Jesus Is the Center

OUR MISSION

Every journey to God is an individual one, but it is not a journey that should be taken alone. The mission of Upper Room Church is to serve as an empowering guide and a viable spiritual resource. We Believe God wants to take every person on a journey of knowing him personally, finding freedom from their past, discovering purpose for their future, and making a difference in the world around them.

WE WANT EVERY PERSON TO

Know God

We believe every person has a next step in their relationship with God. Whether you are brand new to the faith, or have been serving God all your life. We design our Sunday Services around this one goal; to help all people take their next step in knowing Christ in a more personal way.

Find Freedom

He who the son sets free is free indeed! We believe this, and want you to experience this freedom! At Upper Room Church, we know true life change is found in circles, not in rows. Upper Room Groups are designed to help people, regardless of their past, find genuine and lasting freedom in Jesus.

Discover Purpose

God has a plan and purpose for you! We want to help you find it! At Upper Room Church, we believe the best way to begin this process is by going through our Growth Track Class. This class is strategically designed to help you discover your God given gifts and ultimately find your purpose.

Make a Difference

Team work makes the dream work! At Upper Room Church, we value each person and their unique gifting's and talents. The only way to truly be fulfilled in this life is to use your God given gifts to serve others! Our Upper Room Dream Team is designed to plug you in to the church by giving you an avenue to use your gifts to serve others and make a difference.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

The Bible

The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired and infallible. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26

Trinity

There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal.
I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.
John 1: 1, 14, 20:28; I Timothy 3: 16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5

Virgin Birth

Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary's womb; therefore, He is the Son of God.
Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35

Redemption

Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21

Salvation

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ: His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts. Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22

Repentance

Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation.
Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9

Sanctification

Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God's Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.
I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11

Jesus' Blood

The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death.
I John 1: 7; Revelation 1 :5, 5:9; Colossians 1 :20; Romans 3: 10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1 :29

Jesus Christ Indwells all Believers

Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead.
John 1: 12; John 14: 17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8: 11; Revelation 3:20

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters
Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter4:10

The Church Universal

The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the Church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23

Sacraments

•Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48

•The Lord's Supper:A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross.
Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11 :23-25

God's Will for Provision

It is the Father's will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God's will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ's provision in order to better serve others.

•Spiritual
2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10

•Mental and Emotional
2 Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3

•Physical
Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; I Peter 2:24 •Eioaocial
Joshua 1 :8; Malachi 3: 10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-1 O; Deuteronomy 28: 1-14; Psalm 34: 10, 84: 11; Philippians 4:19

Resurrection

Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; those that are saved to the resurrection of life and those that are lost to the resurrection of eternal separation from God. Luke24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21

Heaven

Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4

Hell

After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally separated from God with the Devil and the Fallen Angels.
Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8

Second Coming

Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures.
Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7

Marriage, Sexuality, and Gender

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably created each person as distinctly male or female (Gen. 1:26-31; 2:18-25; 5:1, 2). These two distinct and divinely representative genders together reflect the image and nature of God. We believe that the fullest, most rewarding experience of life includes the acceptance of a person’s God-given biological gender. The rejection of one’s biological gender diminishes the reflection of the image of God within a person.

We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. Any form of sexual intimacy outside of such marriage is hurtful to God’s heart, and harmful to the spiritual health of those involved. (1 Cor. 6:15-7:6; Eph. 5:3-7)

WHAT WE VALUE

Authenticity

It's ok to not be ok. At Upper Room, we value authentic genuine relationships. Upper Room is a place where you don't have to wear a mask and try to be something or someone that you are not. We believe the first step in finding healing, is uncovering the places in our lives that we may be hiding.

Generosity

We believe the overarching verb of the Bible is give. At Upper Room, our goal is to walk in the blessing of God so we can be generous on every occasion. Everything we are and everything we have is devoted to serving God and serving others.

Love

Our goal at Upper Room is to love the way Christ did. He defended the defenseless, fought for justice, and sacrificed for those around him. When it comes to loving our neighbor, Jesus is our model, message, and means.

Creativity

We were created, by a creator, to create. We believe creativity is the highest form of human expression. It was the first attribute we are given about God in Genesis, that in the beginning, he created. At Upper Room, it's our mission to help every person unlock their creative potential in Christ.

Opportunity

At Upper Room Church we believe everyone has potential and every person is needed. Without others, we would not be able to do what God has called us to do. So we believe whether you have been a Christian one day, or one hundred years, there's a opportunity for you to serve at Upper Room Church.

OUR TEAM

Lead Pastor
Nathan and Kaitlyn Pooley

Nathan Pooley is a passionate leader with a deep love for Jesus, a deep commitment to ministry, and a heart for the local church. Called into ministry at just seventeen years old, Nathan has devoted his life to spreading the message of Jesus Christ locally and abroad.

In 2012, Nathan, along with his wife Kaitlyn, took a significant leap of faith by launching an outreach ministry called Upper Room on Pensacola Beach. It was only suppose to last 6 weeks, but God had other plans. Upper Room Church officially launched on September 10, 2017, with the help of many amazing people and organizations. Upper Room Church is still fulfilling it’s mission to move people towards Christ, community, and calling. Nathan’s vision for multiplication with the addition of a new campus in Gulf Breeze in 2024, adds to the regional impact to see the local church thrive and reach more people for Christ.

When he’s not leading Upper Room Church, Nathan enjoys staying active by Surfing, Hunting, Fishing and exploring new places through travel, and cherishing time with his wife Kaitlyn and their one Son Asa. The Pooley family is completed by Bunker, their beloved German Wired Hair Pointer, who is truly the best dog on the planet.

Nathan and Kaitlyn are continually inspired by what God is doing through Upper Room Church and firmly believe that the best is yet to come for the Pensacola and Gulf Breeze area.

Upper Room Team

Pastoral and Support Staff

Kaitlyn Pooley - Worship Pastor
Joey Gonzalez - Worship Pastor
Jessica Witort - Children's Director
Hannah Keigley - Children's Pastor
Michael Murphy - Production Manager
Makenna Tate - Executive Support
Jared Hensley - Associate Pastor
Leah Emma - Financial Coordinator
Jordan Thomas - Communications and Missions
Ronda Hughes - Connections Pastor

Trustees

Dr. Buck Waters
Dr. Doug Gehman
Sam Germann

Elders

Clark and Stephanie Allen
Ken and Teresa Griffin
Austin and Elizabeth Pereira
Paul and Rhonda Wesley
Mark and Peggy Anderson

Upper Room Church was planted through the Association of Related Churches (ARC) in 2017. ARC is all about planting life-giving churches that grow, reproduce, and plant other life-giving churches themselves. It is a global family of church and business leaders that exists to see a thriving church in every community reaching people with the message of Jesus. ARC provides relationships, resources, and opportunities to leaders of new and existing churches so that we can thrive.

Learn More about ARC