Georgia News
Georgia News

Jimmy Carter’s Maranatha Baptist Church cancels Sunday service

n this Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, file photo, former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Ga. Nearly four decades after he left office and despite a body that’s failing after 95 years, the nation’s oldest-ever ex-president still teaches Sunday school roughly twice monthly at the church. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

Credit: John Amis / AP

Credit: John Amis / AP

n this Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, file photo, former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Ga. Nearly four decades after he left office and despite a body that’s failing after 95 years, the nation’s oldest-ever ex-president still teaches Sunday school roughly twice monthly at the church. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
By
March 14, 2020

Maranatha Baptist Church, regularly attended by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, is the latest house of worship in Georgia to cancel Sunday services because of the coronavirus.

The Rev. Tony Lowden informed church members early Saturday morning that services would be halted at the rural church in Plains in southwest Georgia.

“The risks are just too great with an older population and a poor, rural community that doesn’t have all of the health care infrastructures others have,” Lowden told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Maranatha has about 40 members, including Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who attend every Sunday.

Reverend Tony Lowden greets visitors and members in the sanctuary of Maranatha Baptist Church following the worship service on Sunday, June 9, 2019, in Plains. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
icon to expand image

Lowden’s decision to cancel services is a reminder of how the coronavirus is reshaping daily life. There have been at least two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in nearby Albany.

In Plains, Carter's birthplace and home, about 40% of the population lives below the poverty line.

The closest hospital is in Americus and the median household income is $21,731.

About the Author

Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.

Follow Ernie Suggs on facebookFollow Ernie Suggs on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Capt. Brantley Worley was responding to a report of a suspicious person Friday in McCaysville when he was shot. (McCaysville Police Department)

Credit: McCaysville Police Department

UPDATE

North Georgia officer shot in line of duty to be released from hospital

Capt. Brantley Worley remains in critical condition after incident in McCaysville, which is near the Georgia-Tennessee border.

57m ago

Women learn construction in Athens jail. Outside, the job hunt is tough.

An Athens jail program teaches female inmates construction skills. The jury is still out on how much the program boosts job prospects.

Could world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship become a Georgia museum?

The NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship built in the 1950s, could become the Georgia port city's newest tourist attraction.

The Latest

Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. (27) sacks Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Credit: AP

Falcons' rookies shine in dominant defensive win over Vikings

20m ago
UPDATE

North Georgia officer shot in line of duty to be released from hospital

57m ago

Women learn construction in Athens jail. Outside, the job hunt is tough.

Featured

In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com

A Braves fan took a ball to the face. The team may be liable, judges say.

The Atlanta Braves and former right fielder Jorge Soler face a lawsuit by a fan hit in the eye with a ball during a World Series game at Truist Park in 2021.

Joro spiders multiply across Georgia, spinning their pesky webs

The invasive species has multiplied rapidly in Atlanta in the last three years, research shows.

Ford settles billion-dollar Georgia lawsuits over fatal wrecks

Ford Motor Co. has settled two Georgia lawsuits that elicited record-setting jury verdicts of $1.7 billion and $2.5 billion, ending more than a decade of litigation.

2h ago