Copalis Community Church
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Welcome
Lord's Day Services
Summer hours start Memorial Day
No Sunday School during the summer
Sunday Morning Lord's Day Worship 10:00am
Sunday Evening Lord's Day Worship 7:00pm
Winter hours start on Labor Day
Sunday School 9:30AM
Sunday Morning Lord's Day Worship 11:00am
Sunday Evening Lord's Day Worship 7:00pm
No Sunday School during the summer
Sunday Morning Lord's Day Worship 10:00am
Sunday Evening Lord's Day Worship 7:00pm
Winter hours start on Labor Day
Sunday School 9:30AM
Sunday Morning Lord's Day Worship 11:00am
Sunday Evening Lord's Day Worship 7:00pm
From The Pulpit
Main Phone
360-289-2233
Website
James (Jim) Edward Richards departed this world and entered into the Kingdom of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 4, 2026.
Celebration of Life memorial service
Celebration of Life memorial service
Saturday, May 09, 2026
1:00 PM
1:00 PM
We gather every Lords Day to glorify God and to exalt His son, Jesus Christ — the One whose death and resurrection gives us peace with God and the hope of heaven.
Announcements
James (Jim) Edward Richards departed this world and entered into the Kingdom of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 4, 2026.
Announcement Type: Event
Date Posted: 09-05-26
Jim was born on January 9, 1947, to Edward & Edna Richards in Oak Harbor, Washington. He spent his elementary years in Salem, Oregon, before moving to his mother’s hometown in Shelton, Washington in 1958. Jim excelled at football and baseball for the Highclimbers.
After graduating high school in 1965, Jim joined the United State Air Force. He was stationed in the Philippines and Thailand before coming home in 1969.
Jim continued his education at Pacific Lutheran University. He was a starting linebacker for the Lutes. He received his degree in economics.
He met and married his first wife, Janelle Teppo at PLU. They had four wonderful children – Justin, John, Jeremy and Jennifer. Janella died of cancer in 2004 after 32 years of life together.
After graduation, Jim worked in the food processing industry. He moved to the Harbor in 1978 where he managed a department at Ocean Spray Cranberries.
He began attending Copalis Community Church and grew spiritually under the mentorship of Newt Rasor.
In the Fall of 1979, Jim received a call to follow Christ in ministry. He graduated from Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon in 1980 and joined Village Missions as a Pastor. He served with Village Missions for 12 years at rural churches in Montana, Idaho, and Eastern Washington.
In 1992 he was asked to come back to Copalis Beach to pastor Copalis Community Church. He loved the Church there and was proud to have been the second Pastor in the Church’s 94-year history.
In 2006 Jim married Sondra Sweet and she was the love of his life for 20 years. She survives him at their home in Copalis Beach. His oldest son, Justin, died of cancer in 2013. He also is survived by his son John (Robynn), his son Jeremy (Stacy), his daughter Jennifer (Joel), and his stepdaughter Sarah (Derek)and his brother Bill (Connie). He had 18 grandchildren and 1 great grandson.
After graduating high school in 1965, Jim joined the United State Air Force. He was stationed in the Philippines and Thailand before coming home in 1969.
Jim continued his education at Pacific Lutheran University. He was a starting linebacker for the Lutes. He received his degree in economics.
He met and married his first wife, Janelle Teppo at PLU. They had four wonderful children – Justin, John, Jeremy and Jennifer. Janella died of cancer in 2004 after 32 years of life together.
After graduation, Jim worked in the food processing industry. He moved to the Harbor in 1978 where he managed a department at Ocean Spray Cranberries.
He began attending Copalis Community Church and grew spiritually under the mentorship of Newt Rasor.
In the Fall of 1979, Jim received a call to follow Christ in ministry. He graduated from Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon in 1980 and joined Village Missions as a Pastor. He served with Village Missions for 12 years at rural churches in Montana, Idaho, and Eastern Washington.
In 1992 he was asked to come back to Copalis Beach to pastor Copalis Community Church. He loved the Church there and was proud to have been the second Pastor in the Church’s 94-year history.
In 2006 Jim married Sondra Sweet and she was the love of his life for 20 years. She survives him at their home in Copalis Beach. His oldest son, Justin, died of cancer in 2013. He also is survived by his son John (Robynn), his son Jeremy (Stacy), his daughter Jennifer (Joel), and his stepdaughter Sarah (Derek)and his brother Bill (Connie). He had 18 grandchildren and 1 great grandson.
Event Date: 09-05-26
Contact Information:Celebration of Life memorial service
Saturday, May 09, 2026
1:00 PM
Copalis Community Church
3134 State Route 109
Copalis Beach, Washington 98535
Location
Address
3140 State Route 109
City
State
Washington
Zip Code
Country
United States
Leadership
Jeremy Richards
Pastor Jeremy Richards is currently leading the Copalis Community church.
Doctrine
Denomination
Doctrinal Statement
Please enter your church's doctrinal statement here
- We Believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, and that they are the supreme and final authority on faith and life (1 Timothy 3:16).
- We believe in one God, eternal, existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19,20).
- We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, sinless life, death, resurrection, present exaltation at God's right hand, and personal and imminent return (John 1:1-4; 1 John 5:20; 1 John 2:22, 23).
- We Believe that salvation is provided through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ and that all who believe and receive Him are justified by faith on the grounds of His shed blood (Romans 6:23; Titus 3:5; Romans 5:1; John 1:12).
