Martha Marie Orphe was born September 3, 1959 to Joseph and Dolores Orphe in St. Martinville, Louisiana. She graduated with honors from St. Martinville Senior High in 1977. She graduated from Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia with a B.A. in Religion and Computers in 1982 and from Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee with a M.Div. in 1985. She received her D.Min. from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. in 1993.
Rev. Orphe was ordained a Deacon in the Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church in 1984 and an Elder in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church in 1987. For 21 years Rev. Orphe served in the Western Pennsylvania Conference. She served as the Associate Pastor of Smithfield United Church (federated United Methodist and United Church of Christ), the Co-Pastor of the Community of Reconciliation (Interracial, International, Interdenominational church relating to the Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, American Baptist, Presbyterian, and United Methodists), the pastor of Albright United Methodist Church, the Executive Director of Ward Home for Children. Rev. Orphe served as the District Superintendent of the Pittsburgh District for 7 years (1999-2006).
During her 21 years of Ministry in Pittsburgh, Dr. Orphe served on several boards, agencies and community organizations:
Western Pennsylvania Conference: Board of Ordained Ministry, Commission of the Role and Status of Women, Ethnic Local Church, Committee on Investigation, Northeastern Jurisdiction: Chair of the Northeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Investigation, Multi-Ethnic Center, Committee on Cross-Racial Appointments, General Church: General Board of Church and Society, Delegate to General Conference 2000, 2004, Alternate Delegate to General Conference 1992, 1996, Delegate to Jurisdictional Conference, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004. She has served on the Board of the Pittsburgh Area YWCA, the Aurora Reading Club, and the Points of Light Committee. She has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Carlow College in Pittsburgh.
Rev. Orphe’s mission and ministry has taken her across the United States and across the world to Africa (Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe), Australia, England, Europe (France, Spain, Poland, Germany, Norway, Denmark), Canada, Korea, Japan, Jamaica,
In June 2006, Bishop William Hutchinson appointed Dr. Orphe as the Louisiana Mission Zone Director. She returned home to give leadership to the rebuilding of 50 churches and communities in New Orleans and West Louisiana that were damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. |
