REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
John Corbett
Born: May 9, 1961 Birthplace: Wheeling, West Virginia, USA | Michael Spurlock
Born: May 5, 1968 Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA |
Cara Buono
Born: March 1, 1971 Birthplace: The Bronx, New York, USA | Aimée Spurlock
Born: July 5, 1973 Birthplace: Miami Beach, Florida, USA |
Nelson Lee
Born: October 16, 1975 Birthplace: Taipei, Taiwan | Ye Win
Birthplace: Karen State, Myanmar (Burma) |
Yes. All Saints' Church in Smyrna, Tennessee didn't have the money to remain in operation. They needed a miracle. Those in charge of the church believed that the best option was to close it down and sell the property.
Yes, and like in the movie, the Karen refugees from Myanmar helped to grow the congregation and solve the church's financial issues. The refugees were Christians and their numbers grew over time. As Anglicans, they shared many similarities with the Episcopal Church.
Yes. The Karen refugees, who first came to the church in 2008, were farmers by trade. Like in the movie, they asked if they could plant crops on the church property to provide for their families, and if possible, to help the church at the same time. They all worked together to begin farming the 16 acres of bottomland, which is ideal for growing crops. They grew spinach, sour leaf and a variety of other vegetables. The majority of the proceeds ended up being donated to the church to help with the bills.
After the Karen refugees showed up, the church also began to receive financial help from the diocese, who saw value in the church's newly expanded congregation. Led by John Bauerschmidt, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, the diocese paid off the mortgage and employed Ye Win, a refugee, as a lay worker. Win is portrayed by Nelson Lee in the movie.
Yes, many of the parishioners that are shown in the movie are from the actual congregation. The real-life Karen refugees from Burma appear in the movie too. It was filmed at the actual All Saints' Church where the events took place, located just outside of Nashville.
No. The real Michael Spurlock went on to become part of the clergy at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City. As of the movie's release, he is still on the clergy staff there and lives in New York City with his wife Aimée and their two children, son Atticus and daughter Hadley.
Unearth more details behind the All Saints true story by watching the Pastor Michael Spurlock interview below.