Sixty years ago a young married couple, recent graduates of the prestigious Westminster Choir College and still in their 20s, arrived on the Virginia Baptist scene and almost immediately made contributions which had lasting results. Jim and Hattie Copeland came to Richmond from “up nawth” to become ministers of music at Ginter Park Baptist Church. He was director of choirs and coordinator of the ministry of music and she was organist and accompanist for the choirs. The church got “two for the price of one,” paying the couple $300 a month. The church also had to immerse Jim Copeland, who had been sprinkled as an infant in a Methodist church. In a few years, he would be the one doing the baptizing!
Jim and Hattie Copeland
In 1947 Ginter Park Church was in its heyday and took a visionary step to employ full-time ministers of music. Most of the large city churches were still using paid quartets that often sang alongside volunteer choirs. At the time, only three Virginia Baptist churches were known to have full-time paid ministers of music. These were First Church, Roanoke with Howard Cates; First Church, Staunton with Beverley Fallis (Beard); and Ginter Park.
The Copelands set a standard. At Ginter Park, they developed six choirs and soon had 200 enrolled. On Saturdays, a large boys choir met for rehearsals and recreation. The couple offered free voice and organ lessons. As a result of their work, eight young people later entered some phase of ministry. In 1948-49 the couple formed the first handbell choir among the churches of Virginia. They had to arrange their own music for the bells.
In 1951, at age 30, Jim Copeland was vice chairman of a church music committee, which made recommendations to the General Association. Others on the committee were chairman Howard Cates, Beverley Fallis, Al Simms, E.E. Rutledge, Neal Ellis and George Watkins. Among their recommendations was that the BGAV secure “a full-time State Music Director [to promote] a comprehensive music education program that would prove beneficial to all churches.”
The year before, in 1950, the Virginia Church Music Convention had been formed “to foster the improvement of music in our churches by providing some type of leadership training.” It immediately began offering schools of music for church music leaders.
In 1955 Kathryn Bailey, a graduate of the school of music at Southern Seminary, became the first Mission Board staff member to promote church music. The music position was placed in the Training Union Department, headed by John Tubbs. By then, Jim Copeland was the president of the Virginia Baptist Music Convention. Kathryn Bailey pioneered in the state music field. In 1961 she married a Baptist minister, Walter Bradley; and when she resigned, Allen Brown became the state music director, remaining in the position for 30 years. He was followed in 1994 by Tom Ingram, who continues to lead the ministry. The vision casting of Jim Copeland and others had long-lasting results.
In 1957 Copeland felt the call to the ministry of preaching. He entered Southeastern Seminary and Hattie continued her musical responsibilities at the church. In 1960, just after moving into their “dream house,” a pastoral position opened for Jim at Flagler Street Church in Miami, Fla. The Copelands—now numbering five, including their three sons, Richard, Robert and James—began a new life in sunny Florida. The Miami position required a salary reduction but it offered new ministerial opportunities, including work among other language groups. Already the church offered a mission for Chinese; and the influx of Cuban refugees in the early 60s provided impetus for a Spanish-speaking mission. Hattie Copeland began offering choirs for children and youth.
In 1967 the opportunity to return to Richmond came when a call was extended by Derbyshire Church, which was still in its first decade. The new church in the western suburbs of Henrico County only had 300 members; and once again, the call required a salary reduction. At the time the church had a chapel and Sunday school space. Immediately, the new pastor led in the building of a multi-purpose facility, which included more educational space and a dining area. In 1974 Derbyshire began construction of a sanctuary designed to accommodate 850 worshippers. Across Copeland's pastorate of some 22 years, there were 2,278 additions to the church, including 671 baptisms. Derbyshire assisted Cambodian refugees and in 1982 began a Cambodian mission.
In their youth the Copelands never imagined where life would lead them. In college, Hattie Plante never intended to marry a preacher! In the beginnings of his ministry, James Richard Copeland never wanted to be anything but a church musician. God must have a sense of humor as he operates the world's largest personnel office! He mixes and matches all sorts of people and personalities according to his own purposes.
Opportunities for unique service opened for the Copelands. There were preaching missions in countries all around the globe. There were consultations for church building projects and Jim Copeland helped some 37 Virginia churches to acquire the buildings which they needed. There were choirs to organize and train. Hattie's Chinese youth choir in Miami even performed for the Baptist World Alliance. There were pastorless churches grateful for a skillful interim pastor.
Today, Jim Copeland, at nearly 86, remains trim, fit and active. Hattie, who is younger than her husband (and this columnist knows better than to disclose how much younger), also maintains her buoyant personality, displaying the same vigor which she possessed in '47, when the Virginia Baptist scene was fresh to the young couple from Princeton, N. J. The Copelands live at Lakewood Manor, one of the Virginia Baptist Homes.
The Virginia Baptist music ministry which the Copelands helped to envision remains a viable resource to the churches and Baptist folk. At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, at Second Baptist Church in Richmond, the Virginia Baptist Historical Society will salute the some 50 years of organized professional church music ministry offered by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. A Hymn Festival will be the highlight of the evening.