Hundreds flock to Jimmy Carter's Baptist church for his Sunday School lesson

In Plains, Georgia, hundreds of people lined up outside the Maranatha Baptist Church Sunday in order to listen to former president Jimmy Carter deliver his 689th Sunday School lesson.

The crowd filled the small church's sanctuary and overflow room, but with more than 800 people in line — some from as far away as Guatemala — there wasn't enough room for everyone. Carter, 90, didn't want anyone to be turned away, and volunteered to teach another lesson, this time at a local high school. He did "what he does best," Rev. Jeremy Shoulta told People. "That's sharing his faith and encouraging others to love one another. He did not miss a beat. It's hard to believe that he went through a treatment just a few days ago, and comes to church today and does a marvelous job."

Carter announced last week that cancer in his liver spread to his brain, but he said he would teach at the church "as long as I am able." This week's lesson was about love, and Carter "taught on a subject that exemplifies who he is — loving your neighbor as yourself," Shoulta said. "People were tuned in and focused, and were receptive to his entire lesson. It was inspiring and it motivated everyone to continue on in their call, whatever challenge they may face themselves." Shoulta believes that Carter is an "inspiration" to people everywhere facing trials, adding, "He shows us what it means to be thankful for a life well-lived."

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