Jimmy Carter Attends Church For First Time Since Surgery

ATLANTA, GA – Former President Jimmy Carter made his first public appearance at a Georgia church on Sunday since undergoing brain surgery in November, according to CBS News. The 95-year-old attended service at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. He has taught Sunday school there for decades.

As he and his wife, Rosalynn, sat in the front row during the service, members took time to pray for the family, the outlet reported.

According to earlier reports from WJLA, the Rev. Tony Lowden of Maranatha Baptist Church visited Carter at Emory University Hospital in November, reporting that he could be seen "up and walking."

Last month, The Jimmy Carter Center shared a statement that there were no complications from the surgery due to a subdural hematoma. On Nov. 11, Carter was admitted to Emory University Hospital to have the procedure done to relieve pressure on his brain caused by bleeding from his recent falls, the Carter Center said.

On Oct. 21, Carter fell at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was admitted to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus for observation and treatment of a minor pelvic fracture, said Deanna Congileo, director of communications with the Carter Center.

In May, Carter fell and broke his hip at his home while getting ready to go on a turkey hunt. Carter underwent successful surgery to repair the hip and recovered at the medical center, according to the Carter Center.

He fell again Oct. 6 while getting ready for church and had to get 14 stitches above his brow. The Carter Center issued a statement afterward saying Carter felt fine and would be ready to attend an opening ceremony that night for Habitat for Humanity's Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Nashville, Tennessee.

Carter, who turned 95 on Oct. 1, officially become the oldest living ex-president on March 21, surpassing George H.W. Bush, who died in November. Prior to Bush, previous record holders were Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Hoover and John Adams.

Carter was diagnosed with cancer in August 2015 at age 91 after having surgery to remove a lesion on his liver. After the surgery, Carter announced the cancer had spread to other parts of his body. Doctors had found melanoma lesions on his brain. He announced that he would significantly cut back on his schedule while undergoing treatment.

In November of that year, the Carter Center issued an update on the former president's health, saying he had received good news from his doctors. Recent tests had shown there was no new evidence of malignancy and he was responding well to treatment. In March 2016, he announced to his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church that he was cleared of the disease.

Carter was elected president in 1976 at age 52. He has been out of office for more than 38 years, losing a re-election bid in a landslide loss to Ronald Reagan in 1980. He has since become one of the most active ex-presidents in U.S. history, founding The Jimmy Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and continuing to participate in frequent Habitat for Humanity homebuilding efforts.