Property development consultant, Jeffrey Cummings, is preparing to embark on a new assignment with his church that will involve assisting in the development of people, not land.
Elder Cummings, as he will be called as an Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1 May 2011, will travel to different locations in Australia and the South Pacific meeting with members and guests of the Church.
When asked how he feels about his new calling he said, "I feel it a privilege to serve the people in the Pacific area and help them find the happiness that comes from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Members of the Seventy have "a special call and ordination to preach the gospel and serve as 'special witnesses' of Christ to the world," according to www.newsroom.lds.org. "Seventies, whose offices are mentioned in the New Testament, are also known as 'travelling ministers.'"
Elder Cummings, 55, will be one of four Area Seventies of The Church of Jesus Christ serving in Australia. His fellow Area Seventies are Elder Peter F. Meurs, Elder David J. Hoare, and Elder Terence M. Vinson. All four are Australian and are among the 128,400 Latter-days Saints spread throughout the 300 congregations of the Church in Australia.
Elder Cummings' primary responsibility will be assisting the Latter-day Saints in Queensland. He succeeds Elder Dirk Smibert who was recently released after six years' service as an Area Seventy.
Elder Cummings and his wife, Evelyn, are the parents of seven children. Their family has a strong tradition of service. Elder Cummings served as a missionary for the Church in Canada as a younger man. The Cummings children have served missions in Melbourne, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the United States. One son, Glen, is currently a missionary in Australia.
Elder Cummings's father and father-in-law have both been presidents of Latter-day Saint temples. Elder Cummings and his father served as Mormon bishops, or lay ministers of congregations, in Adelaide. All three men have led Latter-day Saint stakes, which are groups of congregations located in a city or across a number of close suburbs.
After his missionary service in Canada, Elder Cummings graduated from university with a Bachelor of Business degree. He is now the CEO of a property development consultancy which advises government and international and local companies.
Elder Cummings' lay service as an Area Seventy will be additional to his family and full-time work responsibilities.