- We believe that man was created in the image of God, without sin; but the whole human race fell in the sin of the first Adam, and apart from Christ is spiritually dead and lost (Romans 5:12; 3:23).
- We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, the Comforter sent by the Lord Jesus Christ to indwell, to guide, and to teach the believer, and to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement (John 14:16,17; Romans 8:11).
- We believe that Satan is a personal being and has control over unregenerated mankind (1 Peter 5:8,9; Ephesians 2:1-3).
- We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved unto everlasting life and blessedness in Heaven, and the resurrection of the unsaved unto everlasting punishment in Hell (John 5:28,29; 11:25,26).
- We believe that the Church is the Body and Bride of Christ, consisting only of those who are born again, for whom He now makes intercession in Heaven and for whom He shall come again (1 Corinthians 12:12,13; Ephesians 1:22,23).
- We believe that all believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ at one's conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13), and they are equipped with one or more spiritual gifts for the edification of the Body of Christ and the glory of God (1 Corinthians 12:4; 14:1, Galatians 5:22,23).
- We believe that the church is to be involved in local and world missions (Matthew 28:19,20).
History
History
In October of 1933 20-year old Newt Rasor sat in a wooden chair waiting for the Copalis Beach school commissioner’s decision on his request to use the school for a weekly Sunday School class. The previous Sunday Newt’s pastor in nearby Aberdeen challenged everyone to do something for Christ and not just sit there in church, which is why Newt sat before the school commissioners waiting for their answer.
One of the commissioners spoke for the others when he told Newt, “There will be a Sunday School in this school over my dead body!” Dejected, but still hopeful, young Newt realized that if there was going to be an outreach in Copalis Beach, it would take a miracle.What Newt didn’t know was that God had gone before him and prepared the miracle, which was 14-year old Evelyn Burlingame. Evelyn’s family had moved from Aberdeen to Copalis Beach that summer and she was disappointed that there was no Sunday School to attend, so she started praying, asking God to provide a place for her to worship and learn about God. A week after Newt’s rejection he received word that the “over my dead body” commissioner had died unexpectedly that week! Sensing God’s hand in the situation, he attended the next school commissioner’s meeting to resubmit his request and, to his delight and God’s glory, the other commissioners were now more than happy to allow a Sunday School class in the school on Sunday mornings.
One of the commissioners spoke for the others when he told Newt, “There will be a Sunday School in this school over my dead body!” Dejected, but still hopeful, young Newt realized that if there was going to be an outreach in Copalis Beach, it would take a miracle.What Newt didn’t know was that God had gone before him and prepared the miracle, which was 14-year old Evelyn Burlingame. Evelyn’s family had moved from Aberdeen to Copalis Beach that summer and she was disappointed that there was no Sunday School to attend, so she started praying, asking God to provide a place for her to worship and learn about God. A week after Newt’s rejection he received word that the “over my dead body” commissioner had died unexpectedly that week! Sensing God’s hand in the situation, he attended the next school commissioner’s meeting to resubmit his request and, to his delight and God’s glory, the other commissioners were now more than happy to allow a Sunday School class in the school on Sunday mornings.
Young Evelyn Burlingame witnessed first-hand the power of God, seeing that “nothing is impossible with God.” Her prayers not only helped start the Sunday School, but, the following year, a regular church service was added. Several years later she would meet her future husband, a new teacher at nearby Ocean City, when he attended church in Copalis Beach. Even though she and her husband moved to Union Gap, WA, in the1950’s, she continued to support Copalis Community Church financially and with her prayers her whole life. Newt faithfully pastored the small church at Copalis Beach through the depression and WW II years. In the early 1950’s he met young Margaret Sealy at a Bible camp in Grayland, WA. They fell in love and married after a year of courtship and the small church really took off when the new town of Ocean Shores was established nearby in the early 60’s. To accommodate the growing congregation, a beautiful new church was built in 1967. Newt and Margaret raised 5 children and enjoyed over 50 years of marriage in Copalis Beach. Together, they impacted 3 generations of North Beach families the 59 years Newt pastored there. 100’s of men, women and children were led to Jesus Christ during their ministry there and their legacy lives on among the many people who are faithfully serving Jesus with their lives. One of Newt’s favorite sayings was, “You can’t out give God,” and he was living proof of that.
Jim Richards began attending Copalis Community Church in 1978 after moving there in the spring of that year. In the fall of 1979 I received a call from God to serve Him in the ministry and left Copalis Beach in January of 1980 to minister with Village Missions for 12 years. In January of 1992 Newt called and asked me to follow in his footsteps, which I did, becoming the second pastor at Copalis Community Church in June of 1992. Newt is with the Lord now, but in October of this year (2019) the church he started celebrated 86 years of ministry in Copalis Beach. Even though Copalis Beach has experienced hardships and is now just a wide place in the road, God continues to bless the church with His presence in people’s lives there.
In 1966 the church faced financial hardships and was tempted to take a loan to finish building the new sanctuary. Newt was driving to Lake Quinault one afternoon when the Lord spoke to him, promising, “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10) Newt continued “opening his mouth”, preaching the Word, and God faithfully provided for the church’s needs up until the present time. We do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ who died, was buried, and rose again to redeem a people for Himself. We proclaim that nothing is impossible with God and we live to exalt Him. He is worthy!
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