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UPLOOK MAGAZINE: A SHORT HISTORY
As the apostle Paul traveled from place to place, one aspect of his ministry was to tell what God was doing "among the Gentiles," thus encouraging the people of God. This has been one of the core purposes of Uplook magazine and its precursors.
To trace the history of this magazine, we need to travel to the northeast coast of Scotland. There in the 1870s an intrepid Scottish evangelist, Donald Ross, was inspiring a group of young men to greater gospel zeal. Soon blessing spread from town to town throughout Aberdeenshire and neighboring counties.
Hy Pickering, in his fascinating book, Chief Men among the Brethren, writes about Donald Ross:
"...He toiled for the perishing; at fairs and races, in tents and halls, in barns and chapels, in music halls and theatres, in cottages and in the open air, he sounded out the wondrous story."
And though his heart was in soul-winning, Donald Ross knew the value of informative magazines to encourage and exercise the Christians to pray and to join in the work. So in 1878, he began publishing the Northern Evangelist and Intelligencer to inform the Lord's people about the thrilling work that God was doing in that region.
The magazine's influence and sphere of ministry became larger as its name became smaller, first to Northern Witness and then in 1888 to The Witness. Its circulation eventually reached 30,000 worldwide.
In 1879, Mr. Ross moved to Chicago and, as Pickering writes, "in summer and winter, in rain and snow, in encouraging and discouraging circumstances" with the Lord's aid he helped to establish a foothold for local churches seeking to follow the simple New Testament pattern in North America.
In 1881 Ross began publishing The Barley Cake to tell about pioneer gospel work in North America with which he was acquainted. Its name was later changed to Our Record. And when the Lord called His servant Home in 1903, the responsibility for the magazine fell to his son, Charles (C. W.). Later it was edited by T. D. W. Muir, Dr. H. A. Cameron, and again by C. W. Ross.
Meanwhile, in 1927, when missionary interest was low in some parts of North America, Leonard Sheldrake was used by the Lord to stir up the saints through publishing Look On the Fields, edited by Mr. Sheldrake and published in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Gospel Folio Press.
After several years, when missionary interests were featured more generally, the name and purpose of the magazine was changed to Uplook, and Peter J. Pell became its editor. At the suggestion of the second editor, Dr. H. A. Cameron, the name was changed in 1933 to Assembly Annals.
In that same year, Mr. C. W. Ross decided to discontinue the publication of Our Record. At that time he urged his subscribers to receive Assembly Annals instead, thus constituting Annals the successor to Our Record.
The name reverted to Uplook in 1968, and following Dr. Cameron's death, the magazine was co-edited by brothers William and Peter Pell.
With the passing of first William and then Peter Pell, the work was carried on by John Stellema as interim editor.
J.B. Nicholson, Jr. took his post as editor at the end of 1990. At the end of 2005, he transferred the duties to our present editor, James Martin.
In spite of the changes, the purpose of the magazine continues. As stated in the masthead:
"Uplook magazine is intended to encourage the people of God in fidelity to His Word, fervency in intercessory prayer, labors more abundant and love to the Lord."
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