In a box, in the basement of the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington D.C. lies a glimpse into presidential history.
There, church members discovered old photos and audio recordings of President Jimmy Carter who — despite his role as the leader of the free world — got up on Sunday mornings and made his way to worship service.
“He may have held many more duties, a greater amount of duties, but he never forgot his upbringing,” recalled longtime member Shirley McBeath.
RELATED STORY | State funeral for former President Jimmy Carter scheduled for Jan. 9
Even though his reputation was known, McBeath and Pastor Julie Pennington-Russell say Carter still went through the steps of officially joining the church, as they dug out Carter’s old membership transfer card and letters of recommendation.
“The process was at a particular time in the worship service, you would walk forward and let the pastor know God is leading me to join here. And then you get introduced to the congregation. And so they actually did that here,” explained Pennington-Russell.
Oftentimes when a president attends a church, the goal is to be inconspicuous. But not the Carters; members say their goal was to really plug in and to be of service, and that meant taking their seat front and center, a few rows from the front.
“He chose that pew because from that seat he had a direct view of the stained glass image of George Washington Carver, who, of course, was the other peanut mogul,” said Pennington-Russell.
RELATED STORY | 'He was a full and complete man:' Longtime friend of Jimmy Carter says he died how he wanted to
The Carter kids were also involved. Amy Carter was baptized at the church and she often joined the other kids for sleepovers.
“She got to spend the night in their home and she got to be upstairs and the Secret Service gentleman slept on the couch in the family room. So they really had great faith in the membership,” stated McBeath.
McBeath also remembers the banquet dinner thrown for the couple’s class, going through old photos for the first time with Scripps News.
During his presidency, Carter attended service here about 70 times, according to the Carter Presidential Library. He split his time between tough presidential decisions and teaching the church’s couple’s class in the balcony.
“As you get this free gift of God through peace, through prayer, you have an obligation to exemplify the teachings of Christ,” Carter said in a lesson on one of the recordings shared with Scripps News.
RELATED STORY | Grandson of former President Jimmy Carter reflects on his grandfather's legacy
“The way he taught it, you just could not miss a word that he had to say,” McBeath stated.
“His style was to take a little portion of scripture and then to expound upon that and to talk about not only the biblical background, but to try and connect it to people's lives,” described Pennington-Russell.
Sometimes those lessons gave a tiny glimpse into his presidency.
“Just seven days after he had accomplished the Middle East peace accords with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, he was in the balcony teaching his Sunday school class. His Bible study lesson that day was on facing life's tensions. So it was remarkable,” stated Pennington-Russell.
“We read in the newspapers about those who try great things and flop, and we don't often admire them for their great attempts at high achievement. We laugh when they fall and how they never striven for greatness or exalted achievement. They wouldn't have been embarrassed. And all of us have that tendency to want to be careful not to get out on a limb and endanger our stature. It's better to be safe, mediocre and nonentity than to be a highly publicized failure,” Carter remarked during a lesson on Sunday, September 24, 1978.
RELATED STORY | How Rosalynn Carter shaped Jimmy Carter's presidency, volunteerism
But it was his words after losing the 1980 election that resonated with members at First Baptist. Carter simply said he wanted to be remembered not as a great president, but as “the best Sunday School teacher ever. “
“He gives us a picture of someone who, whether in the spotlight of national and global affairs or in the tiny little town of Plains among people who've known him since he was a peanut farmer, he has been a Christ follower. And I just love that about him and Mrs. Carter as well,” remarked Pennington-Russell.
