Obituary - Rev. Paul Sartell Moore Sr.

Rev. Paul Sartell Moore Sr. passed into eternity on the evening of August 24, 2025 in Kingston, NY. Born to Rev. Sartell Prentice and Viola May (Pace) Moore on June 17, 1942 at Montclair Community Hospital, he was the last of five children. He spent his childhood years growing up in the churches his father pastored including those in Lewisburg, PA, Maine, and New Jersey.
Out of high school his career path was quite diverse, and as a young husband included everything from touring as the bass singer in a gospel quartet known as the “King’s Keynotes” to operating a bar in Manhattan. In 1967 he found his true calling as a minister and with a note of support from his father, took on his first church in New Milford, NJ. Two years later, he founded the Maranatha Christian Center which soon became an epicenter of the “Jesus Movement”. The young Rev. Moore became famous for inviting local garage bands to play for his growing congregation.
In the 1970’s Rev. Moore established the Lamb’s Church of the Nazarene in Time Square, purchasing the famous “Lamb’s Club” on 44th street and establishing a church and off-Broadway faith-based theater group. He was featured on many talk shows, newspaper articles, magazines like “Newsweek” and even hosted a television marathon on WPIX Channel 11 raising funds for the Lambs Church. In the years that followed, Rev. Moore pastored New Life Church in Cupertino, CA, served at St. George’s Episcopal Church in NYC, launched Resurrection Church in Manhattan, NY, and briefly served as rector at Saint James Church Lake Delaware in Delhi, NY.
He also was personally asked to launch “Here’s Life Inner City”, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, by Dr. Bill Bright. He served as National Director for several years and from that work, CitiHope Radio Ministry was founded. Launched in 1986 with his first wife Sharon, CitiHope was known as a “compassionate connection” between those serving others in need and those with resources. At its height, the one-hour radio program aired 6 days a week, with his young son, Paul Jr. as co-host and field reporter.
In 1990, CitiHope Radio funded a mission trip to the former Soviet republic of Belarus which was suffering the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Rev. Moore, Dr. Michael Christensen, and Paul Jr. visited the ‘nuclear dead zone’ and spent many hours by the bedsides of those impacted. It was so impactful that the Moore family decided to dedicate their lives to international aid. Paul Sr. led the organization as President and served as Chairman of the Board and fell deeply in love with his wife Tamara in Minsk, Belarus.

At the time he retired as president, CitiHope Relief & Development had delivered over $500 million in aid around the world. Today, the ministry continues with his ‘dear brother’ Tim Tuccelli as Chairman and Paul Jr. as President/CEO and has delivered over $2 billion in medicine, food, and educational aid to 50 countries on 5 continents, including his beloved second home country of Dominican Republic. Of all the great and wonderful impacts his life has had, there were none so important to him as what the Sanar una Nación alliance has done and continues to do throughout Dominican Republic.
Paul Sr. and his wife Tamara have served in multiple ministries together. She was an integral part of his work the past three decades. They also founded Plantación de Cacao del Eden, an organic farm in Dominican Republic that produces world famous cacao beans and other produce and promotes eco-tourism and sustainable farming practices. As Paul Sr. fought cancer, Tamara and he faced it together with grace, positivity, and good humor. He smiled big and was filled with bright-eyed joy to the very end of his life here on this side of heaven.
Paul Sr. was predeceased by his parents, his sister Esther May and husband Warren Hilkert, his brother-in-law Dale Hilkert, and his twin brother and sister who were stillborn.

He is survived by his eldest sister Miriam Hilkert (94 years old), his beloved wife Tamara, his daughters Sheri Dawn Swartz and her husband Greg, Cathi Diane Mastrorocco and her husband Joseph, his son Fr. Paul Sartell Moore II and his wife Jessica, stepsons Dmitri (Katya) Temkin and Gleb Temkin, along with thirteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A funeral service, burial, and reception will be held on Friday, August 29 at Pottersville Reformed Church in Pottersville, NJ hosted by his wife Tamara. The viewing is at 12:00PM and the funeral at 1:00PM.

A memorial service and feast celebrating his life will also be held at Saint James Church Lake Delaware in Delhi, NY on September 27 at 1:00PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to CitiHope Relief & Development, www.citihope.org.