From the outside, looking in, anyone can observe that Reverend Sherri James leads a busy life. She is a mother, a minister, an author, an entrepreneur, and a financial planner. She also volunteers her time and enjoys activities with her son.
Like most working mothers, James wears many hats daily. However, on closer review, you’ll soon understand this woman of God is moving with intention. Everything she does leads back to one of her main philosophies in life, finding ways to teach people how to leave lasting legacies.
“Each of us has a unique talent or specific thing that we can do to contribute to our communities, ultimately making society a great place for everyone,” says James. “This is how we can all leave a positive legacy. Through my ministry and my work in business, I teach people how to become the person they dream of being.”
One of the ways she accomplishes her goal is by serving as the Senior Pastor and CEO at the Understanding Principle for Better Living Church (UP Church) in Los Angeles. She stepped into that role in 2015 when the late Reverend Dr. Della Reese Lett, Founding Pastor, retired and handed the reins to James. At the same time she was finishing seminary school. Since then, she has received the 2017 Barbara Kimble Award for Excellence in Spiritual Teaching, grown her congregation, stabilized the church’s finances, written a book, and become a mother.
“I am living a blessed life, and I am grateful. In every aspect of my work, I have help. Even when it comes to my son, there are trusting people who help with his care. Knowing he is safe allows me to put my best efforts toward serving others,” says James.
Another way she cares for others is through her work as a wealth manager. In this role, she ensures people retire with enough money to live full lives. As a pastor, James knows many of her peers in the ministry use their income to help members of their congregations or to improve services at their churches. This means pastors can often retire without savings.
She credits her current success to some of her past career choices. As a film producer and production company executive, she worked to ensure the cast, directors, and film crews had the tools they needed to create meaningful movies. As a co-author of the book “The Money Poems,” she and writer Mark Allen Fellows, share how adults can calm their fears and anxieties around money.
“I am on a mission to ensure other ministers learn how to save for their retirement. It is only right that people who dedicate their lives to serving others retire with dignity,” James explains.
Even though she dedicates her life’s work to teaching and helping others, James says selfcare is important and necessary for her.
James is a graduate of the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary. She holds an MFA from USC’s Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program and a BFA with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and of Jack & Jill of America.
During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 10-year-old son, Jordan. She also enjoys reading, yoga, traveling, and experiencing new restaurants.
“Having time to meditate, do my daily devotion, and exercise are important ways I maintain my mental and physical health,” says James. “By taking care of myself, I am creating a good life for my son and showing him how he can eventually become the person he desires to be.”
“I am living a blessed life, and I am grateful. In every aspect of my work, I have help. Even when it comes to my son, there are trusting people who help with his care. Knowing he is safe allows me to put my best efforts toward serving others,” says James.
Another way she cares for others is through her work as a wealth manager. In this role, she ensures people retire with enough money to live full lives. As a pastor, James knows many of her peers in the ministry use their income to help members of their congregations or to improve services at their churches. This means pastors can often retire without savings.
“I am on a mission to ensure other ministers learn how to save for their retirement. It is only right that people who dedicate their lives to serving others retire with dignity,” James explains.
She credits her current success to some of her past career choices. As a film producer and production company executive, she worked to ensure the cast, directors, and film crews had the tools they needed to create meaningful movies. As a co-author of the book “The Money Poems,” she and writer Mark Allen Fellows, share how adults can calm their fears and anxieties around money.
Even though she dedicates her life’s work to teaching and helping others, James says selfcare is important and necessary for her.
“Having time to meditate, do my daily devotion, and exercise are important ways I maintain my mental and physical health,” says James. “By taking care of myself, I am creating a good life for my son and showing him how he can eventually become the person he desires to be.”
James is a graduate of the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary. She holds an MFA from USC’s Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program and a BFA with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and of Jack & Jill of America.
During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 10-year-old son, Jordan. She also enjoys reading, yoga, traveling, and experiencing new restaurants.
Rev. John Downey III (“The Traveling Minister”) is an Emmy nominated television producer, and award-winning Film, TV, and Stage actor. Host/Moderator of the live weekly prayer claim call for 10 years and podcast GodTalks2. John serves at Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles as an Assistant Minister and teacher. He is also an at-large teacher for the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary and serves as the 1st Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Universal Foundation for Better Living Church. He studied under his mentor Della Reese for over twenty years.
Board President
Robyn is a dedicated spiritual leader and seasoned professional with over 25 years in the tech industry, currently serving as a Director of Customer Success. In 2014, Robyn found
New Thought, marking the beginning of a profound journey in spiritual service. She has served on the Prayer Team and the Board of Trustees at Seattle Unity, demonstrating a deep commitment to community and spiritual growth.
