[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 23734-23735]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



IN HONOR OF DR. CLAUDE W. CUMMINGS' 39 YEARS OF PASTORAL SERVICE TO THE 
             EBENEZER ASSEMBLY OF CHRIST IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 2000

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I honor of the pastor of Ebenezer 
Assembly of Christ, Dr. Claude Cummings. A man who has devoted his 
adult life as an ordained minister of God, Dr. Cummings is an example 
of selfless leadership and service to those who share his spiritual 
faith.
  Dr. Claude Cummings, son of the late Bishop Claude and Mattie 
Cummings, knew he was called into ministerial service when he began 
preaching at the age of 18. He was ordained at the age of 26, and has 
since worked tirelessly as a servant of God. Dr. Cummings made his 
first move to Cleveland, Ohio in 1956, only to leave two years later 
due to the call of the Army. He went on to serve in Texas, both in San 
Antonio and then as a pastor of a small church in Sequin, until allowed 
to return home to Cleveland in 1961.

[[Page 23735]]

There, he was sent to minister to a small group of Saints in Miles 
Heights, Ohio, who were attempting to build a church. As an example of 
the dedication and devotion Dr. Claude Cummings has shown throughout 
his years of service, he and first wife, Faith Cummings, shared their 
resources to complete the church-building project which had since 
haulted progress. They worked untiringly to get the edifice completed, 
only to see it destroyed in a tornado shortly after its dedication. 
Despite the disaster, Dr. Cummings assumed the role of general 
contractor, and worked even harder to build the edifice which now 
stands.
  Dr. Cummings has always endeavored to further his education, 
particularly within his own faith. Because of this love of the Word, he 
attended many colleges, including Aenon Bible College, Fenn (Cleveland 
State), and Grace Bible College. An obvious advocate of life-long 
learning, he currently continues his studies at Ashland Bible College 
and the Moody Bible Institute. Dr. Cummings is known not only for his 
breadth and depth of knowledge of the scriptures, but also for his gift 
of sharing the Bible through his commanding preaching and his 
extraordinary way of bringing the Bible to life during Bible Classes.
  Dr. Claude Cummings is affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of 
the World, an organization in which he holds several offices; and the 
Apostolic Fellowship Conference. He was also one of the originators of 
the Cleveland Apostolic Ministerial Fellowship known as CAMF. A man of 
faith, Dr. Cummings is also a man of family. A loving father of five 
and grandfather to eight, he takes pride in both his personal and 
spiritual families.
  Let us honor Dr. Claude Cummings for his tremendous dedication to the 
many people he has led, and let us recognize his tireless service to 
faith.

                          ____________________