By Greg Asimakoupoulos 
Retired Covenant pastor and artist Randy Klassen passed away on April 6, 2024, in Walla Walla, Washington. He was 90.
Randolph J. Klassen was born to parents Jacob and Ellie Klassen in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on April 21, 1933. From his youth he recognized God had given him both desire and ability to create art. The son of a gifted artist, Randy studied art as a child with his father at the Winnipeg Sketch Club and eventually spent one summer at the Banff School of Fine Art in Alberta. While his classmates were pursuing athletics, Randy’s favorite “sport” was sketching and painting with his dad.
Randy was baptized in high school. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba and, sensing a call to pastoral ministry, he pursued theological education at Fuller Seminary. He completed his master of divinity degree at North Park Theological Seminary. Randy married Corinne Peterson on July 11, 1959. Together they had three sons: Timothy, Stephen, and Jonathan.
Randy served First Covenant Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba (1959-1965), University Covenant Church in Davis, California (1965-1970), and Hillcrest Covenant in Prairie Village, Kansas (1970-1977). He was elected executive secretary of evangelism for the denomination in 1977 and served in that role until 1981.
Following a divorce, Randy married Joyce Warner and moved to northern California to pursue a career in art. He and Joyce displayed their art in shows and street fairs. One of Randy’s paintings, To Such Belongs the Kingdom of God (often referred to as The Child at the Church Door), became his most well-known. It was based on a photograph taken by editor Milton Strom and featured in a Pacific Southwest Conference publication in the 1960s. This print hangs in many Covenant churches and homes.
When asked over the years what inspired him to paint To Such Belongs the Kingdom of God, his answer was always the same: “I wanted to portray something that best expresses to me the word grace. As we come to God as a little child, humble, helpless, weak, and alone, God opens the biggest of doors and the light of God’s kingdom shines through.”
Ever the student of the Bible, Randy looked for ways to creative share his knowledge of God’s Word. After moving to the foothills of the Sierras, the couple began a Bible study in a friend’s home. The popularity of Randy’s teaching meant they outgrew the home and subsequent meeting spaces, and in time, Good Samaritan Covenant Church of Valley Springs became a reality. The congregation celebrated artistic expression in intentional ways.
Randy and Joyce were later called to ministry in Chandler, Arizona, where they helped to breathe life into an existing Covenant church, converting an old warehouse in a shopping mall into what eventually became Hope Covenant Church.
Upon retirement, they moved to Walla Walla, Washington.
In 2007, Randy was invited to be artist in residence for Mercer Island Covenant Church’s Annual Worship Arts Weekend in suburban Seattle. He was also invited to participate in a month-long cultural exchange in China where he and Joyce demonstrated God’s grace through artistic expression and friendship. Whether in the pulpit or at an easel, Randy brilliantly illustrated God’s grace with words or paint.
In 2009, Randy served as interim pastor of the International Church of Lucerne, Switzerland, where three of his paintings, including To Such Belongs the Kingdom of God, are still displayed. The English-speaking congregation still sings the praises of a man who deeply impacted their lives in only six months 15 years ago.
In addition to writing numerous articles and study guides, Randy was also the author of four books: Meditations for Lovers, Loving Enemies, What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell? and Jesus’ Word, Jesus’ Way.
Retired conference superintendent John Notehelfer recalls Randy as a colleague who came to cherish God’s mercy and grace while living those realities faithfully as a pastor and artist.
“Randy was the first pastor at University Covenant Church, the church my parents helped start,” says Covenant Living chaplain Rick Lindholtz. “As such he played an important role in my understanding of God’s love, which would in turn lead to my call to ministry.”
Covenant pastor Dan Whitmarsh recalls a memory from his friendship with Randy related to one of his books. “Randy was part of our pastor cluster when I served a Covenant church in California,” Dan remembers. “He was a gentle soul with a pastoral heart.”
Randy is survived by his wife of 43 years, Joyce; sons Timothy, Stephen, and Jonathan, two brothers, and three grandchildren.
A celebration of his life will be held at the Pioneer United Methodist Church in Walla Walla, Washington, on May 4 at 3:00 p.m.
Peace be to his memory.
