President Carter's Washington Church

"You have made our lives normal lives. You have given us stability in a position that is inherently sometimes unstable. A president of our country can be an isolated person. You have taken us in, and we are indebted to you." President Jimmy Carter to the Couples Class of First Baptist D.C., October 14, 1977During his tumultuous term as president, Jimmy Carter found a literal sanctuary from his day job in the oldest Baptist congregation in the nation's capital.Beginning three days after his inauguration in January 1977, Carter traveled a mile north of the White House on at least 75 Sundays to worship at the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., founded in 1802.Carter and his family worshipped from a reserved pew, surrounded by the church's 900 members and a few extras, including reporters, plain-clothes Secret Service agents, savvy protesters and unsuspecting visitors who were flabbergasted to find themselves in church with their president.Remarkably, the chief executive also led Bible study for the church's Couples Class on at least 17 Sundays, showing up each time with a good grasp of Scripture and a wicked sense of humor.In first-person accounts from church members, reporters, a church publicist and the previously unknown diary of a church usher, this is the story of a church, a president and the "normal" lives they shared in Washington, D.C.Normal Lives is the companion to Christi Harlan's previous book, Mr. President, The Class Is Yours, which features transcriptions of 14 of President Carter's Sunday School lessons at First Baptist D.C."President and Mrs. Carter came to class today. [The] President greeted me at the church door and Mrs. Carter greeted me with a smile and a cheery 'Good Morning.' The friendly White House man who always carries the satchel, said to contain instructions as to how to proceed in the event of a nuclear threat, greeted me warmly as the Presidential party filed in the front door." From the diary of usher Doug Porter, April 20, 1980