Major Gifts Officer

Counselor turned fundraiser, Christine is a relationship builder, fundraiser, storyteller, and community advocate. Her approach to fundraising is a mixture of tradition with a twist of out-of-the-box ideas that captures the attention of donors, sponsors, corporations, and foundations. Born in the Filipino province of Cavite, at the age of eight, Christine moved to Los Angeles with her family where her father served as a senior pastor at Filipino Christian Church. After attending seminary and working in several churches, Christine pursued a career in the non-profit world, working for small and large organizations, such as the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row. In August 2023, Christine joined The Upper Room as its Major Gifts Officer. In her free time, Christine enjoys singing and hiking and roller-skating with her husband and son.

Donor Services Manager

Since 2013, Ben has served as part of the fund development teams for both The Upper Room and Discipleship Ministries. He became the donor services manager for The Upper Room in 2014, bringing with him a passion for learning and problem solving honed from his time as a mathematics teacher and as a fundraising campaign supervisor for his alma mater, LaGrange College. Ben is the “man behind the curtain” on the development team, offering an open mind and helping hand to donors and staff alike as he manages and reconciles our donor system. Whenever Ben isn’t troubleshooting technical support issues for donors or analyzing numbers, he can be found discussing football with colleagues or playing multiple musical instruments during Upper Room Chapel services.

Communications Manager

For several years, Nicole served as a magazine editor at The Upper Room. Then she moved to South Africa to become a missionary where she fell in love both literally and figuratively. Upon moving back to the States with her South African husband and their twin daughters, she returned to The Upper Room to do development work, a love she surprisingly discovered as a missionary. Nicole believes that people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and that is the primary reason why they give. Working together, donors and Upper Room staff can play a role in God’s work and that excites Nicole. In her free time, Nicole enjoys traveling, listening to music, reading the classics and history, playing tennis, and going to art museums. But more than anything, she loves spending time with her family.

Donor Services Coordinator

Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Junie moved to the U.S. to pursue higher education. She earned an MBA from Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems from Martin Methodist College (now the University of Tennessee Southern). Having a heart for God’s mission and a passion for supporting the global church, Junie worked for nearly five years on an e-Reader project, providing digital resources for ministers and seminary students in several African countries. Junie now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she serves as the Donor Services Coordinator of The Upper Room. She enjoys walking, going on road trips with her husband, Dan, and spending time with her family.

Associate Director of Emmaus Ministries

Hess B. “Doc” Hall, Jr. has been serving as a local pastor in The United Methodist Church since 1998, first in north Georgia and now in Tennessee. He began work with the International Emmaus Ministries Office in 2014 when he came to head up Face to Face, an event for older adults in the Walk to Emmaus tradition. In 2020, he was named the associate director of emmaus ministries. He has been collaborating with The Upper Room Development team since 2018, helping to raise awareness of giving opportunities within Emmaus Ministries. Doc has a background in musical theater, opera, and storytelling. He is married to Karen, and they have two children, Jacob, 23, who is presently serving in the USMC; and Mariela, 16, who has daddy wrapped around her little finger!