I grew up in the hills of Tennessee near the small town of Lobelville and as a young child I attended an Amish school, although my family and I were not Amish. The Lord saved my soul when I was just nine years old. I was riding my bike home and at my father's request, I was trying to make it back before dark. As the sun began to set behind the hills, I knew I would never make it and that I still had a long way to go. I tried so hard that day to be good and to do what I was supposed to do. In that moment, the Lord impressed upon my heart that I was a sinner and on my way to Hell. No matter how hard I tried, I could never measure up Jesus Christ. The Lord showed me that I needed His righteousness, as mine was as filthy rags.

I stood up on my bike, with my eyes raised to the darkening heavens, I prayed, “Lord, I know that I am going to go to Hell. I should go because I am no good, I am a wicked sinner. Lord, I know you died for me, you were buried, and you were raised from the dead for my sins. The best way I know how, I receive you as my Saviour.” I felt a burden of sin lift off of me and I was changed from the inside out. I no longer wanted to get away with sin but wanted get away from sin. I will never forget the grace and love that filled my heart that day; it was the defining moment of my life.

A few years later, at the age of 14, I stood before our little church on the edge of the Cane Creek and I publicly confessed Jesus as my Saviour. I was baptized in the clear cold waters of the creek I swam in as a child.  Growing up into a young man, the Lord impressed upon my heart that anything of this world would not hold lasting value. The Lord had something different planned for me; I was to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all the rest would be added unto me. At the age of 17, I had the opportunity to go with three of my friends to Florida to a Bible Institute where I received a Bachelor of Divinity. The Lord confirmed my calling to the ministry and it became apparent that He equipped me with a gift to preach the Word of God and to touch people's hearts with the timeless truths of His Word. After I graduated Bible school in 2004, I got married. That year I was a candidate to become a pastor for a church in Tennessee, I was called to go but the timing was not right. I started a business for a few years doing construction work framing houses while I waited on the Lord.

While attending a meeting in Alabama, a friend from Tennessee gave me the phone number of a deacon from Huisache Avenue Baptist Church. The church was actively seeking a pastor because their former pastor had passed away. I came to candidate in December 2006 and shortly after, the small church of eighteen people voted to have me come pastor. We packed up our things, left our home in Florida, and arrived the 3rd Sunday of February 2007. The Lord has had a lot of work to do so that He may mold me into the leader He wanted me to become. As I began to grow, the church also began to grow. However, the added stress of a growing ministry and a growing family caused my late wife to slip into a depression which led her to take her life at the end of 2014. That time was a very deep valley for me, my children, and for the church family.

The Lord has since healed me, healed the church, and healed my family. The Lord sent Michelle through the doors of our church and we got married. The Lord has given us a wonderful marriage, my children have the best mother in the world, and the church has a pastor’s wife who is an example of a servant. My wife and I are so grateful that we are able to serve the Lord together for the rest of our lives and we cannot wait to see what the Lord will allow us to do for Him. We are excited to see what the Lord will do with our children as my wife homeschools them and as we train them up in the way they should go!

The Lord is moving in my life and in our church. May God be glorified. I hope that we can be a blessing to you and your family and we look forward to serving the Lord until He returns.

Thank you,

Pastor Bez

Email Pastor Cummings at BezaleelCummings@gmail.com