A Tradition of Missions

As long as he can remember, Ashley Cummings’ father, Kenneth, has been involved in missions, and for years, his dad’s trips to Armenia would always pique his interest.

“I can’t express the glow or the feelings he would have about him after returning home every time,” Ashley Cummings said. “Also, the love and the bond that he has formed with those beautiful people, which always made me want to see what it was about.”

For the past three years, Ashley has joined his father on mission trips to Armenia through a partnership with N.C. Baptists on Mission. Ashley and his father are both in the construction business, and their trips have involved helping construct churches in Armenia.

This past May, the Cummings were part of a team that completed construction on what is the first Christian church for the Yezidi people to be built in Armenia. The trip included a dedication service for the new church facility.

The trip marked the third year in a row that Ashley joined his father and also saw a new member of the Cummings family participate, with Ashley’s son and Kenneth’s grandson joining in. All three generations worked side by side to finish the project.

For Kenneth, who’s made 14 trips to Armenia, seeing a grandson follow in his footsteps was the crowning moment of a life dedicated to volunteer missions. And for Ashley, a bivocational pastor, the question isn’t if he’ll return to Armenia, but when.