The Orange Congregational Church belongs to the United Church of Christ and is part of the heritage of the Puritans and Pilgrims who emerged out of the 16th century Protestant Reformation in England. Congregationalists, as we were known in the 1700's and 1800's in America, who lived in North Milford (now Orange) traveled four miles each way to Milford Center to worship. This was especially difficult in the winter and early spring.
In 1792 the first meetinghouse was erected in North Milford, measuring 30' by 36', and was located at the north end of what is today the Orange Town Green. On May 8, 1804 the town fathers petitioned the General Assembly in Hartford to form an Ecclesiastical Society. The signers of this original petition for a church charter included several prominent names still mentioned today such as Clark, Treat, Hine, Woodruff, Pardee and Andrew. This was the first step in establishing a Congregational church in colonial and early 19th century New England. The petition was approved and the Society was established December 3, 1804 and was charged with the financial and property interests of the church.
On February 24, 1805, Erastus Scranton, a Yale Divinity School student from Madison, began preaching. He was ordained in June and became our church's first minister. Several months earlier, on March 13, our church was gathered when 54 members from the two Milford churches residing in North Milford covenanted together to walk in the ways of the Lord. The church is the congregation, the covenant body of believers, as opposed to the building known as the meetinghouse. Our original name was "The Church of Christ in North Milford." Taxes supported the church until 1818 when Connecticut disestablished the Congregational way as the official church.
In response to the growing ecumenical spirit of union in the first half of the 20th century, the United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 as a merger of the Congregational Christian churches and the Evangelical and Reformed churches, each an earlier merger of two denominations in 1931 and 1934 respectively. Our congregation voted to join the UCC in 1961.
STILES DENISON WOODRUFF
OCC CLERK 1882-1906 OCC DEACON 1901-1906
EXTERIOR ORANGE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
CIRCA 1910
Erected in 1810 and designed by David Hoadley
In July 2001 ground was broken for new construction on the north side of the office wing and renovation of other spaces began as well, including air conditioning, renovated classrooms and an elevator between the basement and second floor. This most recent work was dedicated on April 13, 2003. Our church celebrated its bicentennial in 2005.
Our church is a member of the New Haven Association and the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ. We welcome all to worship with us and join us as we continue in our striving to know the will of God and walk the way of Christ.
