The Upper Room is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

organization that publishes books and magazines and that produces programs to support the spiritual life of Christians around the world. The Upper Room is best known for ''The Upper Room''

daily devotional A daily devotional is a religious publication that provides a specific spiritual reading for each calendar day. Many daily devotionals take the form of one year devotional books, with many being tailored specifically for children, teenagers, stude ...

, which is published in 35 languages and is available in more than 100 countries. Other publications include devozine for teens and ''Pockets'' for children. Programs include The Walk to Emmaus and The Academy for Spiritual Formation. The Upper Room has a chapel, which features a nearly life-size woodcarving of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

's ''The Last Supper''. Services are held in the chapel each Wednesday. Attached to the chapel is the Christian Art Museum, which has a permanent display reflecting the global ministry of The Upper Room. The Upper Room has its roots in

The United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

, but its offerings are

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

and global. Its vision is "to foster an international community of people and congregations who are seeking God, building a vision of new life in Christ, nurturing one another by sharing experiences of God's love and guidance, and encouraging one another in Christian action to transform the world."

History

''The Upper Room'' daily devotional guide began publication in 1935, and the first 100,000 copies quickly sold out. In 1938, it published its first language editions, Korean, Spanish, and Hindustani. In 1940, the Braille edition began, and chaplains began distributing the devotional to the military. By 1944, circulation had passed the two million mark. In late 2009, the one billionth copy of ''The Upper Room'' rolled off the presses. From 1971 to 2017, The Upper Room published ''Alive Now,'' a thematic, bimonthly magazine; and from 1986 to 2017, it published ''Weavings,'' a journal that wove together the voices of the finest leaders in the Christian spiritual world. In 1981, The Upper Room began publishing ''Pockets'' for children. In 1996, it started publishing devozine for youth. The two flagship programs of The Upper Room are The Walk to Emmaus and The Academy for Spiritual Formation. The Walk to Emmaus began in 1978 and emphases Christian spiritual renewal and formation, beginning with a three-day weekend course in Christian formation. Over the years, it has expanded to include Chrysalis for teens, Journey to the Table for young adults, Face to Face for older adults, and Discovery Weekend for middle-schoolers. In 1983 The Academy for Spiritual Formation was founded. It offers an in-depth experience into spiritual practices of the Christian life. Today, The Upper Room's books, magazines, and programs are used throughout the world.

Structure

The Upper Room is a

501(c)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, incorporated in the U.S. state of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Locations

The Upper Room is headquartered in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, Tennessee. Africa Upper Room Ministries is located in Eikenhof,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. In 2016, The Upper Room opened an office in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

References

External links

The Upper Room (official site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Upper Room, The (United Methodist Church) Christian devotional literature

Upper Room The Cenacle (from the Latin , "dining room"), also known as the Upper Room (from the Koine Greek ''anagaion'' and ''hyperōion'', both meaning "upper room"), is a room in Mount Zion in Jerusalem, just outside the Old City walls, traditionally ...

Publications established in 1935

History

Structure

Locations

See also

References

External links