Rosalynn Carter 1927-2023
The First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C., joins in celebrating the life of Rosalynn Carter, who was a beloved member of our church family during her four years as First Lady of the United States.
Rosalynn and her husband, President Jimmy Carter, joined First Baptist Jan. 23, 1977, just three days after the inauguration. Two weeks later, on Feb. 6, Rosalynn stood in the wings of the church’s baptistry, holding dry clothes for her daughter, Amy, who was baptized that day.
The President and First Lady immediately joined the church’s Couples Class, where the President regularly taught the Sunday School lesson, and Rosalynn Carter was celebrated for her quickness to find Bible passages to read aloud.
The Couples Class at First Baptist was formed in late 1943 or early 1944 to accommodate the young married people who poured into Washington, D.C., for jobs during World War II. Irregular work schedules gave the couples little opportunity to be together, except for Sundays, so the pastor gave his blessing to the joint Bible study.
“The historical record makes it seem like this was a simple task,” wrote an unknown church historian. “But to form a mixed Sunday School Class in the First Baptist Church—something unheard of!”
The Couples Class seemed ready-made for a President and First Lady with formidable day jobs. Indeed, for all of Rosalynn Carter’s participation in the life of the church—posing for photos at the Couples Class banquet on a rainy Friday night, welcoming the church’s youth choir to the White House for a Christmas concert—she was often away from church on official business:
Sitting for an interview with Barbara Walters. Representing the President at the funeral of Pope Paul VI. And, on a tragic Sunday in November 1977, comforting the survivors of a flood that swept through Toccoa Falls Bible College in northern Georgia, killing 39 people.
On the Carters’ last Sunday in the Couples Class, Jan. 4, 1981, the President suggested that he and Rosalynn were anticipating quieter days after his presidency:
“We will be going home to Plains immediately after the inaugural ceremonies. We'll walk around the other side of the Capitol, get on a helicopter, fly to Andrews Air Force base and take off to Warner Robins, Georgia. And then we'll go on down to Plains from there. And we'll be living a good, private life.”
A private life? No. Not with the Carter Center, Habitat for Humanity, and Rosalynn Carter’s continued advocacy for mental health. A good life? Yes.
Thank you, Rosalynn. Rest in peace, our sister.
