In one of his last acts before the outbreak of the Civil War, the Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk, Bishop of Louisiana and the Missionary District of the South and later a decorated Confederate general, consecrated Trinity Church in Cheneyville, La.

Richard Moriarty, the present-day administrator, can trace his families' association with the Episcopal Church at least that far back. Some of his ancestors were Baptist, but they converted and donated the baptismal font at Trinity after they were forced to seek an Episcopal priest to baptize a dying infant.

Although never a large congregation, Trinity was a center of social, cultural and spiritual life in Cheneyville. The front door of the church still bears bullet holes made during a Civil War skirmish. By the Great Depression, however, the Moriarty family had relocated to another part of Louisiana.

When Mr. Moriarty moved back to the area six years ago, Trinity had an average weekly attendance of three and its building was in need of major renovation if it was to remain usable.

"When my granddaughter came to live with us, my family doubled weekly attendance," Mr. Moriarty said recently.

Six years later, attendance averages 18 and the church has raised nearly $185,000 toward the estimated $300,000 cost of essential renovations needed to maintain the structural and architectural integrity of the historic landmark. More than $100,000 of that amount has come from individuals and organizations unaffiliated with the church. Mr. Moriarty is quick to cite God's blessing and the help of all church members in the turnaround. He specifically mentions a cookbook the ladies of the church have compiled and marketed. To date confirmed orders have reached 2,500 copies and have resulted in profits of about $15,000.

It is Mr. Moriarty, perhaps by way of example in his role as church administrator, who seems primarily responsible for inspiring other members to contribute their time, talent and treasure. A semi-retired accountant, he said half jokingly he is quick to follow up on any research leads he uncovers because he is getting older and forgets quickly.

Soon after he returned to the area, he began familiarizing himself with historic preservation societies and organizations. Through one of those organizations, he met an architect who specializes in preservation projects.

That contact led to successful designation by the Louisiana Preservation Alliance as one of the 10 most endangered historic places in the state. Coverage of that designation in the diocesan newspaper inspired a prominent member of the diocese in another part of the state to petition the bishop to designate the church as this year's diocesan "Mission Appeal" recipient, and recently Better Homes and Gardens has agreed to profile the cookbook and church in a magazine supplement to be distributed nationally.

Each successful contact leads to several others, and Mr. Moriarty tries to follow up on all of them. The newsletter mailing list now numbers 200 households. The internet website (www.members.christweb.com/ trinitychurch) averages about six "hits" per day, a surprisingly robust number for a small congregation in such a remote location.

Even before the recent spate of publicity, Mr. Moriarty and the other members of the church began to see a brighter future. Last Christmas Eve a candlelight service drew 110 from the surrounding area.

"In any church money and numbers are relative," Mr. Moriarty said. "The problem facing most small churches is that it takes all of the members to work to make a project possible and successful. Ten percent participation in a project at a 1,000-member church will result in 100 people doing a job. Ten percent in a church the size of Trinity results in one person doing it."