PLAINS, Ga. — While Wednesday's services in Plains for Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will be smaller than the services on Emory University's campus Tuesday, Mrs. Carter won't miss out on a massive amount of love pouring from members of Maranatha Baptist Church.
Jan Williams is a longtime member and friend of the Carter family. She knows the church's history like the back of her hand.
Williams explains that when the Carters left Washington D.C., they joined Maranatha because, at the time, other Baptist churches in Plains didn't want people of color to become members.
Williams was also the Carters' daughter Amy's 4th-grade teacher. She remembers Mrs. Carter fondly.
"The personal conversations that we had, because I was concerned about Amy going into a new world and Washington," Williams said.
Williams said she was putting the final touches on decorations at Maranatha church Tuesday, getting them just right for Mrs. Carter's arrangements.
"She's just a normal person to us in Plains, but it just showed that no matter what type of honor she had ever received-- what people referred to her as, the former First Lady, or Mrs. Carter, or Mrs. Rosalynn-- that she still was just, to us, one of our church members who were helping," Williams added.
She said Mrs. Carter helped whenever she could.
"She would volunteer on any committee that we asked her to," Williams said. "She helped to start the food delivery that we have in Plains."
And Mrs. Carter insisted on handing the food out herself.
"We let her give the bread to them because the bread wasn't heavy," Williams said. "And she would hand it to them through the window... of the driver's side of the car."
Williams said the church fed over 300 just last week.
Whenever Mrs. Carter wasn't giving out food, she was giving back to the children.
"She began to teach the youth class in our church," Williams said. "President Carter had to make her a table for her Sunday school classroom because she wanted a table. So, he made it for her. And it's still at the church."
Mrs. Carter left her mark on Maranatha.
"Mrs. Rosalynn, I hope you've been pleased with all that has been done," Williams said.
Williams added they're expecting around 300 invited guests at the church and thousands of visitors in Plains.
"The people of Plains who were invited to the services at Maranatha Baptist Church," Williams said. "We're hoping to continue on showing the world what kind of person Mrs. Rosalynn Carter was."