WHEELING — As he stood before the group assembled at Wheeling Park’s White Palace Ballroom, Suff. Bishop Darrell Cummings offered a story that he felt symbolized the principle of passion and “passion planning.”

In August 1997, his church, Bethlehem Apostolic Temple, bought a small house to turn into a youth center. Cummings wanted to offer afterschool programing and a safe space for kids. Shortly after, he received threatening phone calls and threats against his and his family’s well-being. The people on the other side of the phone told him he had no right buying property in that neighborhood.

“A few weeks after those threats, that building was burned down to the ground,” he said. “When members would leave the church, eggs would be thrown at them … during our services, people would holler racist remarks in our windows.

“But with God’s help, we continued,” he added. “And now God has blessed us that we still have our North Wheeling youth center, and we’re still helping people because it is our passion.”

The Wheeling YMCA honored Cummings and his passion for helping others Wednesday afternoon, presenting him with the Dr. Lee Jones Patron of Youth Award at the organization’s “Light of the Valley” luncheon.

Through his church, Cummings has affected the lives of countless children and their families over the span of decades. The church offers free distributions of food and other items before Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas at the North Wheeling Dream Center. At the Christmas event, children can walk through the facility and pick toys to take home.

The church also sponsors a back-to-school celebration that, this year, extended to three days. This past Friday, children could take advantage of free health screenings at the church. This past Saturday, children and families received school supplies, clothes and food. On Sunday, the church held a carnival at Wheeling Park.

“Bishop Cummings is a doer when it would be easier not to sometimes,” said Jamie Bordas, president of the YMCA Board of Directors. “He doesn’t talk to talk, he walks the walk. He doesn’t just give his treasure. He doesn’t just give his talent. He doesn’t just give his time. He gives it all.”

In a tribute video, Cummings’ family and friends talked about his caring nature and how he goes the extra mile to help those in need in the community. No phone call goes unanswered. When the family is getting ready to go out for dinner, and a call comes in that someone is struggling to get food to feed their family, the trip to the restaurant goes on hold.

“He’s cut from a different cloth,” Cummings’ friend Jeremiah Thomas said. “He’s selfless. He gives himself. I’m just glad that I’m his friend.”

Cummings reiterated that passion is one of the main things that drives him – a passion for his faith, a passion for his community and a passion to help others. And that passion goes into the plans he makes to provide that help. To that end, he recalled some of the words from one of his favorite authors, John Maxwell.

“Planning without passion will go no place,” Cummings said. “Passion without planning will go every place but passion with planning will go to the right place.”

Wednesday’s guest speaker was former West Virginia University running back Avon Cobourne, who holds the career records at both WVU and in the Big East for rushing yards. Now a financial professional for Primerica Financial Services, he previously spent time as the marketing and membership director for the Charleston Family YMCA.

Thus, he considers himself a “Y Guy,” and told the crowd of influential people in Wednesday’s audience that they should use that influence to help others in even small ways.

“The next time you’re there at the Y, and you’re on a treadmill or you’re working out, talk to that person next to you,” he said. “You never know what encouraging words you can give to them to really put them in a position to change their dynamic.”

At the end of the luncheon, Bordas gave Wheeling YMCA Executive Director Adam Shinsky a check for $55,200 from funds raised at Wednesday’s event.