PLAINS, Ga. — Maranatha Baptist Church is nestled in an old grove of pecan trees on the outskirts of Plains.
A week after the passing of its most famous congregant, church members gathered from near and far to worship and remember Jimmy Carter.
Carter died at his home just down the road one week ago.
Mary Jo Dodson has been a church member for years and said the former president was always there for everyone who needed. She still cannot believe he is gone.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“I do not know because it really has not started yet, and I do not know for sure if it is sunk in yet either,” Dodson said.
Inside the church, Carter’s niece, Kim Fuller, took over Sunday School lessons from her uncle years ago.
In her lesson Sunday, she talked about Carter’s impact on Plains and the world.
“Right now, our hearts are heavy around here,” Fuller said. “They are heavy across the world.”
RELATED STORIES:
- Sunday School class with Jimmy Carter: What it was like
- Church members talk about Jimmy Carter’s legacy at Plains church where he taught Sunday school
- Family friend says Jimmy Carter’s ‘body was getting tired’ in his final months
- Jimmy the Baptist: Carter redefined ‘evangelical,’ from campaigns to race and women’s rights
“I loved President Carter, and I love the people of Plains,” Dan Horn said.
Horn flew in from Los Angeles to be here. He’s Catholic School principal there and the Carters’ visited him in California.
He says it is hard to believe the former president is gone.
“I do not know what to think. You know? Throughout the whole weekend, my friend asked me last night, ‘does it feel strange being back here without the Carters’ being here?’ It really does,” Horn said.
The family will hold Mr. Carter’s final funeral service this week.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
