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

Williams,Wiley Williams, Annie Hogan Collier, Max Brown, Velna Creech
Hogan,Fay Hogan Daniel, Julia Hutchins Bass, Annie Hogan Everett,
MildredHutchins Williams, Bob Pittman, Wynn King, Jane King, John
Link,Margaret Burch Link, and Ellen Hogan Kepley. Although Frances
Queenorganized a children's choir while her husband served at Orange
Church,some who might have participated in that choir were quickly
convincedto sing with the adult choir. Ellen Kepley, for instance, rememberssinging
in the adult choir at the age of 11.
Moving Into the Postwar Years
The postwar years brought new challenges and opportunities for Orange
Church,and appropriately, the new pastor was a man who had served
overseas as an Army chaplain during the war. Johnnie L. Joyce, who
servedOrange from 1945 to 1948, remembers that at the beginning "it was
likestarting over again. I had been overseas with the Army in Africa and
Europe,and the years away from local church ministries had left their
mark.But the North Carolina Conference saw fit to send me to the
Carrboro charge, and a real privilege it was! The charge consisted of
Carrboro,Merritt's Chapel, and Orange. That was 1945. Now, in the years
thathave transpired, I have watched with no small sense of gratification
asOrange has grown and developed. In 1945, it was part of a three-point
circuitToday, it is a full-blown station church. Then, it was three miles out
ofthecity.Today, it is well within. Then, itwas reached by a dirt road. [The
roadby the church was paved in 1947.] Today, it is on a well-travelled
highway.From that church have come persons who were a credit to the
churchand community."
Among those who were a credit to church and community were, of
course,the women of the church. Although always busy trying to raise
fundsfor church-related activities here and elsewhere, they made sure
thattheyset aside time for Bible studies and other study courses. In 1951,
forinstance, Orange WSCS members studied Japan and invited the ladies
ofNewHope Presbyterian, McDuffie Baptist, and Union Grove Methodist
churches to join them.
Study had always been an integral part of the Hut's role in the church's
lifeas well- despite the fact that its kitchen facilities made it indispensablefor
social and fund-raising activities. In 1952, for example, a group of
youngadults met in the Hut under the leadership of the pastor, Rev. Cliff
Shoaf.They organized a young adult Sunday School Class and named
themselvesthe "Cliff Shoaf' Class. This was probably the first young adult
classorganized at the church, and its members became very active.
The young adults studied together, played together, and, of course,
atetogether. With excellent cooks such as Ellen Kepley and Velna Hogan,
theeating part was essential. But this group of young adults also carried
onoutreach programs together. They, for instance, would go to a children's
wardat Murdoch Centerfor Christmas parties, with one of their members
dressingup as Santa Claus. And when the Hut needed renovations, this
classpitched in. Preston Hogan recalls the time that the men found that
abottomlog in the Hut had begun to rot. They simply jacked up the Hut,
replacedthe log, and put the building back together again. At this time,
theHutwas the only extra building that the church had, and members had
totake good care of it.
Members of this class joined in the tradition of helping to prepare
mealsto sell to members of the community in order to make some money
forthe church. But in the 1950s, the unthinkable happened: Orange
Churchput on a supper and ran out of food! Preston Hogan remembers
FACING TOMORROW, UNDERSTANDING YESTERDAY 37
Overleaf Cross and Bible
Jesus Kneeling in Prayer