Records of the Past | orangemassumc

OUR HISTORY

The details below are taken from the dedicated work of the 125th anniversary celebration.

Old Records of the Past

Taken from the 100th Anniversary booklet.

Additional information added by Nancy Carr.

1886 — Voted to pay the bill for sacramental wine for communion

1888 — Pastor is to warn Brother Morrill in regards to keeping his store open on the

Sabbath

1889 — Purchased six bottles of unfermented communion wine for $2.25

1890 — Purchased two tons of coal at $6.00 a ton

1891 — Voted for the Pastor to give notice that no games of any kind be allowed at church sociable

1892 — Church bell given by Mrs. John Ramsey. Cost to hang the bell was a little over

$300, the bell weighs 1,300 pounds.

1894 — Someone gave the church $1,000 in gold which was turned over to the Greenfield

Savings Bank to be applied to the mortgage

1894 — Voted to have an orange and banana supper, instead of baked beans. Sunday

School average attendance was 135

1911 — Brother Kennedy called attention to apportionments and remarked on the same

1914 — Voted to deposit the old historical records with the Methodist Historical Society in Boston for safe keeping

1934 — Ladies group was formed and was known as the Lend-A-Hand. Their motto was

"Work forward and Lend a Hand."

1940 — The Women's Society was formed and 50 women signed the charter

1949 — A communion set was given by Lend-A-Hand in memory of Alice Bigwood, also a pulpit bible in memory of Rev. Thomas Johnston.

1949 — Vera Richards gave the sanctuary cross in memory of her son, William, who lost his life while serving in the Navy

1968 — First Methodist Church became Orange United Methodist Church — April 23

1973 — Parsonage was removed by B. L. Frye and placed near Lake Mattawa, where his daughter now lives.