A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF NEW HOPE CHURCH pt1

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A HISTORICAL  SKETCH OF NEW HOPE CHURCH,

In Orange County, N. C. (Revised Edition)

By Rev. D. I. Craig, Reidsville,

 N. C.1891INTRODUCTION

It has long been a source of great grief to me that the early history of New Hope church should be so imperfectly known, and permitted to remain in comparative obscurity with the prospect of passing away into oblivion.  If the history of a church or a community is lost or unknown we fail to see the oft-repeated fulfillment [sic] of the promises of God to His people. Generation after generation come and go and leave behind them a history, and if this be lost or unknown their children may be ignorant of the fact that they are enjoying blessings and privileges which are but the fulfillment of an unchanging promise to their God-fearing ancestors. We easily lose the line of our ancestry, and consequently we lose their history, which, if known, might teach us the great lesson the "God is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness." How can we know the fulfillment of the promise, "I will be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee," unless we know our ancestry?

New Hope church, the cradle of my infancy and the church of my fathers, has a history; and while much of it is involved in doubt and uncertainty, yet much of it may be known and should not be lost or forgotten. Therefore in my leisure hours I have felt it incumbent on me to collect together certain facts and dates and put them into such shape that they might be preserved for future generations. From my childhood I have loved the dear old New Hope church and , having always had a desire to know her early history, I have gathered together much data in this pamphlet which I am confident is not generally known. If I have made mistakes it has been done through ignorance, and I hope by the help of others at some future day to correct them. I know the work is imperfectly done, but I have the consolation of knowing, also, that something, at least, has been preserved, which otherwise might have been lost forever. And humbly hoping that it may do some good among my kindred and friends by way of strengthening their faith in the promises of God and leading them to the Savior, I commit these pages to my brethren in the Lord of New Hope congregation.

D. Irvin Craig     

Reidsville, N. C.

May 22, 1886.

REVISED EDITION

Since writing the first edition of this sketch, I have received numbers of letters from various persons, especially in the western states desiring copies of this little book. I could not supply them, as it was out of print and the limited number of copies  long since exhausted.

In the meantime certain facts and data have come into my possession which will be interesting to the reader and are a valuable addition to the sketch. I am largely indebted to Mr. John A. Freeland, of Illinois, for much of the information.

I have endeavored to correct former mistakes and errors, and I hope the little book will find favor with all who are interested in it, and prove a blessing to the church.