Lisa M. Cummins

Jim Cummins served as teacher, pastor, evangelist and ministry planter in a variety of denominational and non-denominational settings for more than 45 years before he went to be with the Lord in 2021 at the age of 77. For more than 20 of those years, Jim planted and shepherded Messianic congregations (places where Jews and non-Jews who believe in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah and Savior can worship the Lord together). Throughout his years in ministry, Jim taught small groups Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek, and Biblical word studies. Jim also ministered many years in music, writing, and fine and graphic arts. He founded the ministry known as Messianic Scribal Arts, which produced hand-scribed Hebrew scrolls in traditional format, as well as the five megillot (scrolls of Esther, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs), illustrated biblical manuscripts, ketubot (Jewish marriage certificates), mikveh (immersion) certificates, tefillin (scriptures for phylacteries), mezuzot (scriptures for the doorpost), and (to the best of our knowledge) the first-ever hand-scribed Hebrew scroll of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

His wife, Lisa Cummins, has served in both traditional Christian and Messianic settings for more than thirty years. Together with her husband Jim, she team-taught Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek, and general Bible studies. She served as a cantor at four Messianic congregations, applying the taamim melodies to which the biblical texts are traditionally chanted. She also taught Davidic worship dance, which uses traditional Israeli folk dance choreography in a worship setting. Like Jim, she has also ministered as a musician and a graphic artist. She participated along with several other fine believers in the work of the Messianic Scribal Arts ministry. By the close of that ministry, she had hand-scribed three traditional full-sized Torah scrolls and one Hebrew scroll of the four Gospels (along with many illustrated manuscripts, megillot, mezuzot, tefillin, ketubot and other commissioned scriptural art). She also turned the wood to produce the handles and finials of the scroll posts, and helped to embroider and sew the mantles for the scrolls.

Jim and Lisa loved to work on art together. They expressed their artwork in many media, including writing poetry and novels, songwriting/arranging/performing/recording, stained and fused glass, clay sculpture, watercolor painting, hand-painted cel animation, and more. They spent many years playing all kinds of music as a duo or in larger bands. Jim played drums, guitar and bass; Lisa plays clarinet, guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass and pennywhistle. Their greatest musical love was bluegrass, but they enjoyed listening to and performing all genres.

Aside from ministry, Jim had multiple careers as a high-level retail executive, professional musician, touring and teaching tennis pro, stained glass artist, and graphic artist. His Scottish/Welsh ancestors settled in Kentucky and eventually migrated into southwestern Ohio, where Jim was later born and raised. Lisa (whose ancestors immigrated from Italy and settled in Massachusetts where she was later born) worked professionally as an electrical engineer, graphic artist, marketer, math teacher (middle, high school and community college) and professional tutor. Jim and Lisa’s careers and backgrounds greatly shaped their lives and informed both the settings of their novels and the user-friendly approaches of their textbooks.

At the time of Jim’s passing in 2021, he left seven unfinished novels and many biblical instruction books in various stages of completion. Lisa counts herself privileged to continue carrying out the mission of finishing these works.