Reverend Thomas Nathaniel Phillips, better known as T. N. Phillips, was a popular preacher all across the south. He was born in East Feliciana Parish in Blairstown, Louisiana in 1902 and died in 1980. His life as a preacher lasted many decades and he lead several churches over the years, including St. Helena Baptist Church (for 37 years - his picture hangs in the lobby) in Greensburg, Louisiana. A lot of St. Helena Parish was used in the film, Sounder, along with East Feliciana Parish. He was also a pastor at New Hope Baptist Church for 42 years.Rev. Phillips was a dynamic speaker, with a zest for life who frequently spoke in parables that always had a moral. His stories were down-home and easy to understand, but they always made you think. He was in "Sounder" and seen in theaters across the nation as the Preacher.