One of the pews at the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., has a plaque on it that reads: “This pew was occupied by President Jimmy Carter and his Family.”
It was where Carter worshipped during his 48 months in the White House.
“It was very important to Jimmy Carter to practice his faith,” said Julie Pennington-Russell, the church’s senior pastor. “Worship and prayer were just regular parts of the rhythm of his life.”
Carter had a special connection to the church, which is on 16th Street NW, not far from the White House.
His daughter Amy was baptized there, and he even taught Sunday School at the church more than a dozen times when he was president.
“I think people were fascinated, in some ways, to be with a president who was so intent on practicing and living out of his faith,” Pennington-Russell said. “That was a really hopeful, positive thing for people.”
In the coming days, the church plans to honor Carter with a prayer service and will play audio recordings of his Sunday School classes.
In 1977, Carter said the D.C. church made his life as president feel more normal and gave him stability in a job that is often unstable.
“One of the things that I will say about Jimmy Carter that I have always loved and have come to love even more was the breadth and depth of his faith,” Pennington-Russell said.
Carter, the 39th president, died Sunday afternoon at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November of 2023, spent most of their lives. He was 100 years old.
As reactions poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend.
Biden declared Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning and ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days from Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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