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Dr. D. W. Cummings is the Pastor of the well-known Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in Wheeling, WV and Shiloh Apostolic Faith Assembly in Weirton, WV.

Dr. Cummings was born in San Antonio, Texas to the late Bishop Claude and Sis. Faith Cummings of Cleveland, OH.  He attended Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland State College, Internal Auditor Federal Reserve School, Moody Bible School.  He also attended and graduated from the Ashtabula Bible School, where he received his Doctorate in Theology. He has also received degrees in Accounting, Business Law, and Real Estate Law.  Licensed as a Minister at the age of sixteen (16), he had his first pastorate at the age of nineteen (19) Pastor Cummings founded Greater Love Pentecostal Church in Ashtabula, Ohio in 1980, and remained there for over a decade. He received laying on of hands at his ordination in Zanesville, Ohio by the late Bishop Morris E. Golder of Ind., IN. On June 15, 1990, Dr. Cummings became the Pastor of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple. Dr. Cummings was installed as Pastor by the late Bishop F. L. Smith of Akron, Ohio in June of 1992. In April of 2002 he was elevated by the late Bishop Paul A. Bowers to District Elder in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Ohio District Council, District #8.  In April 2004, Bishop Bowers placed and installed him as the pastor of Shiloh Apostolic Faith Assembly, Weirton, WV.  In August 2022, Pastor Cummings was elevated by Bishop James W. Gaiters, Diocesan of Ohio to the office of Suff. Bishop of the Ohio Valley, the South East Region of the Ohio District Council of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Inc.  In March of 2024, Presiding Bishop Theodore Brooks promoted him to Diocesan Bishop of the 64th Diocese of Eastern Cape Port Elizabeth, South Africa. In July 2024 he received laying on hands by the Board of Bishops of the P.A.W. at the National Convention in Baltimore, Ma. 

Pastor Cummings has served as a leader and officer in the religious community, as well as the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World for over four decades. He formerly served in several offices, such as the Vice-president of the Wheeling Clergy Council; the Chairman of the Evangelism Committee for the Greater Wheeling Council of Churches; the Chairman for the “Martin Luther King Community Celebration” for the Ohio Valley for 12 years, former board member for over 10 years on the Wheeling Police Commission, a member of the West Virginia Northern Community College Board of Governor’s for over 10 years and served 2 terms as President, a member of the Ohio Valley Medical Center board for over 10 years; ending his term of service for the last 5 years as Secretary of the Board of Trustees.  He has served for thirty-four years and presently serves as the President of the Ohio Valley Pastor’s Association. In 1997 he was awarded one of the “Man of the Year” awards by the Wheeling NAACP. In February 2003 he received an award as the “Civil Rights Leader of the Year” by the West Virginia Educators Association. He also was given the honor of serving as Chaplain for the West Virginia Legislature, in both the Senate and the House. He is on several boards including Habitat for Humanity Advisory Board, Youth Services Advisory Board of Wheeling, formerly served as the Chairman of the Trustees Board of YSS for 2 terms, and the West Virginia Health Care Authority Commission. He is a recipient of the “St. Francis Xavier Award” from the student government of Wheeling Jesuit University.  He was the first African-American president of Wheeling Rotary, one of the largest service organizations at the time.  Governor Earl Ray Tomblin came to Wheeling to help celebrate Rotary’s 100th Anniversary under Pastor Cummings’ Administration.

In August of 2006, Pastor Cummings was appointed by Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia to the Human Rights Commission, where he was elected Chairman.  In 2009 he was awarded the “Man of the Year” award from the African American Heritage of the Ohio Valley Program.  In 2010 the Governor recognized Pastor Cummings as the distinguished person of the year.  In 2015, Pastor Cummings received the Volunteer of the Year from the Foundation and Board of Governors of West Virginia Northern Community College.  In 2016, Pastor Cummings received the United States Attorney General’s Award for his work with the WV Human Rights Commission and community service from District Attorney General William J. Ihlenfeld, II.  In 2018, Pastor Cummings received the Hometown Heroes Award at the Wheeling NAACP’s Annual Freedom Fund Banquet for his work in the community. In December 2021, The Washington Post highlighted the ministry in its weekend magazine for being one of the most diversified ministries in the state.  In August 2022, the WVU Medicine Children’s Ohio Valley Gala gave him the Community Service Award. In March 2023 the JaQuan Lavendar Foundation gave him the Gold Gala Community Champions Award. In June 2023, the Wheeling YMCA, made him the recipient of the Dr. Lee Jones Patron of Youth Award, known as the “Light of the Valley Award.” In July 2023, Mayor Glenn Elliot, gave him “The Community Leader of the Year Award.” In September 2023, the Youth Services System, presented him with, “The Good Samaritan Award.”

Pastor Cummings is the speaker for the “Voice in the Wilderness” radio and television broadcast. He writes weekly and monthly guest editorials for several major newspapers in the Ohio Valley. He serves in the Chaplain’s Department for two State Prisons, one Nursing Home and two hospitals.

Pastor Cummings’ has five children: Melanie Faith, Claude Vaughn, Richard William, Alexis LaShae’, and Savannah Lynn.  He is married to the lovely Latisha Rae Cummings.

Pastor Cummings is the founder of the Timothy Leadership Conference which has hosted training for leaders for over the last 20 years.  This training has taken place in Wheeling, WV, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA, Cleveland and Elyria, OH.  Its model is as Paul mentored Timothy; we mentor each other.

Pastor Cummings is the founder of the Temple Food Pantry Ministry who feeds the hungry every week over the past 30 years.  Over 36,480 people have been helped by this ministry during this time.

Pastor Cummings is also the founder of the North Wheeling Community Youth Center that has programs for the youth of the community, feeding the hungry, and clothing kids for school along with the Annual Children’s for Christ Camp, Easter Food Basket Giveaway, Adopt-A-Student program, Thanksgiving Food Basket Giveaway, and Christmas Toy and Food Basket Giveaway. 

The church camp has graduated over 1,000 kids over the past 18 years for a fun-filled week at Hallowed Hills Campground in Zanesville, OH at little or no cost to them.

Over 60,000 people have been helped over the past 30 years including close to 20,000 toys, bikes, and gifts have been given during that same time by the Christmas Toy and Food Basket Giveaway alone.  Well over 100,000 people have been touched by this ministry in the Ohio Valley and beyond over the past 30 years through the Temple Food Pantry Ministry and the North Wheeling Community Youth Center activities. 

In 2017, Pastor Cummings and the church stepped out in faith and purchased the old Bond Bakery Building at 407 Main Street which has 4 floors and 35,000 square feet with offices, an auditorium, and a boxing gym.  This has helped them to serve more people in a shorter amount of time at great cost to the ministry. In April 2020 the Dream Center suffered a million-dollar devastating blow in sprinkler system malfunction that was not fully covered by the Insurance.  By faith, they believe the center, once renovated and repaired, will be a place of safety for kids and host a number of entrepreneurial programs, help for the homeless, daycare, and educational programs for the community. To the glory of God in June 2024, Pastor Cummings celebrated 44 years of ministry, 34 years as the Pastor of Bethlehem Temple, 20 years as the Pastor of Shiloh Apostolic Faith Assembly; Weirton, WV, and his first ten years as the founder of Greater Love Pentecostal Church, Ashtabula, OH.