A Pentecostal Home in a Jewish Landmark on Reading Road
Zion Temple First Pentecostal Church sits on Reading Road in Cincinnati, in a stone building that has watched over Avondale and the surrounding neighborhoods for more than a century. The congregation calls itself the mother church of the Apostolic faith in the Greater Cincinnati area, a heritage that goes back to 1920, when Sister Melvina Nelson and Brother Armstrong first gathered a small flock on Third Street. More than a hundred years and many addresses later, the church has settled into the former Isaac M. Wise Center, a Jewish landmark whose smoked stained-glass windows, Buff-stone walls, and fifty rooms now frame Pentecostal worship in a building the size of a full city block.
Worship on Sundays and Prayer at Noon
The Sunday schedule begins at 10:00 a.m. with Sunday School in the chapel, followed by the worship service in the sanctuary at noon. Both hours are open in person and online, so members at home can join through the livestream on the church's YouTube channel. The chapel also hosts a Wednesday night Bible class at 7:00 p.m. and a noon-day prayer gathering three days a week, with Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday set aside for an hour of intercession in person or virtually. Prayer requests are taken in person and from a prayer box and lifted up during those midday sessions. The office is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for visits and drop-offs.
The Isaac M. Wise Center, a Building With a Past
The story of the building is part of the story of the church. The Zion Temple family moved into the Isaac M. Wise Center at 3771 Reading Road on July 16, 1973, leaving behind its former home on Gilbert Avenue to gain a larger sanctuary and more classrooms for Christian education. The Buff stones of the structure were imported from the old country, and the sanctuary still carries authentic smoked stained-glass windows depicting the Passover and other Hebrew celebrations. About fifty rooms make up the facility, including classrooms, offices, restrooms, a men's and women's lounge, a full kitchen and dining area, an elevator, and spacious parking. The mortgage was burned in September 1981, and by 1993 the replacement cost of the property was estimated at more than three million dollars.
Pastor Brian T. Hamilton and a Lineage of Apostolic Shepherds
The current pastor is Bishop Brian T. Hamilton, an ordained Elder of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World who grew up in Troy, Ohio, accepted his call to the ministry in 1995, and now shepherds both Zion Temple and Transformed Life Church. He is the founder of the Wood Street Community Development Corporation, a chaplain with the Piqua Police Department, a past president of the Piqua Association of Churches, and currently the Diocesan for the Venezuela District Council of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. He is assisted by Suffragan Bishop Charles L. Smith, D.D., who serves as pastor emeritus. Bishop Smith was born in 1937 in Wheeling, West Virginia, baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Holy Ghost in 1955 at Shiloh Temple Church in Martin's Ferry, Ohio, and ordained in 1973 by Bishop Francis Smith. He has pastored in Marion, Ohio for twenty-one years, served on the Ohio District Council board in several roles, and continues to write a weekly column called The Pastor's Pen along with a series of Book by Book Bible studies. His wife, Evangelist Mildred Smith, is the First Lady of Zion Temple, the overseer of the praise dancers, and an advisor to the Christian Women's Auxiliary.
Phillips Bible Institute and the Call to Study
Phillips Bible Institute, the church's training ground for ministry, was organized in September 1974 by the late Dr. Jasper J. Phillips, who pastored Zion Temple from February 7, 1950, until the Lord called him home. Phillips Bible Institute is affiliated with the Evangelical Teacher Association, and its teachers are all spirit-filled volunteers certified by that body. Students have come from many denominations, some traveling fifty miles a week to attend. Many graduates received the Leadership Certificate, the highest certificate in the ETA program, and went on to pastor, minister, or teach in their own churches.
Zion Temple Christian Academy, K-3 Through Sixth Grade
Alongside the Bible Institute, the church operates Zion Temple Christian Academy, a graded Christian school serving students from K-3 through grade 6. The school offers a Christian perspective on a full academic curriculum, and families are invited to schedule a tour to see the classrooms that share the historic Wise Center with the rest of the church.
