Aug 26, 2002 By Josh Krysak 3 min read

August Zelmore remembers a story his father, the late Rev. Arthur Zelmore, told him about the important role the church plays in supporting the mission field. August says his father was praying during an evening service at the Apostolic Lighthouse Church in Smithfield a few years ago on a night when only a few people were in attendance. His father began to hear more voices than the five or six that were in the church singing the hymn.

“He heard what he thought was a choir,” said August. Rev. Zelmore told August that he opened his eyes and saw Filipinos, Brazilians and many other nationalities of people in the congregation singing too. That vision helped to strengthen Rev. Zelmore’s resolve for funding missionaries, helped him to understand his part in mission work and led to his desire to build a sister church in the Philippines.

“God told him, ‘Your congregation is not as small as you think it is,'” said August.

Rev. Arthur Zelmore was killed last August in a car accident as he traveled to a mission conference in Bruceton Mills, W.Va. Zelmore had been the pastor at the Apostolic Lighthouse Church for nearly 30 years. He had served as the secretary-treasurer of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ Inc. He even coached a local barnstorming basketball team called the Sleepy Hollow Yellow Jackets in the 1950s, but it is his vision for missions that lives on.

In a recent memorial service, his family, friends and congregation gathered to remember the pastor.

“I think I fell in love with him all over again,” said his wife, Karen.

“It’s been a tough row to hoe. Even though it’s been a year, I still wish he was here. I still think he had a lot more to give,” said August.

August and Karen, along with her daughter, Edith, sustained major injuries in the accident and are still recovering but want more than anything to see the completion of Rev. Zelmore’s vision of a church in the Philippines.

“We are sponsoring it and following through with his dream,” said Karen.

According to August, the building is under way and the structure will be solid compared to some of the churches there.

“Some of the churches are just thatched roofs and four posts,” said August, who visited the island on a mission trip in 1999.

The 30- by 40-foot structure is scheduled to be complete by next April, when the Zelmores plan to attend a dedication service for it. The church is going to be named in Rev. Zelmore’s honor. Larry Mann, a 31-year veteran of the Filipino mission field, said it is a fitting tribute to Zelmore.

“He was not just a sponsor but a dear friend,” said Mann. “This church will mean that the dream of Rev. Zelmore will become a reality,” he said.

The Apostolic Lighthouse Church has helped to finance the building of other churches, the Filipino Bible School and helps to support the pastors in the field, but this building will be special.

The church is being constructed on the main Philippine island of Mindanao and will be named The Apostolic Lighthouse of Ozamiz City, with a plaque in Rev. Zelmore’s honor gracing the front of the building.

When the doors to the new church open, Rev. Zelmore’s dream will be complete, and August said his father’s faithfulness will be fulfilled.

“He was faithful in all things. When we go over there to dedicate that building, it is something that I thought would never be seen this quickly. It is going to be a great honor,” he said.