This year, the E.A. McDowell Award for individual Christian service goes to Ashley Cummings, in recognition of how she applies the gospel through notable service in the area of crisis care for victims of domestic violence.
Ashley Cummings, center, E.A. McDowell Award recipient, with Pickens-Twelve Mile Association DOM Kirby Winstead and his wife, Sheila.Cummings is active in the Five Point Fellowship in Pickens. She also serves as the missions ministry director of the Pickens-Twelve Mile Baptist Association. She has a deep sense of compassion for women and children who need help and guidance when facing a life crisis.
“Ashley has always exhibited a heart for those whom society often overlooks, ‘the least of these,’ as Jesus called them,” says Kirby Winstead, DOM.
Cummings has worked for the last five years to build and establish Pickens County’s only domestic violence shelter. She has given of her own time and personal resources to establish this much-needed ministry. She has worked tirelessly to take this from a dream to a reality, as the shelter is almost completed and fully operational. This shelter is different from most, in that its purpose is to introduce these women and their families to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Cummings works with local job corps personnel in providing computer and job training for these women. She works with public school leaders to educate teachers and staff about domestic violence victims. She is a proven leader and wonderful Christian example.
For staying focused on the gospel by working with women and children affected by domestic violence, the Christian Life and Public Affairs Committee recognized Cummings with the 2007 E.A. McDowell Award.