In Memory of John Cummins (September 8, 1926 – December 11, 2021)

Rev. Dr. John Cummins died on December 11, 2021, at the age of 95.

John was born on September 8, 1926, in Cincinnati, OH to Alice E. and Rev. Dr. Robert Cummins. His father was a Unitarian Universalist minister and head of the Universalist Churches of America for many years; being a preacher’s kid greatly influenced his life.

John attended the Brown and Nichols Preparatory School in Cambridge, MA. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1947 from Bowdoin College, ME where he majored in English Literature and received the Pray English Prize for excellence in creative writing and the Sewell Award for highest scholarship in classical Greek. As he matured in high school and college during World War II, he developed a lifelong interest in developing the world community, in the causes and cure of war, i.e., economic justice, population problems, world law, and intercultural exchange. For him, the Unitarian Universalist movement was a catalyst for social growth and change. He viewed Unitarian Universalism as an effort to build a religious outlook and value system that would heal and unite forces among human cultures and within the human family. To contribute to this religious outlook, he prepared for the liberal ministry at Harvard University, MA graduating with his Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1950. In 1978, Meadville Lombard Theological School awarded him an honorary Doctorate.

Rev. Dr. Cummins was ordained on June 4, 1950, by the Universalist Church, Arlington, MA. His first parish was the UU Church of Brunswick, ME where he served from 1950 to 1954. He was instrumental in the building of a new Parish Hall, established a young married couples club, and organized the Friendship Club for Junior High school students. The best that came out of the Maine experience was his wife Drusilla, whom he married in 1951.

In 1954, Rev. Dr. Cummins accepted a call from the First Parish in Waltham, MA. He ministered at First Parish until 1963. There, he had his radio program for several years. Alongside his parish duties, he served as a chaplain at Brandeis University, MA (for six years). He pioneered the merging of a Unitarian and a Universalist church in 1959, some two years before the national merger between the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association. In 1960, he won the Skinner Award for the best sermon of the year on Social Concerns.

In 1963, Rev. Dr. Cummins moved to Minneapolis, to become the fifth settled minister for the 104-year-old, First Universalist Church of Minneapolis, MN. When he arrived, membership was less than 350 and it flourished under his leadership. First Universalist Church became a sanctuary church in 1984 and by the time of his retirement (1986), three services were held each Sunday. In 1988, the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis honored him as their Minister Emeritus. After retirement, Rev. Dr. Cummins helped serve 66 congregations across the Upper Midwest. He was always proud of the men and women he helped to enter the UU ministry.

In addition to his parish ministry, Rev. Dr. Cummins served several denominational boards. He was a secretary and treasurer of the Brunswick Ministers’ Association and vice- president of the Universalist Ministers’ Association of Maine. He was a trustee of Meadville/Lombard Theological School for six years and a ministerial settlement representative of the Prairie Star District for twelve years. He served the UU Women’s Federation (1973-1977) and the UUA Commission on Appraisal. Likewise, he chaired the UUA Principles and Purposes Committee and served on the UUA’s Board of Trustees (1981). In 1983, he was an interim minister for four months at the Unitarian Church, Adelaide, South Australia.

John was director of the United Nations Association of Minnesota (1963) and president of the Association (1965- 1968). He was an ardent civil rights activist who believed in more inclusive leadership and women’s rights. In 1964, he went to Selma, AL, and was present with Dr. Martin Luther King at the Memorial for James Reeb. In 1965, he attended the White House Conference on International Cooperation at the invitation of President Johnson. He was a member of the Brunswick Rotary Club, the Abortion Rights Council of Minnesota, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, and was a counselor for the Conscientious Objection to Military Service. He also served on committees for many local charities and fund drives. In 1969, he ran for the Minnesota legislature.

John enjoyed writing and got several of his works published. Some of his writings are: “The Minnesota Story,” in The New Look in Politics, pub. University of New Mexico Press, 1968; “Sanctuary,” a feature article in The Humanist, March/ April 1986. His book, This Strange and Wondrous Journey, was published in 1991. In 1991, together with his wife Dru, he received the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Distinguished Service Award.

In his spare time, John enjoyed swimming and boating. He liked poetry and reading- especially biographies of historic figures. In human history, he admired: Socrates of Athens, Jesus of Nazareth, Francis of Assisi, Gandhi of India, and Dr. King and Susan B. Anthony of America.

John is survived by his daughter: Carol Cummins and his son Clyde Cummins. He was preceded in death by his wife, Drusilla, and a son, Christopher.

A celebration of life was held on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis, 3400 Dupont Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to John & Dru Cummins Ministerial Internship Fund in c/o First Universalist Church of Minneapolis or the Planned Parenthood of Minnesota.

Notes of condolences can be sent to Carol Cummins, 2440 Brookridge Ave, Golden Valley, MN 55422.