James Allen Courson

"And I will praise Your name forever and ever… One generation shall praise Your works to another…They shall utter the memory of your great goodness, and sing of Your righteousness. Psalm 145:2, 4,7 James Allen Courson "Jim" was born on September 11, 1959 in San Jose, California. He spent his first 17 years there as the youngest of Merle and Mary Courson and the sibling of his beloved brothers Dave and Jon, and sister Niki. He spent those years in what he called a wonderful "Leave-It-To-Beaver" environment. His stories of neighborhood adventures with a batch of wonderful boyhood characters brought him youthful delight. He and his family were always very active in church life which brought great joy. After high school, he spent summers working on the docks of Coos Bay, Oregon living with his parents. During the school year, he attended Seattle Pacific University. Jim had the privilege of remaining active in collegiate athletics as a discus thrower, was an R.A. for two years, and was active in service organizations while working his way through college with a variety of jobs. He graduated from the SPU Education department with a degree in Physical Education. After graduation, Jim worked as a tour guide in Alaska- albeit he'd never been there– the stories continued! From Alaska, he went to Southern Oregon where he was smitten with the love of his life. He had the privilege of marrying Julie Atterbury on July 7, 1984. He considered this the best decision he'd ever made besides that of acknowledging Jesus as his Savior. Shortly after marriage, Jim accepted teaching positions at Crater High School and Lincoln Savage Middle School in Southern Oregon. It was during that time that the first two of their three children were born– Abby and David. This completed the greatest delights of his life– to be married to a wonderful, godly woman and gifted with children from the Lord. Jim and Julie were challenged to consider work in foreign missions. It was that challenge which led them to work with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Initially Jim had hoped to become a Bible translator- giving the Word to people to a people-group who were yet to have it. The Lord had other plans and had Jim and Julie work with missionary kids in Papua New Guinea for two years. Upon return home to Southern Oregon, where Jim had planned to return to public education, he and Julie were asked to help out at an orphanage for a few weeks in Carmen Serdan, Baja Mexico. Those couple weeks turned into a grand total of 15 years. During that time, their youngest daughter Ellie was born. Jim's role in Mexico morphed into his becoming the Director of the orphanage and a pastor during those years. Upon leaving Mexico, Jim took a position as a teaching pastor of a young church known as Solid Rock Fellowship in Tigard, Oregon for 5 years. At the end of that time, he came to Newberg, Oregon where he and his son David, along with his dear friend Steve Halajian re-organized Newberg Christian Fellowship. He had the privilege of pastoring the fellowship for 16 years. It was during these years of pastoring that Jim would see his children married and have their own children. David married Kristina Halajian and they had three girls- Arabella, Bellvidera, and Clementine. Abby married Ben Burgess and they have had their three children, Caleb, Paisley, and Josie James. Ellie married Jordan Hughes and they are blessed with Rowena and Celeste James. When remembering Jim, it is easy to recount how great of a story teller he was, his many foreign adventures, his gentle strength and kindness, how great of a pastor and teacher he was, and of course his best roles of husband and father- he was a humble man of who quietly laid up treasure in heaven as he served others with everything he did and is greatly missed. He would often refer to this life as a camping trip– always pointing us to Heaven and encouraging others to fix their eyes on Jesus and reminding others that these earthly tents are not made for eternity. He kept his eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of his faith until the Lord called him home on August 22nd, 2025. A private family graveside service will be held Wednesday, August 27th. Memorial service details will be added here once available.