In 2021, Robyn joined UP Church, where she became a founding member of the Global Connections Ministry. Her passion for expanding the reach of UP Church’s teachings led her to join the UP Church Board. Robyn’s blend of technical expertise and spiritual dedication continues to inspire and uplift those around her. She is currently on the journey of studying in order to further serve the church as a part of the Ministry Team, in the future.
Robyn McKoy was introduced to New Thought in 2015 via Unity. She joined Seattle Unity as an active member and board member. In 2019, she learned of UFBL through Rev. Gaylon McDowell’s podcast, Truth Transforms. During the pandemic in 2020, she found UP Church and she found her church home. She has been an active member of UP Church since joining in 2021. She is one of the founding members of the Global Connection Ministry. She currently serves on the Board of Directors and endeavors to further serve the church as a part of the ministry team.
UP Church teaches that God is Spirit and therefore non-corporeal. In order to shift our thinking from a god made in the image of man to a realization that we are made in the image of God. We use words like “Principle” to describe God.
Principle is fundamental Truth; it is the underlying plan of the Universe. As we learn Principle and practice it daily, we find that our life, world, and affairs change for the better. Every lesson taught here is based on these 5 principles:
Principle 1: Omnipresence of God
There is but One Presence and One Power in the Universe, God the Good, Omnipotent, the everywhere-evenly present Spirit of Absolute Good.
Psalm 139:7-12 | John 4:24
Principle 2: The Divinity of Humankind
Humankind is made in the image-likeness of God.
Genesis 1:26-27 | Exodus 3:13-15 | Matthew 5:14-16 | I John 3:1-16
Principle 3: The Value and Power of Thought
It is through thinking that we form that which we have in our lives.
Isaiah 26:3 | Proverbs 23:7 | Isaiah 55:8-11 | Romans 12:2 | I Corinthians 2:16
Principle 4: Practicing the Presence
We are taught to abide in the Presence of God through visioning, solitude, prayer and meditation.
I Samuel 3:2-10 | I Kings 19:11-12 | Matthew 6:5-15
Principle 5: The Law of Demonstration
The Law of Mind Action: Like begets like.
Matthew 7:1-2 | Matthew 7:7-8 | Luke 12:32 | Galatians 6:7
At UP Church, we are committed to nurturing your spiritual growth and supporting your personal development in every area of your life. As part of our community, you will be welcomed into a warm, caring environment, where a dedicated prayer chaplain will connect with you monthly for personalized prayer and guidance. We offer practical spiritual principles that you can apply in your career, family, personal life, finances, and beyond, helping you integrate them into your daily routine. Our goal is to empower you to step into the leadership role that God has designed for you. Through sacred service, you’ll not only contribute to our community but also develop valuable skills that extend into every part of your life. At UP Church, we believe that as you serve, you grow
Founded by Rev. Della Reese Lett in 1986, UP Church is a Bible-based New Thought Christian church. We are a member of the Universal Foundation for Better Living.
“Understanding Principles for Better Living Church (UP Church) started in my living room as a small group of eight Christians seeking to gain more divine knowledge of how to bring about change in their lives. Using the Holy Bible as our inspiration and the Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon as our guide, we studied, read, and prayed. Soon, we were too big for my home, and we started moving to larger facilities. The benefit of those moves has provided us with a wonderful cross-section of people who have benefited from our teaching ministry.”-Rev. Dr. Della Reese Lett
In February 2015, Rev. Della passed the baton to Rev. Sherri James and Rev. Sheree Thompson. Together, they are carrying on the legacy Rev. Della established to care for men and women who sincerely want to live the life God intended for them.
“If God is your partner, make your plans larger.”
The Rev. Dr. Della Resse Lett was a world renown singer, actress, and spiritual leader. Her life is a living testimony of the Grace of God, and how it took her from the slums of Detroit to the top of Bel Air, CA.
Ordained under the guidance of Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon, Della Reese became a revered leader in Metaphysical Christianity, passionately committed to teaching spiritual principles that empowered individuals to live fulfilling and prosperous lives.
In 1986, she was ordained as a minister by Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon; and founded and taught at Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles, CA.
As a minister, she focused on Practical Christianity, blending her deep spiritual insight with a dynamic, no-nonsense approach to the application of spiritual laws. Known for her ability to communicate profound truths with warmth, humor, and clarity, Rev. Della inspired thousands through her sermons, books, and teachings. Her congregation was built on the belief that individuals can command prosperity, joy, and health through an understanding of God’s universal laws.
As the angelic supervisor “Tess” on the television series “Touched by an Angel”, weekly she gave evidence to millions about her personal belief in the wonders of God. Her ministry also extended beyond the pulpit. As a trailblazer in entertainment, she integrated her spiritual mission with her career, most notably as Tess on the popular weekly television series “Touched by an Angel”, where gave evidence to millions through her role — sharing messages of hope and faith with millions of viewers. Della Reese’s legacy lives on through her church and the countless lives she touched, both through her spiritual leadership and her commitment to living a life of purpose and divine service.
