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Orlando’s Civility Pledge Should Inspire Us All

The Hill - May 29, 2026

In early 2024, Hunter and the Ginsburg Family Foundation invited 150 civic and community leaders to devise a way forward. Their Central Florida Pledge aimed to help build “America’s most welcoming community” and keep “Central Florida a safe community for all who live here and for future generations.” It read as follows:

“I will lead by example—treating all people with dignity and respect, especially those with whom I disagree. 

“I will refrain from inflammatory words and actions, and actively support those being attacked. 

“I will report threatening incidents of hate and violence to 800-423-TIPS (8477).

“I will educate myself about all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, and help others in my circle of influence to do the same.” 

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To build ‘welcoming community,’ Central Florida leaders pledge unity

Orlando businessman and philanthropist Alan Ginsburg and Joel Hunter, chairman of The Central Florida Pledge, pose for a portrait together at The Alfond Inn in Winter Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Both longtime community leaders are finalists for the Orlando Sentinel Central Floridian of the Year for their creation and stewardship of The Central Florida Pledge campaign. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)

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Meet Joel C. Hunter of Orlando

Orlando Voyager - September 30, 2025 (Click the title for full article including photos)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel C. Hunter.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was involved in the Civil Rights movement as a college student in the 1960’s. From that experience, I went into church ministry, always having a heart for those who were being left out (like Jesus did). Since I had more of an interest in living out my faith outside the traditional church than inside, paradoxically, my congregations grew…

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Orlando Magazine's Best of Orl '25

Orlando Magazine’s 2025 Best of ORL is a greater success than ever before! Our readers voted (overwhelmingly) in 116 categories—13 of them new—and the results are in. Read about 35 of your first-place winners in our editor’s-choice spotlights, then continue on for lists of all the winners, by category.

Discover the 2025 winners list chosen by our readers!

Spiritual Leader

  1. Rev. David Uth—First Orlando

  2. Dr. Joel C. Hunter—Action Church

  3. Archbishop Allen T.D. Wiggins—The Hope Church

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Community rallies to support Orlando church after disruption: Central Florida Pledge steps up to help church

According to its website, Central Florida Pledge asks residents to “commit to treating all people with empathy and understanding.”

It goes on to say by taking the Pledge, you become part of a “first-of-its-kind team of ‘community first responders.’” The Pledge defines this as “people who stand ready to act when hate or discrimination threatens our neighbors.”Dr. Joel Hunter, chairman of Central Florida Pledge, was there Sunday morning. “It’s a gut punch because you just hate to see anybody interrupted in their worship,” Hunter said. “It’s against the law, but it’s also just rude and persecutory.”…

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Power Of The Pledge

Alan Ginsburg and Pastor Joel Hunter are the driving forces behind the Central Florida Pledge, a community network initiative that empowers the public to stifle hate and discrimination before it begins.

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Over 300 Christian leaders sign 'Confession of Evangelical Conviction' Ahead of 2024 Election

Notable signatories include Russell Moore, former head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Revs. Galen Carey and Walter Kim of the National Association of Evangelicals; Justin Giboney of the And Campaign; progressive Christian author Shane Claiborne of the advocacy group Red Letter Christians, Christian rapper Lecrae and megachurch Pastor Joel C. Hunter. 

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How an Evangelical Pastor’s Unexpected Prayer Made DNC History

Click Title Above To See Article and Watch Video

August 16, 2024

In the summer of 2008, as Barack Obama stood on the brink of making history as the first Black candidate nominated by a major party, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver buzzed with the energy of a nation on the cusp of change.  Amid this historic moment, Joel Hunter, a prominent evangelical pastor from Central Florida, received an unexpected invitation to deliver the closing prayer at the convention—a decision that would reshape the role of prayer in the most political of settings...

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Central Florida Pledge, University Commitment

April 16, 2024

From the start, Stetson has been an integral part of the Central Florida Pledge. On the morning of Feb. 29, several Stetson leaders along with five students attended an event in downtown Orlando to launch the Central Florida Pledge. The event, in essence, was a community celebration. Also, it was emblematic of our university.

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