“I am a rooted person, but it was tough to walk in the door and start out.”
Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles profiling the leaders of Palmyra’s places of worship. This week’s article highlights the life and work of the Rev. Wesley Allen of Central Baptist Church.
Growing up, Wesley Allen had never been to Palmyra, nor had he ever been over the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. The 44-year-old Oreland, Pa., native first crossed the bridge for his interview with Central Baptist Church, a place he still serves today as lead pastor.
Allen is in his 14th year with Central Baptist Church.
His faith experience came to him during his final two years at Lancaster Mennonite High School, before he continued stretching toward pastoral ministry as his future.
“Following my graduation, I ended up at Eastern University where I stayed for four years,” Allen said. “I later studied a year at Westminster Seminary, before finishing my studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts.”
After completing his time at seminary, Allen was an interim pastor in Massachusetts for two years before making Central Baptist his first long-term call.
During his early childhood, Allen was split between two denominations, Episcopalian and Lutheran. He remembers that call first coming to him in seventh grade.
“I remember going to an Episcopalian church with my mom, and I watched the pastor prepare the Eucharist,” Allen said. “In the back of my mind, I had a thought telling me that was what I was going to do with my life, and after some time away from it, I chose it.”
Making the change to a New Jersey congregation was tough for Allen, who labels himself as a rooted person. It was a nerve-wracking experience to start at a church where generations of the same family would walk through the door.
“I am a rooted person, but it was tough to walk in the door and start out,” Allen said. “The best part was being able to grow with the church as it also grew. Overall we enjoy getting together as a church family, and it’s been fun watching the congregation free itself too.”
Getting people in his corner as motivation was hard to do for Allen, who felt “called to ministry” rather than choosing it himself. Looking back on it, he listed a number of people as a huge help in his decision.
“Chris Hall at Eastern was a huge help to me through college, helping me look more toward serving God than the church,” Allen said. “Joe Motica, a chaplain at Eastern, and David Bradstreet, an astronomy professor at Eastern, were also key giving me new ways to look at the world and everything else.”
Outside of his day-to-day work, Allen enjoys a variety of activities to keep himself busy.
“I enjoy Star Wars, Star Trek and Legos,” Allen said. “I also love photography and writing. I blog every day and I am in the works of finishing my second novel. Overall I’m just a geek.”
For more information regarding Allen and Central Baptist Church, check https://centralbaptistpalmyra.org.
