Dr. James Edwin Orr was born in Belfast, in the North of Ireland, 15th January 1912. Through his mother's witness he professed conversion at 9. During the autumn of 1933, he left home in steadfast faith (without support) and by bicycle and other transport ministered in a work of witness throughout all the British Isles.

Upon arrival in Canada in 1935, Edwin Orr faced a changing ministry, due in no small measure to the interest created by the unusual demand for his books. The first of his Canadian campaigns attracted so many to the capacious Peoples Church in Toronto --- largest of Canada's congregations --- that the Massey Hall was crowded for the conclusion of these meetings. Gladly, Dr. Oswald J. Smith reported: "There were no dull moments. The church was packed beyond capacity, and hundreds were compelled to stand in the vestibules and the aisles, while large numbers were turned away." Four years later, Edwin Orr returned to become associate pastor of that church in Toronto.

The first invitation to minister in the United States came from Dr. H.A. Ironside, pastor of the great Moody Church of Chicago. Not only did Orr address crowds exceeding 4,000 there, but he spoke to more than 10,000 people in the great rally of the Christian Businessmen of Chicago. Then there followed a preaching tour of all the forty-eight States of the American Union.

His ministry in New Zealand in 1936 was marked by many local revivals of great intensity, as at the Easter Camp in Ngaruawahia.

Dr. Orr and a team of young preachers campaigned in the lesser towns of Australia in 1938, and joined up with his partner Andrew Gih in ministry throughout the war zones of China that year, this interest in the evangelization of China being maintained for fifty years.

Dr. Orr was Chairman of ECF Council of Reference from 1947 to 1987. He also served as Vice President from 1969 to 1985; and as Chairman of ECF International Council till his homegoing.

Edwin Orr's travels were far-reaching. He visited every country in Europe except Albania; every one in the Americas, from Greenland to Cape Horn, every on in Asia, except Mongolia; every one in Africa; and every country and major island group in the South Seas. He traversed morethan 150 of the world's 160 countries and visited 400 of its 600 mjor cities. He was Life Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, American Geopgraphical Society, Royal Historical Society, Fellow of the American Historical Association, and other scholarly societies. His more than 40 books, scholarly, popular, and in translation, have exceeded a million in circulation. One of his hymns, "Cleanse Me," (Maori) is found in numerous hymnbooks.

Dr. Orr tought at Fuller Theological Seminary for nearly 20 years. He had four earned doctorate degrees from Oxdford, UCLA, University of South Africa, and Serampore University, India's oldest institution of higher education.

Dr. Orr was a speaker at teh Seventh National Conference on Prayer for Spiritual Awakening, held at Ridgecrest, North Carolina, April 21-24, 1987. His sudden passing on April 22 was a great loss to the worldwide Christian community. Mrs. Ruth Graham rushed to Ridgecrest to be with Mrs. Carol Orr, giving personal comfort and spiritual support.

Dr. Orr was buried on April 28 at the Conejo Mt. Memorial Park at Camarillo Springs, California. Mrs. Orr continues to enjoy her retirement in Camarillo Springs with frequent visits from her three children: Carolyn Astrid Booth, Alan and David and their children.