PLAINS, Ga. (ABP) — After 22 years as pastor of a small Baptist congregation that includes former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, Dan Ariail plans to retire next year. The 135-member Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., is known for attracting thousands of visitors each year to hear Carter teach weekly Sunday school lessons.
“Both Jimmy and I are in good health, but I feel that if I waited until he is no longer able to teach the class, that our church might not survive such a double whammy,” Ariail, 66, told the independent news journal, Baptists Today.
Carter, 80, who teaches Bible lessons most Sundays to a full sanctuary, and often an overflow crowd in the church's fellowship hall, has not indicated any plans to quit soon. Tour buses and vehicles with car tags from across the nation are parked among the pecan trees outside the rural Southwest Georgia church on typical Sunday mornings.
Ariail has the unique responsibility of preaching weekly to more visitors than members, with many of the guests experiencing a Baptist church for the first time. He and his wife, Nell, plan to continue living in Plains and being a part of the Maranatha congregation.
“I dearly love the church and its people, and think I can be a help to the new pastor,” said Ariail. “If it appears that I am giving him trouble, I will back off.”
Ariail plans to retire Oct.1, 2005 or earlier in the year if a new pastor is called.
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