Feeding the Flock From the Upper Room

by Jael SC · December 17, 2016

For more than 80 years, a Christian ministry has published devotional booklets written by and for every-day people. MANDLA ZIBI found out more about The Upper Room.

It has been described as “where the world meets to pray”; a book which has raised prayer to a lifestyle. Born in 1935, during the last kicks of the American depression, the iconic daily devotional booklet The Upper Room is still thriving despite a world almost swamped by digital technology.

And since 2000 it has produced an African edition, with future collaborations including one with a local Catholic organisation.

From an initial print order of a 100000 in St Antonio, Texas, the interdenominational booklet has spread to more than 100 countries across the globe — including South Africa. It is translated into 33 different languages and has a distribution of almost 3 million copies every two months.

The editorial staff of the publication receives almost 4000 devotions a year. After a rigorous process, 365 devotions are chosen, which explains why, from being received, discussed, accepted, and finally edited, a devotion can take up to two years before it is published.

In fact, like the devotions themselves, the cover images of the booklet are also chosen at least two years in advance from the portfolios of Christian artists around the world, a process almost always the source of heated debate among the editorial team.

The booklet is part of Upper Room Ministries, an ecumenical global entity dedicated to supporting the spiritual formation of Christians seeking to know and experience God more fully.

The organisation now includes publications, programmes, prayer support, and other resources to help believers of all ages and denominations move to a deeper level of faith and service.

It is published under the umbrella of Discipleship Ministries, a project of the United Methodist congregation.

The Upper Room was founded more than 80 years ago by a small group of women.

“While these mothers were struggling to feed their families physically, they also recognised the important and inherent need to feed their families with ‘spiritual food’ on a regular basis,” explained Roland Rink, director of Africa Upper Room Ministries (AURM), the local arm of the organisation, which has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.

“They began writing about where they saw God at work in their everyday lives — a difficult task given their circumstances” of the economic expression.

The name of the booklet was a last-minute decision.

“Mere hours before going to press, a name had yet to be found. Finally the first editor, Grover Eamons, almost in desperation, called the printer and named the magazine The Upper Room — the place where the disciples waited after the crucifixion of Jesus when Holy Spirit anointed them,” Mr Rink said.

“After much discussion, persuasion and cajoling of the local church leadership by the women in San Antonio, 100 000 copies of the magazine were finally printed. The Upper Room magazine had been born.”

Almost overnight, the magazine became a popular read, and demand soon came from around the world. That success led to a flourishing publishing business which has since produced a number of popular Christian authors. These include some South Africans: Trevor Hudson, Peter Storey, Dion Foster and Wessel Bentley, to name a few.

Africa Upper Room Ministries was established in South Africa in 2000.

“It was born out of a sincere desire to feed the shepherds and thereby their flocks; to support and assist every African to spend time with God every day; and to tell the world the faith stories of Africans,” Mr Rink said.

“The experience of AURM staff is that Jesus Christ changed their lives — they sincerely believe that there is absolutely no reason why Jesus Christ cannot change the life of every African, and thereby the entire continent of Africa.”

Produced from Cape Town, the first South African print order of the magazine 16 years ago was 6000 copies.

Today, 20000 copies of the African English and 12 000 copies of the African-Portuguese edition are printed and distributed in South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe. A French edition is translated and edited in Cote d’Ivoire from where it serves the need of French speaking Christians.

High on the priority list of AURM is the “ongoing, active promotion and support of local South African authors for books and devotions”, as is the use of local artists for book and magazine covers.

“African Christian spirituality is a neglected area. The world wants to know more about it. At AURM we would like to provide Africans with a global platform to express themselves and their spiritual life,” Mr Rink said.

In 2005, AURM began using the latest print-on-demand technology to publish and distribute Upper Room books in Southern Africa, in line with the institutional model of dealing directly with the end-user.

“The result has been that African Christians have benefited enormously by not having to pay high prices for Christian books and The Upper Room magazine, all of which were previously imported and consequently subject to dramatic exchange rate fluctuations,” said Mr Rink.

International, interdenominational and interracial, the Upper Room project remains completely self-funding through sales of the magazine, books and donations, which allow it to retain its own independence from its parent ministry, now based in Nashville, Tennessee.

But distribution of the magazine and books is still often quite a challenge, so using an informal network of retired clergy comes in handy when getting the magazine to many rural areas of South Africa. Mr Rink said AURM is always looking for agents and people “with entrepreneurial spirit to assist”.

“More than 80 years later, the basic formula of The Upper Room magazine remains the same. The devotions are written by everyday people from many countries around the world, including Africa, in simple language,” said Mr Rink.

“People tell their heart-felt personal faith stories about where they see God at work in their lives. Through the power of Holy Spirit, people connect and identify with the stories of their fellow humans. It truly is a living example of the story of the mustard seed,” he said.

Plans for the future include, among others, the digital publication of various Upper Room magazines and books, expanding The Walk to Emmaus in more African countries.

“We are excited about the release in 2017 of a new Lenten devotional book co-authored by Trevor Hudson and authors from the Jesuit Institute of South Africa,” said Mr Rink, adding that AURM will assist with the marketing and distribution of “this important resource”.

For more information, go to www.devotional.upperroom.org or contact