Facing Tomorrow, Understanding Yesterday, A History of Orange ...

FOREWORD
Writing any history is a daunting task because researchers and
authors are called upon to weigh evidence from years gone by with an eye
toward completeness and veracity. Details must mesh together in order
to place all of the story's players in the right places at the right times while
they do the things that they actually did do. Under the best of circumstances,
the historian has many sources of documentation on which to
draw in order to make the story as complete and as right as possible.
Preparing the history of Orange Church, however, presented many
difficulties that led the committee to title this work A History of Orange
United Methodist Church rather than The History of Orange United
Methodist Church.
As you read the pages that follow, you will discover that much of our
early history was lost when records disappeared. Many of the details that
dot the pages come from the memories oflong-time church members. We
did our best to gather this information in several ways. Some of the older
women members of the church were interviewed several years ago. And
many members of the church were asked to come together to share data
about the congregation's history in more recent times during the summer
of 1991. The timing of these sessions was inconvenient for a number of
those invited, and so their unique contributions remain unrecorded.
Others did submit written statements about how Orange Church had
entered and influenced their lives. As a committee, we are sorry that we
do not have data from every church member for the story that follows.
In addition, we must acknowledge from the very beginning the
essential fallibility ofthe human memory; some of us can't even remember
what we were supposed to buy at the grocery store once we get there.
Memories are even more susceptible to misperception as time passes. But
the church was important in the lives of those men and women to whom
we talked, and the stories that they told were as vivid to them today as they
were when they were experienced. The History Committee did its best to
check and double-check these stories against the pieces of hard fact that
we knew. We hope that memories and facts coincide more often than not,
but we also know that some other members of the church may remember
events differently.
Regardless of the differences of our individual recollections, we do
hope that everyone will be able to enjoy the story that follows. Furthermore,
we hope that church members who read ofthe growing process that
led to Orange's current status will benefit from the lessons that their
forebears learned and willbuild on that very firm foundation oflove ofGod,
love of church, and love of one another.
As with any collaborative work, there are certain individuals who
must be singled out for special appreciation. The History Committee
would like to thank Alice Hogan, Margaret Link, the late Mabel Maddry,
FACING TOMORROW, UNDERSTANDING YESTERDAY
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