The Universal Foundation for Better Living (UFBL) is an international association of Bible-based New Thought Christian churches, centers, and study groups dedicated to spreading the abundant life teachings of Jesus the Christ. UFBL was founded, in Chicago Illinois, by the Rev. Dr. Johnnie Coleman in 1974.
UFBL functions as the parent organization which licenses and ordains the ministers here at UP Church. There are 5 basic principles at the core of every lesson, sermon and writing from the UFBL. 1. The Omnipresence of God; 2. The Divinity of Humankind; 3. The Value and Power of Thought; 4. Practicing the Presence; and 5. The Law of Demonstration
For more information: www.ufbl.org
Most of the New Thought disciplines in the United States grew out of a Bible teaching. The “founders” of the various New Thought traditions weren’t looking to start new denominations. Many felt they’d found a deeper way to practice their Christian faith. They’d found a way to respond to the contradictions in the faith, and specifically in the text, that ran so many people out of the church. Their approaches were shunned and out of necessity, they formed various study groups and spiritual circles and experimented with the spiritual insights they were gaining through their alternative spiritual practices.
New Thought is a Practical Christianity that empowers people to realize their potential by becoming consciously aware of Spirit within them. In New Thought Christianity, the Bible is the primary textbook for life. We use a metaphysical approach to the Bible literature and understand that the stories and events have something to say about humankind’s developing awareness of our relationship to God and what it means to open ourselves up to God’s activity. In the early New Thought writings, you find quote after quote of Scripture. The Bible was an essential, if not central, part of their spiritual study. Even while embracing other spiritual traditions and finding inspiration in the texts of Buddhism, Islam, Zoroastrianism and other major world religions, these pioneers continued to deepen their love of the Bible. What separated them from their more fundamentalist peers is that they do not take the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. The Word of God is spiritual. It is like God – invisible, inexhaustible, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Like God, God’s Word is everywhere and evenly present. There’s no such thing as containing all of God in the
pages of a book full of human fingerprints.
For them, the Bible was spiritually true but not necessarily factually true. But that didn’t mean getting rid of the Bible; rather, you need a way to interpret the stories while acknowledging the human influence that cannot be removed from the text. Enter Metaphysical Bible Interpretation. New Thought teaches universal spiritual principles that enable people to build happy and prosperous lives. New Thought helps people to change their circumstances by changing their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
Metaphysical Bible Interpretation is a way of interpreting the Bible that enables you to draw out the spiritual meaning of the text without getting bogged down with the need to prove the stories happened literally or not. Was the earth created in 6 days? Did the sun stop for Joshua to fight his battle? Did Elijah command a bear to maul a couple of mischievous
children? Metaphysical Bible Interpretation does not seek to prove whether these stories happened as reported. Instead, this approach to the text looks for the spiritual meaning that remains true regardless of whether the story happened as reported.
“The Word of God is our lifeline. It’s our instructions. It’s our protection. It’s our healing power and our guidance. The Word of God is the way. It is the container of our prosperity. The container of our peace of mind….the container of our deliverance.” – Rev. Dr. Della Reese Lett To the New Thought teacher and student, the Bible is the history of humankind—our generation, degeneration, and regeneration. It tells how humankind came out of God with a divine estate, forgot our origin, suffered limitation, even death, and how our divine memory is reawakened and quickened so that we may regain our freedom and reclaim our divine birthright. In many ways, metaphysical Bible interpretation gives the Bible back to millions of people who have long since thrown up their hands at trying to reconcile the text with a modern day understanding of the world. UP Church is a place where you can learn this timeless spiritual tradition and fall back in love with the Bible.”
UP Church is called to be a Bible-based New Thought spiritual center with global impact. We have a relevant spiritual message that can help masses of people achieve what God is calling them to do in their lives.Our message is a message of hope and empowerment.
We know with confidence that God has a big dream that God desires to express through you. UP Church is a place where you can do the challenging and vulnerable work of soul evolution. We’re a safe space for you to try on God’s wings of greatness. We are a place where you can fail and get back up again without fear of judgment and derision.
We are laying the foundation for a community that can survive no less than 100 years into the future. We are building a spiritual community that loves and welcomes all people. We love you however God decided to express through you. We’re organizing so that going forward we can weather any storm that comes.
Today, we are one of the few spiritual centers that teach and practice metaphysical Bible interpretation. Part of God’s call on UP Church is to be responsible for the expansion of metaphysical Bible interpretation through planting other spiritual centers, creating opportunities for Bible study and advancing the tradition of metaphysical Bible study.
We have new ministers that are being raised up in our spiritual movement. They are learning the principles of Bible based New Thought and the carrying this message in to the places where they are a radiating influence. They will go on to write books, establish spiritual centers like UP Church and empower those around them to pick the mantle of living and living according to spiritual principle.
