A baby’s baptism and the wedding of a young couple were joyous highlights during Eastertide 2026 at the recently-restored, award-winning Christ Episcopal Church in Church Hill.

Christ Church, which dates to 1820 and is the oldest Episcopal church congregation in Mississippi, is called both the “Mother Church” and the “Cradle of Episcopacy in Mississippi.”

The original log building has been replaced twice. The final one, the present church building, is an 1857-1858 Gothic Revival structure that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The congregation and its church buildings have been revered by Episcopalians in Mississippi for centuries because of their historical importance to the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. Likewise, the community is tightly linked to the church since the church and its site inspired the name of Church Hill.

In recent years, however, the church found itself in crippled shape with only one worship service per month and fewer than a dozen in attendance. Weak financial support, extensive damage, no temperature controls and other major issues negatively affected the physical structure.

No matter, the church’s innate beauty and its hilltop setting at a Jefferson County crossroads were so spectacular that they caught the attention of Tate Taylor of Jackson.

Taylor is an Academy Award-winning moviemaker known for “The Help” (2011) and other major films.

About 15 years ago, Taylor and his partner, John Norris, were searching in the Church Hill community for a house to buy. They found Wyolah, a large 1836 mansion located near the church. They bought the house and soon became friends with Jinny Patterson and other neighbors who were members of Christ Church.

Taylor and Norris joined the church and became active in it, with Norris serving as a member of the Bishop’s Committee.

“I’ve always loved old things,” says Taylor. “I was hoping we could get the church building restored.”

In the early 2020s, during a lull between movies, Taylor used the knowledge, skills, and time he had gained as a building contractor before he pursued a career in movie making to master-mind the Christ Church restoration.

“I hired top specialists to do the work,” he says. “Most of them live in Mississippi and take great pride in their work.”

Successful financial campaigns took place under Taylor’s leadership and that of many others, including Marion Smith and David Paradise. By the end of 2025, the church was totally restored and contained new additions that are sympathetic to the historical building, including a temperature control system and functional lighting.

A standing-room-only crowd attended a re-dedication worship service at the 200-seat church on Dec. 20, 2025. Celebrating the event was the Right Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells.

Because of the restoration, the church has received publicity in publications, on television, through the national Episcopal News Service, and by receiving the top 2026 Historic Preservation Award given by the Historic Natchez Foundation and the 2026 America 250 Heritage Award by the Mississippi Heritage Trust.

The church’s reclaimed beauty is just one of the reasons two families chose Christ Church for this spring’s baptism and wedding. The other reason is that both families have strong ties to the church.

The baby, Calla Lindsay Dale, is a direct descendant of Col. James G. Wood (1770-1845), who gave the land on which the church was built. The baby’s grandparents, Bill and Cammie Wood Dale of Natchez, attend Christ Church, where Cammie Dale serves on the Bishop’s Committee.

The bride, Margaret McKenzie Tannehill, and her family have supported Christ Church for years during regular, lengthy visits to Taylor and Norris. According to the bride’s mother, Robyn Tannehill, both a resident and the mayor of Oxford, they are “like family.”

The two sacred services “celebrated the Easter season of new life, joy and happiness in very meaningful ways,” said the Rev. Samuel Bisland Godfrey, the church’s permanent supply priest. He conducted both services.

Calla Lindsay Dale, who was baptized April 11, 2026, is the child of Brandon and Lindsay Dale of Nashville, Tennessee.

“The whole family wanted Calla baptized at Christ Church,” Cammie Wood Dale said. “It has meant so much for our family for so long.”

Water from the Holy Land “was a very meaningful part of the baptism,” Cammie Dale said. It was brought to Natchez by the child’s great-grandparents, Lucianne Wood of Natchez and the late Bernard Wood.

The site of the wedding April 18, 2026, of Margaret McKenzie Tannehill and Nicholas Reed Markle, both of Oxford, was also based on the family’s connection to Christ Church.

“For the past 15 years, my husband, Rhea, and our children have visited Church Hill to be with our dear friends, Tate Taylor and John Norris,” says Tannehill.

“Wyolah is our home away-from-home,” she said.

“We spend every Thanksgiving, every New Year’s, every Fourth of July and lots of time in between at Church Hill,” she says. “Rhea and I have been best friends with Tate since college days at Ole Miss.

“Our children have grown up going to Church Hill,” she adds. “We have attended services at Christ Church, watched and admired the church’s restoration, and been glad to support the church’s important work.”

When discussing wedding plans, Tannehill says, “Maggie told me she did not want a ‘Mayor’s Wedding’ or a wedding where she met a person for the first time.

“I told her the perfect site was Christ Church. She loved that idea! We all love that church,” she says. “Fr. Sam is such a blessing. We love him, too.”

In addition to the restoration of the church and this spring’s baptism and wedding, Christ Church has grown in other ways:

• Worship service attendance
• Increased financial contributions
• Worship services twice a month instead of once a month
• A free concert on a new Allen Organ
• A new diocesan classification as a Mission Church, rather than a Mission Station or Partner-in-Mission
• Visits by tour groups

“The church is growing,” says Godfrey. “With that will come future important improvements.”

One improvement already under way is the restoration of the church’s large, historic cemetery. Adjoining the church building on three sides, the cemetery dates to the early 1800s.

“The work will be completed this summer,” says Debra Blackwell, who is project chairman. “We are very grateful that we already have funds to cover the costs.”

Bishop Wells will re-dedicate the cemetery at a special worship service at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 24, 2026. A tour of the cemetery and a picnic will follow.

“All the work underway at Christ Church reminds us of how alive the church is,” Godfrey said. “It shows how much it means to a mix of old and new people as well as to the Church Hill community.

“Christ Church is very significant to the diocese,” says Godfrey. “We want it to continue to be active. We want it to be a shining beacon on top of the hill.”