James M. Allen was born December 3, 1932 in Lecanto, Florida. He was baptized by James C. Ledford in 1947. James was married to the former Margie Nell Mullins on May 13, 1954. The Allens were blessed with three children, James Jr., Juanita Allen Cochran, and then another son, Stan. Brother Allen began preaching in 1953 in Elmore, Alabama. He attended Alabama Christian College in Montgomery, Alabama receiving his B.A. Degree in 1954. Later he attended Harding Graduate School, where he earned the M.A. in 1962. His life's work has included working with a number of good congregations of the Lord's church. His early years of ministry found him working initially in Texas, and then in the state of Mississippi. In 1954 he served the Center Point church in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Then moving east he served the Skyline church in Tupelo, Mississippi. Then he worked with the Belmont, Mississippi church from 1956-1858. He left there and spent the last two years of the 1950s at Sardis. From 1960-1964 he worked with the church in Ripley, Mississippi. Toward the end of the 1960's he and his family moved to Holland Park, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to do mission work. During nearly three years there he evangelized and strengthened the body of Christ in that nation. He and his family returned to the U.S. in 1970 to live in the city of Nashville, Tennessee where he worked with the Brookmeade congregation for three years. In 1973 he and his family moved to Starkville, Mississippi where he preached for the church there for five years. In 1978 he moved to Belmont, Mississippi and worked there for two years with the Liberty congregation. He then moved to Jacksonville, Alabama serving the congregation there for a time. Through the years he preached in various gospel meeting efforts, preached on lectureship programs, and on the radio. For a while he served as a panelist on the West Tennessee television program, "Know Your Bible." He enjoyed writing, producing weekly bulletins, and even produced a book entitled, "The Pauline Doctrine of Atonement," though it was never published. He spent the last years of his life in West Tennessee. He worked with the church in Middleton and lived in the community. In 1995 the Lord called his faithful servant home on the last day of July. His body awaits to coming of the Lord in the Middleton Cemetery. —Sources: Preachers Of Today Vol 2. p.4 c.1970, Vol. III, p.7, Vol. V., p.4.

Longtime minister James Marshall Allen Sr., born Dec. 3, 1932, died July 31 in Birmingham, Ala. Allen attended the Mount Dora Bible School in Florida. He graduated from Faulkner University (then Alabama Christian College) in 1954 and received his master's degree from Harding Graduate School of Religion in 1962. He served a number of congregations during his 42-year career in Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. His last congregation was Hillview Church in Birmingham. From 1967-70, Allen did mission work in Australia under the oversight of the South Park Church of Christ in Beaumont. Allen held gospel meetings each year, did radio evangelism, moderated TV programs, and participated in campaigns in Guyana, South America. He also conducted singing schools to train song leaders. Allen's memorial service was conducted by his sons-in-law, Kevin Smith and Ross Cochran, and longtime friend, F. Furman Kearley, editor of the Gospel Advocate and dean of Magnolia Bible College. He is survived by his wife, Margie Mullins of Birmingham; two sons, Marshall of Nashville, Tenn., and Stan of Paducah, Ky.; two daughters, Nita Cochran of Searcy, Ark., and Jan Smith of Gadsden, Ala.; 12 grandchildren; and a brother Samuel of Leesburg, Fla. Jasper, Ala. - Gospel Advocate September, 1995, page 46.