The History of The Upper Room Daily Meditation Guide

The Upper Room daily devotional guide was first published (in English) in 1935. The initial print run of 100,000 copies for its first issue, April/May/June 1935, quickly sold out. The staff ordered 160,000 copies of the second issue and 211,000 of the third issue. By the seventh issue, the print run was half a million copies. Individuals were invited to provide content for the daily entries and the emphasis was on personal stories of everyday people. Soon after the magazine’s publication, its readers began writing and sending in devotionals that spoke of their personal faith stories. By 1938, the magazine was publishing meditations written by ordinary readers, not just invited writers. With the January/February/March 1939 issue, less than four years after the first issue, circulation reached an astounding one million copies.

Over the years, that little, beloved magazine has sparked a global ministry that now reaches millions around the world in over 100 countries in more than 30 languages.

The Upper Room in Africa was first published in 2002. Africa Upper Room Ministries (AURM) aims to offer every soul the opportunity to grow holistically through spending time with God every day. Its operations are undertaken in pursuit of growing people’s daily spiritual practice and lifelong journey in the likeness and love of Jesus Christ. AURM seeks to establish a reciprocal relationship between Africa and the wider world whereby AURM is both a giver and receiver of spiritual resources. Today 19750 copies are printed in English and Portuguese and distributed throughout South Africa and other African countries like Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Botswana.

In addition to the daily devotional guide, AURM offers others publications, programs, prayer support and other resources that are intended to help people of all ages and denominations to grow spiritually and move to a deeper level of faith and service.