In memoriam: Dr. Robert Allen

On Friday, Dr. Robert Allen, the Senior Minister of First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls, passed away from cancer. Dr. Allen came to FUMC 10 years ago after serving as Senior Minister at Wesley United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City for 15 years. This is a tremendous loss for our church and our city. There is so much to say about Dr. Allen and what he did for our church and community, but I find myself not up to the task, so I will instead use the words written by Judith McGinnis in an article in today's Wichita Falls Times Record News:

In the days after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, a weary firefighter asked Dr. Robert Allen, then coordinator of the chaplains who ministered to rescue workers and families, "Where do we go from here?"

Allen told the man he hoped all those affected by the tragedy would treasure memories of the loved one or friend they lost and be grateful for anyone who stepped up to help them through dark times.

Today the family, friends and congregation of Dr. Robert Allen are hanging on to that advice. Allen, 59, who became senior minister of First United Methodist Church in January 1996, died Friday morning at his home after a long battle with cancer. He preached his final sermon on Jan. 8.

Services are pending with Owens & Brumley Funeral Home.

"When he was first diagnosed, he told us that it was his therapy to minister to his congregation," said Kay Yeager, a third-generation member of FUMC. "He has done wonders for the church and the congregation and is supportive of so many people from behind the scenes."

Born in Hope, Ark., Allen sometimes mentioned he attended kindergarten with former President Bill Clinton. The family moved when his father took a job with the General Motors plant in Arlington, Texas, and he graduated from Arlington State College. Allen was studying to be an attorney when he felt strongly moved to become a minister instead.

"At the time, he and his family weren't active in the church, so he was a little confounded," said the Rev. John Dillard, FUMC associate pastor, remembering Allen's wry sense of humor. "He told us that after he 'received the call' to ministry he asked the Lord, 'Are you sure you've got the right number?' "

Allen was senior minister at Wesley United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City when the Alfred P. Murrah Building was destroyed in 1995. On Sept. 11, 2001, he organized a community-wide ecumenical service at FUMC to comfort Wichita Falls residents after the World Trade Center bombings.

"He was so devoted to this community," said David Hartman, minister of First Christian Church, who worked with Allen most recently helping Hurricane Katrina evacuees. "He was such a gracious man who never hesitated to give of himself and reach out to people. He was a good friend."

Of all the funerals Allen presided over, many remember the windy November day when he helped lay to rest Baby John Doe, an infant who was found dead in a local trailer park. More than 100 people came to pay their respects.

"We simply name him Baby John Doe, but our faith reminds us that God knows his name," Allen said.

Bill Thacker was on the personnel committee at FUMC that hired Allen. Over the next 10 years, the longest tenure of any minister at the church, Allen would start a television ministry, spearhead new construction and renovation of the beautiful sanctuary and see membership increase every year.

"He was a blessing to this church and this community. He was a wonderful friend," said Thacker. "Last week when they announced he had gone into Hospice care, most of the congregation came down to the front to pray."

Allen is survived by his wife, Madalyne, a daughter, Jennifer of Dallas, and a son, Jeffrey of Oklahoma City.