A brief history. . .
The Upper Room Church began in 1962 as a result of home prayer meetings by Rev. Eunice Hall. The assembly began meeting in the upstairs of an old building in the town of Elkton and met there until 1970. In 1966, the Mayor of the town and his wife gave land to the church for the sum of $1 and the church was built and completed in 1970. When the church was completed, it was debt free.
The founding pastor, Rev. Eunice Hall, passed away in 1971 and Rev. Johnny Hensley became the Pastor. The church grew tremendously and in 1976, land that was known as The Drive-In Theatre and consisted of over 12 acres, was purchased. The present building was built and the church was paid in full in just 10 years.
Pastor Johnny Hensley and his wife, Betty, pioneered many new programs. They were visionaries in a small rural town! Pastor Hensley hosted a radio show for 10 years, opened a Christian academy, and began a television ministry in 1983, known as Outreach Ministries. This continued until July 2007, when God called him to his eternal home.
In August 2007, I , Rev. Barbara Hensley became Pastor. I worked alongside my father-in-law for about 23 years and have a love for all people, regardless of their weaknesses and issues. This church is a holistic (offering healing to the whole man or woman) church and I, along with my husband, Glendon, want you to know that this house – God's house – is for YOU! WE CONSIDER THIS CHURCH A GOOD NEWS CHURCH AND A "CHURCH OF THE SECOND CHANCE" because we know that not one of us is perfect. If you are looking for the imperfect church, it is US!
The Upper Room Church is more than a church, it is a place of worship. It is a community of people working together with diverse gifts and talents all pointed toward one goal: encouraging people to give their lives totally to Jesus Christ in order to live their lives forever, ETERNALLY! In December 2008, the Upper Room Church became an affiliate of The International Pentecostal Holiness Church, headquartered in Oklahoma. We are excited about the affiliation and plan to become very involved!
The Upper Room Church in Elkton, Virginia is a growing church, affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (www.iphc.org), that has a wide variety of ministries from casual Bible study to Friend, Family and Fellowship Night as well as Family Event Night, and weekly Worship Services. As a "good news" church, our worship of Christ is designed to utilize a community of believers and their gifts and callings to reach out, not only to our local community, but to be the extended hand of Christ even "to the ends of the Earth." Our goal is to provide something for everyone. WE ARE A "CHURCH OF A SECOND CHANCE"! We all have a story, but now we have HIS STORY in our lives. We are becoming new creatures because of Christ. We are REAL… and we serve a REAL God! We are a family… God's family… we are sons and daughters of Christ. We live, love, laugh and cry together!
Our Purpose
To lead people to a life of faith through the Word and then on the journey to full devotion by constant fine-tuning- one life at a time! To provide life lessons to help people be victorious in this life until He returns!
Our Vision
To proclaim Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. To be a center for Christian discovery, experience and development. To uphold God’s Word above tradition, legalism, and liberalism.