The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Downtown Lorain pastor to retire
At church since 1995
One of downtown Lorain’s spiritual leaders will step down from the pulpit at the end of the year.
After 23 years, the Rev. Bradley J. Donahue, pastor of Lorain Christian Temple Disciples of Christ, will retire Dec. 31.
The church, 940 W. Fifth St., has been part of Lorain’s faith community since 1876.
Donahue began his ministry in Lorain on July 1, 1995.
He and his wife, Gayle, live in Avon Lake, but Donahue, 66, said he spends more time in Lorain than in their home community.
Donahue has been a member of the Lorain Growth Board, a past president of Lorain Rotary, a board member of Downtown Ministries
and several times the president of the Lorain Clergy Association.
He currently serves as vice president of The Lorain County Alcohol and Drugs Addiction Services Board and he has served on numerous other boards and committees.
Donahue has witnessed the changes to downtown Lorain, for better and for worse.
“When I came here 23 years ago, the downtown area was challenged, certainly, but still viable,” with a hotel and several restaurants, Donahue said. “It wasn’t a booming downtown, but it was a downtown where you could shop and find things.”
The city changed as Ford shut down and the steel mills cut production, he said.
Lorain Christian Temple evolved from a city church to an urban church with a mission to help those dealing with poverty.
“They lost their jobs; they lost their jobs,” he said. “That’s been going on for a while. But what I’m seeing right now, is a real hopeful sign.”
Donahue cited the efforts of Ariel on Broadway LLC to restore the Broadway Building, 301 Broadway.
That company will bring expertise and financial backing to do a project, two things Lorain needs, he said.
Many people have come to Lorain with wonderful dreams and ideas about Lorain, but they did not always have the financial backing or expertise to get their plans to fruition, Donahue said.
Lorain Christian Temple has been part of Lorain’s Spanish-language community with joint efforts of Mision Chritiana El Faro Disciples of Christ, a ministry led by the Rev. Crucita Marrero.
El Faro is a nesting church within Lorain Christian Temple.
In Donahue’s tenure, the church moved from being program-oriented to being mission-oriented, specifically in the area of combating food scarcity.
The church hosts a Wednesday morning community breakfast and a monthly choice food pantry.
Members of Lorain Christian Temple and El Faro sometimes worship together, and El Faro members help with translation, meals and food distribution for the food pantry, Donahue said.
The church, which was built in 1931, sustained damage to its roof during Super Storm Sandy in 2012.
The congregation chose to stay in Lorain and renovated the church.
The work included a roof replacement, a large job in which the top of the building was opened to the sky and a temporary roof was built atop it to protect the sanctuary from the elements.
An Army veteran, Donahue also has overseen the church’s flag garden, with flags set in the yard in honor of Memorial Day.
A native of Batavia, N.Y., Donahue is a graduate of Roberts Wesleyan College, Colgate Rochester Divinity School and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where he received his doctor of ministry.
He was ordained Feb. 10, 1980, by the Christian Church-Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ.
He and his wife have three adult children and four grandchildren.
The church’s region and national headquarters will conduct a search for a new pastor.
The congregation will host a retirement party for Donahue on Oct. 7.
Celebration will begin with worship at 10 a.m. Oct. 7 at the church.
The Rev. John Richardson, interim regional minister for the Christian Church in Ohio, will deliver the message.