See how the director of 'The Help' and one of the oldest churches in MS are connected

It couldn't be more picturesque; a small 1800s church atop a terraced hill in the center of a community outside Natchez. It's a sight that will make almost anyone pause and take in.

The church is in need of repair, but Christ Episcopal Church in Church Hill is now getting new life and undergoing restoration with the help of the community including the director and the producer of the movie The Help.

"I was driving down (highway) 553 and came around the bend and saw the store and saw the church," said Tate Taylor, a Jackson native and director of the 2011 movie The Help, which was filmed in Mississippi. "I had a spiritual wash come over me.

"It has that effect on people. It's the oldest (Episcopal) congregation in the state. I really took to the church. I've been asked if it was real or just a movie set."

A Gothic Revival church in rural Mississippi

And real it is. The congregation formed in 1820, just three years after Mississippi became a state. The church building, which is its third house of worship, was built in 1857. At that time, it served a small community of plantations.

"It's a gothic revival-style building," said Carter Burns, executive director of Historic Natchez Foundation which has an advisory and consulting role in the project. "That was a popular style for churches in the mid-19th century.

"It's a very well-preserved example. Chapel of the Cross in Annandale is from about that same period and is that same style. The style really lends itself to churches."

Taylor's journey to Church Hill, along with partner John Norris, a movie producer, began with The Help.

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More: Take a look at seven of the oldest churches in Mississippi. See where they are

How a movie director and producer ended up in Church Hill, Mississippi

"After shooting The Help in Greenwood, Mississippi in 2010, I had this longing to have an old house," Taylor said.

After seeing the church and the area, the two found a house to restore. Since 2014, they've called it home.

"It's just a very peaceful community and settlement that's been here since the 1780s," Taylor said.

Norris said much the same.

"After The Help, Tate and I fell in love with it," Norris said. "There's just really a sense of community."

They've also joined the church and Norris, who serves as junior warden, said like the building, the congregation is also being restored.

"Our congregation has grown over the last six or seven years," Norris said. "It's probably doubled, but it's still small. It's still a mission church."

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Christ Episcopal Church has a special place

It's a mission church in the sense that it falls under the wing of the larger Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez, which provides aid for services that are held at Christ Episcopal Church at 2 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month.

Carolyn Vance Smith is a member of Trinity, but also attends services in Church Hill with her husband, Marion, and has for more than 40 years.

"Trinity has had an affiliation for over 100 years to help support Christ Church," Smith said. "It's had a special place in the lives and hearts of so many people that live around here.

"It's like a beacon on that hill that speaks to people. Marion and I are just thrilled that the restoration is going on. It's on the drawing board to make that an absolute jewel inside. It's bringing new life to that historic area."

Shepherding renovation of a historic church

A number of things are on that drawing board. Aging floors, doors and pews are being repaired and repainted in their original colors. Plaster that covers the bricks it's built with will be repaired. The stained glass windows are being rebuilt and broken or cracked panes are being replaced.

It's a big project for a church with about 25 members and a small budget and Taylor said the church needs roughly $250,000 to complete, but it's one that Taylor and Norris want to help see through.

"All we're trying to do is shepherd it," Norris said.

Marion Smith, Carolyn's husband, said he's glad to see the project moving forward.

"It's a great feeling of satisfaction," Smith said. "We've dreamed of seeing that church restored for a long time and now we're seeing some of that done."

He's also looking forward to the air conditioning that has been installed; something the church didn't have before the restoration began.

"That church could be pretty warm in July services," Smith said.

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

How to help

Donations for the project can be made and directed to Christ Episcopal Church on the Trinity Episcopal Church website and are tax-deductible.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Revival of historic Mississippi church gets help from movie director