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The Rev. Donald R. Steinle Photo courtesy Christian Activities Council |
Christian Activities Council Press Release
HARTFORD (08/22/2012) -- The Rev. Donald R. Steinle, who since 1981 has led the Christian Activities Council (CAC), a non-sectarian organization serving the City of Hartford since 1851, is retiring effective December 31, 2012. Rev. Steinle has taken the organization through a period of growth that has had a significant impact in the North End of Hartford and beyond.
The Board of Directors has announced that the Rev. Edwin O. Ayala, the organization’s Associate Director, who joined the CAC in 1997, will succeed Rev. Steinle as the Acting Executive Director. “To have a strong successor and plan in place, focusing on the future, underline the stability built under Rev. Steinle’s tenure,” said the Rev. Mark Diters, President of the Board of Directors.
”We are supremely grateful for the ministry and leadership of Rev. Steinle. He has led the CAC these past thirty years with a driven vision for social justice and urban renewal,” Rev. Diters said. “During his watch, the Council has engaged in education and community renewal. The revitalization of the Upper Albany area of Hartford is held as a model for other disadvantaged communities throughout the country.”
Connecticut Conference Interim Minister the Rev. Charles L. Wildman, who first met Steinle during his graduate school days at Yale, praised his long-time friend. "Don, then and all through the years, has been a strong advocate for justice and economic opportunity for those left behind," he said. "His ministry has been tireless, sacrificial, and personally costly. He has lived his role completely, and for his work we give thanks."
Prior to coming to Hartford, Rev. Steinle served on the faculty at Yale Divinity School and was the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Passaic, New Jersey. ”It has been my lifelong passion and calling to serve and empower the poor while seeking social, economic, and racial justice, all in an urban setting. What a privilege to find this very opportunity with an outstanding organization such as the CAC for these many years!” Steinle said.
The CAC has been a catalyst of change in the City of Hartford for over 160 years. Some of its achievements under Rev. Steinle’s leadership include:
"Reverend Steinle has been a powerful and passionate advocate for people who are poor and live in urban communities,” stated the Rev. Michael Williams, former President of the Board of Directors. “He was able to take his personal commitment and ministry and translate it into an effective executive leadership style that transformed the CAC into one of the most active and dynamic social justice organization in the state of Connecticut. His legacy is to be honored by us all.”
The Christian Activities Council is a non-profit organization in the City of Hartford since 1851, with the mission of serving and empowering the poor through affordable housing, education, comprehensive community development and health care advocacy.
