Folksy Jimmy Carter wins a Grammy

PLAINS, Ga. -- In the wee hours of a crisp, wet fall morning, hundreds of cars drove slowly over a dirt path in this tiny rural town to park among a grove of trees. Occupants then exited to line up in leisurely fashion to hear a man who would soon become one of the newest Grammy Award nominees.

Newest, perhaps, but hardly the youngest. In fact, this nine-time nominee and now three-time winner as of Sunday is now among the oldest Grammy winners in history -- all the more notable for someone who doesn't so much as sing, hum, strum, pluck, pound or otherwise operate a musical instrument.

Instead, former President Jimmy Carter's latest Grammy win is in the spoken word category, this one for the audio version of his 32nd book, Faith: A Journey for All.

At 94, the nation's 39th chief executive is impressively active. Among his many post-presidential duties, one closest to his heart is speaking every other Sunday at his hometown church in Plains.

Visitors to the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains are advised to arrive before 5:30 a.m. to get a seat in the church's main sanctuary where Carter speaks. By conservative estimate, more than 400 people had made the trek, some covering thousands of miles, for the opportunity to visit with an ex-president. All are searched by Secret Service agents before setting foot inside.

STATURE HAS GROWN

In the nearly 40 years since he lost his bid for a second term, Carter's stature has grown for the in-the-trenches work he and former first lady Rosalynn Carter -- he proudly mentioned they've been married 72½ years -- have done with Habitat for Humanity and as an ambassador of U.S. goodwill.

On a far more modest scale, he uses his fame to support the church he helped establish in 1977, in part because local churches were less than inclusive at that time. ("The churches have been the last bastions of having white and black separated," the former president noted during his talk.)

The church's utilitarian overflow room was standing room only and equipped with a video screen that would relay his talk.

Carter's niece, retired grade-school teacher Kim Fuller, explained the morning's protocol: Do not applaud when he enters the room. ("He hates that," she said.) Also, she said, visitors he might call on should address him as "President Carter" -- not "Mr. President" (a title reserved for the current occupant of the White House), and certainly not "Jimmy," a privilege requiring a degree of familiarity most strangers haven't earned.

Around Plains, she said, Carter's friends and neighbors commonly refer to him as "Mr. Jimmy."

NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION

The talk was scheduled for 10 a.m., but at 9:15, without so much as an introduction, a door at one end of the overflow room popped open and Carter stepped in quickly.

"Good morning," said Carter, dressed in a modest green suit and white shirt gathered at the neck with a bolo tie of Navajo design.

James Earl Carter Jr. was elected president in 1976 by fewer than 1.7 million in the popular vote, winning the electoral college handily with 297 votes to President Gerald Ford's 240.

Despite its challenges, the Carter administration passed more legislation than any other dating to Lyndon Johnson. An exhibit on his presidency at the Jimmy Carter High School Museum in Plains, housed in buildings where he attended high school, notes that he appointed more women to political positions than all previous presidents combined.

As is his custom when he speaks in church, Carter conducted a survey. "I like to know whom I'm teaching," he explained. "If you're here for the first time ... let me know what state or country you're from."

A visitor sounded off: "Washington state!"

"That's where the best submarine in the world is located," Carter said, then repeated the names of locations others offer up: "Florida ... Illinois ... North Carolina ... Indiana ... Texas ... Mexico ... Croatia ... Turkey ... Malaysia ... India ... Nepal ... Nigeria ... OK, very good, we have a lot of projects going in Nigeria ... . I went to Nepal three times in one year. I wasn't climbing mountains -- I was trying to hold elections."

One of the signature missions of the Carter Center in Atlanta -- which the couple created in 1982, shortly after moving home to Plains in 1981 -- was to observe elections in various countries to help ensure that they are carried out democratically. Since 1989, the Carter Center has sent teams to points around the globe to monitor more than 100 national elections.

ON HEALTH AND HOME

Among the problems enumerated by Carter during succinct, astute exchanges with the morning's churchgoers: a global rise in nationalism and authoritarianism; a weakening of democracy; nuclear proliferation; climate change; election meddling; rising expressions of racial and religious bigotry; income inequality; disease in third-world countries; cyber warfare and mental health -- the latter, a longtime special interest of Rosalynn Carter, who made that her primary focus during her years as first lady.

In addition to election monitoring and proselytizing for better treatment of people with mental health problems, the Carters have also worked to provide clean drinking water in communities in many Third World countries, and their longstanding work with Habitat for Humanity continues to this day.

He credited Habitat founders Millard and Linda Fuller for changing his and Rosalynn's lives and told the congregation that, the Fullers' son, Chris Fuller, had been invited to deliver the morning's formal sermon following Carter's talk.

'EVERY 55 SECONDS'

"Habitat now is building or completely renovating a house every 55 seconds. So listen: Every minute, somewhere in the world, Habitat for Humanity is building or completing the renovation of a house."

Carter next turned to the topic of the morning: the Old Testament book of Ruth.

"Is Ruth about a history of the Jewish people?" he asked, and quickly answered, "No. Is Ruth about theology? No. Has Ruth got a bunch of Commandments in it? No. What is it about?"

A voice piped up: "Love."

Carter nodded: "It's about love," he said. "That's true."

Applause greeted the end of his talk, and he shook his head, saying, "No, don't do that." Instead, he invited visitors to stay for Chris Fuller's address, holding out the carrot that helped draw many to this remote site: "After church is over -- we'll have a good sermon, I'm sure -- Rose and I will be having photographs with everybody."

After the final photo, they held hands and ambled together out a side door, stepping up into one of the two Secret Service SUVs waiting to take them back to their compound less than two miles away.

Religion on 02/16/2019

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