Children, Youth, and the Zionettes
Children's ministry at Zion Temple is built around Proverbs 22:6: train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Children's Church for ages 4 through 12 meets during the Sunday morning service in the chapel, where children are encouraged to accept Christ, learn to live for Him, and share what they have learned. The Zionettes Children's Choir, which recently marked its fortieth anniversary, rehearses and sings once a month and presents concerts and holiday performances. All volunteers working with children and teens have cleared a national criminal background check. The youth ministry serves ages 12 through 18, and the Daughters of Zion and Granddaughters of Zion, under the leadership of Evangelist Mildred Smith, give young people a place to worship through dance.
A Music Ministry Built for the Sanctuary
Music is woven into the life of the church. Bryan Phillips serves as Minister of Music, with Rodney Napier Jr. as Assistant Minister of Music, Rodney Napier Sr. on lead guitar, Mike Tribble on tenor saxophone, and Jonathan Foster on drums. Debbie Hill directs the children's choir as pianist. The ministry includes a Praise Team, a Mass Choir, a Men's Choir, a Women's Choir, the Zion Temple Young People's Choir, and the Zionettes, all of which lift up the weekly worship.
Men of Zion, Christian Women, and Hospitality
The Men of Zion gathers men for Bible study, fellowship, and conversation about the life of today's man and oversees the annual Men's Day observance. The Christian Women's Auxiliary, led by President Dorothy Williams and Vice President Belinda King, follows a similar pattern of Bible study and service. Hospitality at Zion Temple runs through several teams: the Food Service Ministry prepares meals for funerals, the Church Anniversary, and Pastor's Appreciation; the Nurse's Guild cares for members and visitors during services and special events; the Usher Board greets, distributes programs, and assists with the offering; and the Hospitality Team welcomes newcomers, answers questions, and helps them find a place in ministry.
Married God's Way, Bereavement Care, and Sound Mind, Sound Body
Married couples find a separate fellowship in Married God's Way, a ministry of outings, events, and gatherings that share the joys and challenges of marriage. The Bereavement Ministry walks with families through the grief process after the loss of a loved one, offering listening, groups, education, and resources grounded in the promise that God will never leave or forsake His people. The Health Ministry rounds out the church's care for the whole person, encouraging a healthy lifestyle through proper eating, exercise, and regular consultation with a health provider, and hosting workshops and health fairs throughout the year.
Outreach, the Food Pantry, and Community Meals
Zion Temple takes the Great Commission literally. A food pantry is available to anyone in need, and on the third Monday of every month the church passes out free meals to go to the community, with all welcome while supplies last. During the warmer months the church moves its services outdoors to worship with the community, and a Community Witnessing team goes door to door sharing the good news of Christ. A prayer line is also available at 513-559-9442 for those who would like to request prayer.
Beliefs: Apostolic, Spirit-Filled, and Looking for the Coming King
Zion Temple's statement of faith reads the Bible as the inspired and profitable Word of God, given for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Salvation is presented as repentance, baptism in Jesus' name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, with signs following as on the day of Pentecost. The church teaches the mystery of the Godhead, the divinity and humanity of Jesus, divine healing, the imminent return of Christ, the translation of the saints, the millennium, and the final judgment at the Great White Throne. A wholly sanctified life is set forth as the only true standard of Christian living, and tithing and freewill offerings are taught as God's plan for funding His work. The church's denominational family is the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, the oldest Oneness Pentecostal organization in the world, and locally it is part of the Ohio District Council.
Radio, Media, and Giving
The church's voice reaches beyond Cincinnati through a regular radio schedule and the livestreamed Sunday service and Wednesday Bible class on YouTube. Giving can be made online through Givelify, PayPal, or Cash App, mailed to the church office, or dropped off on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. or during services. Suffragan Bishop Smith also publishes a weekly column and a series of Bible study notes, and the church bookstore through the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World carries the Apostolic Way annual commentary along with Smith’s Book by Book studies of the Old and New Testaments. Together the historic building, the school, the Bible Institute, the choirs, and the prayer rhythms of the chapel make Zion Temple First Pentecostal Church a steady presence on Reading Road, where the Apostolic faith in Greater Cincinnati has been kept alive for more than a century.