(RNS) — Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday (Dec. 29) at age 100, was known most as the 39th president of the United States. But he also will be remembered as the world’s most famous Sunday school teacher.
Carter, who spoke openly about his Baptist faith while campaigning for the White House in 1976, earned the votes of many evangelical Christians when he called himself “born again.”
Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family, according to a statement on The Carter Center website.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said his son Chip Carter in the statement. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.”
After leaving the White House in 1981, Carter spent decades as a humanitarian and advocate for peace — building houses with Habitat for Humanity, monitoring elections in dozens of countries, helping fight against Guinea worm disease.
Still, more Sundays than not, the former president had a regular appointment: teaching Sunday school in his rural Georgia Baptist church.
Maranatha Baptist Church posted his schedule on its website, listing dates he would be there to teach. It included frequently asked questions about the do’s and don’ts of a visit to the church in Plains. (Yes, pictures could be taken at the end of the worship service with Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. No, the Carters do not give autographs at the church.)
Rosalynn Carter died at the age of 9 …