I was blessed today to see former President Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School at his hometown, Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/3.5, 1/15

To get this opportunity, I realized last week when he announced his diagnosis with cancer that I had put off hearing him teach for too long. So I immediately went to the church’s website to see when he was teaching. Here is where you go to see when he is teaching http://www.mbcplains.org/.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

I was there when every network was there covering the lesson. Here are some of the sound bites from today’s lesson.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/8, 1/250

 After the service, my wife and I took photos with the Carters.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 10000, ƒ/8, 1/500

The Atlanta Journal & Constitution sent Ben Gray to cover the event. I enjoyed watching my colleagues work while taking it easy as a spectator.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1600, ƒ/8, 1/500

Here is the Associated Press photographer David Goldman acknowledging he is on the other side of the lens for once.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1100, ƒ/8, 1/500

Here, Ben Gray is taking a photo of the caption information and ensuring it is with the image for later when he sends this back to the office for publication. In the background is David Goldman talking about a subject he just finished interviewing.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 200, ƒ/3.5, 1/500

I ran into Ben Gray later downtown, where he was filing photos from outside the store while his family was inside shopping. He brought his family to enjoy the historical moment with him.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1600, ƒ/8, 1/500

You could see the media taking places where they could find them. For example, another photographer is editing and filing under a tree in front of Maranatha Baptist Church.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/160

The day before, I hosted the Christians in Photojournalism group at my church in Roswell. So here is Patrick Murphy-Racey, a Sony Artisan, giving us the inside scoop on Sony’s latest cameras.

In the past, Ben Gray has been the keynote speaker. Other times we have had other journalists speak. Photojournalists need to know their colleagues. We try to help each other when and where we can, but we still must also work hard to get the angle others are missing.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/140

David Stembridge shares some of his work with the group during our 5-minute shows. This time is where anyone can show their work to the group in just 5-minutes.

You see, photojournalists care deeply. They care for their subjects, and they care for the public. We care that we are informed about our fellow man.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/160

Just like President Jimmy Carter was a statesman, he was also a Sunday School Teacher. Today was lesson 698 in Plains, GA. Here is photojournalist Patrick Murphy-Racey, a Catholic Deacon who is blending the technical aspects of photography with his faith.

Patrick said, “They say you can never step into the same stream of water because the water is constantly moving. I must stay abreast of technology because when I step on the floor each morning from my bed just like the stream, I cannot expect it to be the same as yesterday.”

Today President Carter boiled down the responsibilities of the Christian as simply as “loving the Lord your God with all your heart and to also love the person in front of you, no matter friend or enemy.”

He talked today about dealing with conflict. For example, he said, “Real estate is all about location, location, location. Conflict resolution is all about communication, communication, communication.”

While President Jimmy Carter saw his calling as through public service by holding public office, photojournalists see our calling as the role of the communicator. We are helping make our world a better place to live by helping us see our conflicts and helping us see the solutions as well.

President Jimmy Carter and photojournalists believe in serving, and our ability to communicate is key to our effectiveness.