What kind of a church are you?
We are an evangelistic, independent, Bible-believing church. “Evangelistic” means that we believe that God, through the power of the gospel (see below), has the ability to change people’s lives. We are “Independent” in that we answer to the Holy Spirit, not to any earthly governing body. “Bible-believing” means that we believe that the Bible is the inspired inerrant Word of God – His message to us. We study it; our sermons come directly from it; and we attempt to apply its principles to our lives, our marriages, our families, our relationships, our jobs, etc.
What is “the gospel”?
In a nutshell, the gospel (transliterated from the Greek: “evangel” or good news) is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day (I Corinthians15:1-3) and promises eternal life for those who believe in Him (the Gospel of John). The greater question, however, is what will you do with it? (click on “What must I do to be saved”)
Why “The Upper Room”?
In the early years, our church was known as “Community Christian Center”, and our founder (Pastor Daniel Kupferschmid) provided space above his business for the weekly worship. One day as he was going up the stairs, he felt that the Lord gave him the name “The Upper Room Bible Church”.
While we no longer worship in that small “upper room”, the name now stands for many of the elements of the church represented in John 13 – 17 and Acts 1:12-2:13, 20:8). The church is to be a place of rest before the storm, a place for fellowship, communion, and intimacy with our Lord, a setting for love between brother and sisters in Christ, the empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit, a base from which to build and send out disciples, and a place to hear the preaching of the Word.
If I want to visit, how should I dress?
We take the phrase “Come as you as to worship” very literally. God accepts as we are – and turns us into what He wishes. We have no dress code, but we do ask that you dress modestly to honor the Lord and not distract other worshippers.
Why do you have Revelation 22:17 listed on your sign and logo?
This verse is the last instruction in the Bible, and it reads: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
We believe our main purpose after coming to believe in Jesus Christ ourselves, is to join with the Holy Spirit in inviting others to come to Him.
What do you believe are “essential” doctrines?
We believe in holding fervently to a small set of core doctrines – centered around the person and work of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, and God the Father and around the Word of God.
We unite around the seven essential elements of unity listed in Ephesians 4:3-5: one body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Interestingly, “one doctrine” is not listed as a uniting factor. We believe that attempting to force all believers toward the same doctrine on all points is pharisaical (see Matthew 23) and counter-productive to the cause of Christ.
We DO have a strong set of core doctrines, but have intentionally kept this set small, to allow the Holy Spirit to unite His diverse believers into one body. We are allowed to follow His leading in regard to controversial non-core issues.
What version of the Bible do you use?
We have a wide variety of versions used by individuals within the church. Our current pastor preaches mostly from the New International Version (NIV), and our pew Bibles are also NIV. Our previous pastor preached exclusively from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) version. The King James Version (KJV) and New King James Version (NKJV) are and will continue to be faithful and reliable versions.
Thought-for-thought versions like the NIV allow English readers great readability without sacrificing too much of the original language meaning. Word-for-word translations such as the KJV, NKJV, and NASB may be best for understanding the original intent of a passage. Easy to read versions such as the New Living Translation (NLT) have merit in personal study. Hyper-literal translations – Young’s Literal Translation (YLT), the Amplified Bible, and The Expanded Bible – sacrifice readability in the English for accuracy in the original languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic). The KJV is unsurpassed in elevating the person of God in the traditional style of the 1600s.
We believe that God is powerful enough to work through many versions of the Bible. In fact, there are over 40 full-text searchable English versions now on biblegateway.com. Each of these is useful for one study purpose or another.
