Started in 1935, The Upper Room still inspires readers around the globe to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

JOE IOVINO
United Methodist Communications

Many United Methodists are familiar with the bi-monthly, daily devotional guide called The Upper Room. Often found in the literature racks of our churches and available online, The Upper Room is the first thing some read every morning and the last others read every night. For more than 80 years, the devotional thoughts have been shared over meals, discussed in Sunday School classes, and read aloud in hospital rooms all over the world.

Whether a daily reader or new to The Upper Room, these quick facts will give you a new appreciation for this publication of The United Methodist Church.

When the first, then quarterly issue of The Upper Room was released for April-May-June 1935, there was little else like it. Oswald Chambers’ devotional classic My Utmost for His Highest was first published in the United States the same year, and Our Daily Bread would not be released for another three years.

After much prayer and planning, 100,000 copies of the first issue were released as an “experiment for one quarter,” according to the original motion. Worries over how it would be received were soon eased.

They printed 160,000 copies of the second issue, July-August-September, then 211,000 of the October-November-December one. By the end of 1936, 500,000 copies of the seventh edition were printed.

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Last Updated on October 31, 2023