Jimmy Carter’s pastor says former president is “doing well”

PLAINS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Jimmy Carter’s personal pastor says the 98-year-old is “doing well” in hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia.

The Carter Center announced Saturday that the 39th President would forgo further medical treatment.

Carter hand-picked Tony Lowden to lead Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains in 2018, and the two developed a strong friendship.

“I’ve never met anybody like number 39,” said Lowden. “He’s doing well, he’s praying for people that are concerned. He’s loving on his bride. You know, that’s Jimmy Carter.”

Carter, a one-term Democrat, is known for his devotion to his commitment to his faith and his goodwill after leaving the Oval Office.

“Had he been reelected to a second term, it’s very likely that he would not have done many of the things that he did after he left the White House,” said Randall Balmer, a theology professor at Dartmouth and author of Redeemer, a 2014 biography on Carter. “So in many ways, his post-presidency was his second term as President.”

Carter worked tirelessly with Habitat for Humanity, personally helping to build over 5,000 homes with the organization. The Carter Center isn’t just a memorialization of his presidency, but a functional institute that has helped to eradicate tropical diseases like the guinea worm.

“I’m probably one of the luckiest men in the world to have someone like President Jimmy Carter to take me under his wings,” said Lowden. “Everyone should be celebrating, especially Georgia. Georgia should be proud.”

“As Maya Angelou would say, we have a great tree falling,” he continued.

Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved.