As a young freshman at Millikin University, I decided that the God of my youth was no longer worth following. I wanted to have fun and didn’t want a stuffy religion ruining all my fun. I joined a fraternity, snubbed my nose at Christians on campus, and lived for the party wherever I could find it. After a while, the party began to lose its luster and the persistent voice of the Spirit began beckoning me back home.

InterVarsity was on campus and through their love for me, I found my way back to the God of my youth. Pretty soon, I wondered what my faith meant for life in my fraternity. I wondered if it was time to leave it. Yet deep within, I sensed the Lord saying, “Allen, I love your fraternity brothers. Will you let me show them my love through you?” So began the wonderful journey of reaching out with the gospel. I started a Bible Study in my fraternity and began to see God change people’s lives. Ever since those early days at Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Millikin University, I caught God’s heart for the campus.

After graduate school, I started campus ministry with InterVarsity at Millikin University and Bradley University. Those were wonderful years of ministry. I met my wife, Diane, grew as a minister of the gospel, and felt God confirm my calling to the campus.

Then in 1995, my wife and I moved back to Chicago where I began to serve with InterVarsity at Northwestern University. I fell head over heels in love with the campus and its students. I served in various ministry roles as the ministry expanded. We were able to add ministries to Greek students, African Americans, and Latino students. In recent years, all five fellowships have been working together in love and partnership.

During that time, God also gave me the gift of being able to write “Kingdom Come: How Jesus Wants to Change the World.” It explained so much of what God had been teaching me and is now being used widely in InterVarsity circles as well as in the broader Christian community.

In 2008, I sensed that my time at Northwestern was drawing to a close. My leadership had created lasting changes at NU and God was calling me on to something new. And so God has led us to the land of the Orange and Blue - ILLINI country!

I love college students and believe that God is out to change the world in and through the university. And I have fallen in love with TCBC, a church where God is at work to do exciting things here in Champaign/Urbana and around the world. There is nothing in the world I would rather invest my life in!