Jimmy Carter's Sunday School, in Plains Georgia

Our entire roadtrip south was built around one main goal.  We wanted to make it to Plains Georgia on a weekend to have the experience of seeing former President Jimmy Carter teach Sunday school.

To call this an amazing experience would be an understatement.  It is something that pretty much anyone can do if they want.  President Carter still lives in the small town of Plains, and he tries to teach Sunday school as often as possible, which is actually pretty frequently. 

This is something you should put at the top of your bucket list now.  The Carter's were born in the 1930s (though they could easily lie about their ages by several decades if they wanted).  They have maintained an extremely active lifestyle, but still, no one could get upset with them if they decided to stop appearing in public like this.

We arrived in Plains early on Saturday and we took time to first explore the shops in town.  The area is small, and there is only one small row of shops, but we had a blast at all of them.

We first went to Plain Peanuts.  This is a small shop packed with peanuts, and various peanut products along with various Jimmy Carter memorabilia.  As we walked in, we were offered a sample of fried nuts, and a sample of their peanut ice cream.  Both were great.  We ended up buying several bags of nuts for snacks on our trip, and to take home to friends... AND I picked up some cool political items (some political buttons and an empty can of Billy Carter beer).

We also stopped by the Plains Trading Post.  If you like history, and collect really anything related to politics, this place is for you.  I really enjoyed my visit here, picking up postcards and political buttons (many great vintage items were available at cheap prices!).  The couple running the place was very friendly and sweet.

We had lunch at the Old Bank Café, and this small restaurant was cozy and very affordable.  AND, they have displays relating to the Carters and the local high school.

After lunch, we went to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site visitor center, which is the old high school (attended by Jimmy and Rosalynn).  We watched a film in the old auditorium about the Carters, and a very kind ranger told us some fun stories about Jimmy once skipping school, a very influential teacher, and about the Carters' relationship.  The school has several rooms open, and there are many displays about the Carters.

After that, we visited the Jimmy Carter boyhood home where we had a very thorough and informative tour of the home and surrounding property.  The nice but dated tennis court and family store were fun.  Our knowledgeable guide on this tour told us about a table in the home.  Jimmy Carter made a small table for the current National Park site to look like the one he remembered from his youth.  Well, since President Carter made it, it was viewed as too significant to leave out on display at the home.  It was replicated and replaced.  The original is in safe keeping.

In the evening, we drove around Plains to see other homes and places associated with the Carters.  Pretty much every shop in town sells a nice and easy to use little book about all of the historic homes for $2.50!

On Sunday, we arrived at Maranatha Baptist Church around 8:15.  There was a small line at the church door already forming.  There is a good (but reasonable) amount of security here.  A dog walks around each car with a security person.  After a friendly thumbs up from the handler, you can park.

The line moved very smoothly, as the secret service does its job.  These guys were efficient but friendly.

Once inside you are assigned a seat.  Ms. Jan (who was Amy Carter's school teacher at one time) helps keep the program moving, and she gives a thorough  lesson on etiquette at the church.  She is a pretty entertaining person herself, directing, giving instructions, and telling stories about the church and the Carters.  She could do stand up comedy if she wanted, as many of her stories are very funny.

After the orientation, President Carter comes out and begins his class.  There are prayers, and a lesson book.  The man knows he is at church, but he knows his audience.  A large majority of the congregation on any day that he teaches is visitors- and there  is a good chance many are not Baptists... or Christians.  Jimmy Carter is though (as are the members of Maranatha) and he is teaching and connecting to the believers and the non-believers.  Though his teaching was on creation, he discussed the topic while also touching on modern topics that concerned him, peppering in statistics here and there.  I think anyone (religious or non-religious) would have appreciated hearing his message.

After Sunday school, there was a church service, and then you could have your photo taken with the Carters.  Ms. Jan explained that this would be a quick chance to do photos, and she instructed the crowd how things would go. 

The line goes out of the church and in almost no time, you have your chance to get a photo with Jimmy and Rosalynn.  My wife and I ran up next  to the Carters.  Both seemed very sweet and kind.  Rosalynn linked arms with my wife, and Jimmy put his hand on my shoulder for the photo.  I wanted to let President Carter know how much it meant to us, to be able to get to rub elbows with him briefly on this Sunday morning.  I had nothing profound to say to him, and even though I know he hears it many times a day, I told him, "this is a huge honor."

He made a point to look at me and to thank us for coming out.  I am sure he says it hundreds of times each Sunday, but there was no tiredness in his voice.  He is sincere in all of his actions.

I do want to mention that my wife bumped in to Ms. Carter at another point while in Plains, and she said that she could not have been any sweeter.  I asked three Plains residents that I talked to about their experiences with the Carters.  ALL talked favorably, and affectionately about them.

After church, we briefly went back to Plain Peanuts for a few more gifts for friends back home.  My wife wouldn't let me go back to Plains Trading Post after the coin I dropped in there the day before.

We wanted to make it to Andersonville before the day was over, but I was kind of sad about leaving Plains.  This is a friendly community with pride.  And the whole Carter/Plains relationship is very sweet.

I also can't say enough about the kind people of Maranatha Baptist Church.  It is pretty disruptive for them to have hundreds of visitors each Sunday.  They are very kind to accommodate this situation.  They obviously have good hearts and all, but this is a pretty big burden for them in many ways.

Check out:

Maranatha Baptist Church

The Carter Center

Again, seeing President Carter and his wife in this setting was an amazing, rare experience.  This was easily one of the most exciting moments of any of our travels.  Thanks again to the Carters, Maranatha Baptist Church, and the good city of Plains Georgia!