore's work with the New Members, Teen, and Men's Sunday School classes connects the Wednesday gathering with the church's wider teaching life.
Deacons and Mothers or Deaconesses are organized into membership wards with assigned members. This structure places pastoral care alongside teaching and administration. The congregation's educational pattern has included Monthly Bible Memory Verses, distinct classes for young adults and teens, and training for women who serve as Mothers and Deaconesses.
Music, Youth, and Leadership
The Music Ministry includes the Sanctuary Choir and SAPBC Youth Choir, and the church also lists a Praise Team. Adult and Youth Ushers serve in worship, while the broader ministry list includes the Brotherhood, Women's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Young Men of Faith, and Young Women of Faith. A Kitchen Committee is also part of the church's organized service.
Pastor Buford Moore III leads the congregation. Ministers Brandon Nance, Calvin Moore, and Hosea Garrett serve as associate ministers, with Calvin Moore and Hosea Garrett identified as elders. The Deacon Board consists of James Lewis, Greg Rice, Riley Kirby, Dwight Lewis, Sandy Moore, Michael Jefferson, Mike Andrews, and Larry Rogers. The church also maintains boards or committees for Trustees, Mothers and Deaconesses, Ushers, and administration.
Care and Service Beyond the Sanctuary
The Nurses Guild provides comfort and support to members and visitors during regular worship, funerals, and special events. Guild members are prepared to offer comfort and first aid in an emergency until medical professionals arrive. This is a practical expression of the church's commitment to Christian fellowship.
The Van Ministry grew from the purchase of a church van under Elder Burt and remains part of the church's ministry life. The church's historical support for CARES continued under both Elder Franklin and Elder Burt. Trustees, Mothers and Deaconesses, the Kitchen Committee, and membership wards add other forms of organization to the congregation's care and service.
Scripture, Grace, and the Primitive Baptist Way
St. Andrew professes one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, three persons in one Godhead. The Old and New Testaments are held as the Word of God and the only rule of faith and practice. Salvation is described through God's sovereign grace, including the eternal and particular election of God's people, covenant redemption, effectual calling, regeneration, and justification by the righteousness of Jesus Christ through faith. Faith is the gift of God, while good works are its fruit. The church also teaches the perseverance of those justified by Christ and the final judgment of the just and unjust.
The visible church is understood as a congregation of baptized believers in covenant, recognizing Christ as its only lawgiver and ruler and His word as its exclusive guide. It is complete in itself and independent under Christ from every other church organization. The scriptural officers are pastor and deacon. Baptism is immersion of a believer in water by an ordained elder in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The church limits Gospel ordinances to ordained elders, communion at the Lord's Table to regularly baptized and orderly members, and teaches the washing of the saints' feet immediately after the Lord's Supper.
The church covenant calls members to live under biblical discipline, show brotherly affection, watch over one another, attend church meetings, observe communion, give tithes and offerings, and transfer membership orderly when leaving for another church. These commitments connect the congregation's teaching with its regular worship, education, ministry, and service.
Address, Contact, and Giving
St. Andrew is located at 1393 Swancott Rd, Madison, AL 35756. The church contact number is (256) 353-9708, and its email address is standrewpbc@gmail.com. Tithes and offerings can be presented through Givelify.
From its beginning in a white frame house to its continuing work on Swancott Road, St. Andrew remains a Primitive Baptist congregation centered on the Word, worship, Christian education, fellowship, and service.