Title
Recognizing and honoring Reverend James Sterling Allen, Sr., D.D. of the historic Vine Memorial Baptist Church for serving and representing Philadelphia for 37 years on the occasion of his Retirement Celebration Weekend.
Body
WHEREAS, After being honorably discharged from the United States Air Force after serving in the Korean Conflict in 1957, Reverend James Sterling Allen followed a calling he had received while in Korea to the preaching ministry. He practiced ministry in Little Rock, Arkansas; Omaha, Nebraska; and eventually came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Allen has been a devoted husband to the late Dorothy Hunter Allen, a loving father to four children, and grandfather to five grandsons; and
WHEREAS, Allen was a student at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, Arkansas and played an integral role in fighting for employment and economic equality during the desegregation process that occurred during the Eisenhower Administration. He assisted the late Dr. Leon H. Sullivan in establishing the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) in Little Rock and rebuilding the OIC in Omaha. OICs are integral institutions that provide education, training, and support services regardless of race for those that are disadvantaged and have a background that makes finding a job and being self-sufficient difficult; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Allen was a student at the Interdenominational Theological Center during the time of Dr. Ralph Abernathy's installation to the West Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Rev. Allen participated in the installation where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered the Installation Sermon; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Allen has been a leader within the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. He was the fourth Vice President of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education, and in 1994, Reverend Allen served as Chairman of the Election Commission. He has also served as the General Chair of the...
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