A Haven in Harlem James Allen was born on January 13, 1925 to Dezella West and Valco Allen in Grand Prairie, Texas but was raised with his grandparents on a farm near Ringgold, Louisiana. His life-long dream was to become a Jazz Musician, but little did he know God had his own plan. A legacy of love for a community, Mr. Allen began his life's mission after a decade-long (1948-1958) ordeal with heroin. During this time, God sent him an angel in disguise who later became his wife, by the name of Mary. In August of 1955, while working as a Nurse at Francis Schervier Hospital in Riverside, she met James Allen who worked nearby in a cleaners. The two agreed to be just friends but quickly fell deeply in love and then later were married. Two years later, she discovered his drug addiction and arranged for him to enter the USPHS Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky for treatment, which at that time was the only facility for addicts in the east. There, Allen discovered God and successfully kicked his habit. When he returned to New York, him and his wife Mary joined the Manhattan Christian Reform Church and were very much active in the church's growth. Rev. Eugene S. Callender was the Pastor and from the pulpit announced his intentions to start a Narcotic Rehabilitation Program. Allen volunteered his service and that was the beginning. He went on to earn a degree in Social Work from City College of New York, as well as his Master's from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Mr. Allen became a Lay Minister at the church and his primary function was to assist addicts. Allen brought many others on board to help his vision come to life, he was nothing but successful. Allen founded and was the Executive Director of The Addicts Rehabilitation Center (a drug-treatment facility for thousands of recovering addicts), eventually it outgrew the facilities at the church, which made Allen overly concerned about the lives that he would have to turn away because of the limited amount of space. Mr. Percy Sutton informed Mr. Allen of a vacant 5 story piano warehouse on 128th Street and Park Avenue in Harlem, New York. This blessing came with a mortgage of $130,000, and once again Allen was faced with another challenge. His beloved wife advised him to pray on it and he gave it to the Lord. After hearing some of the soulful anointed voices of the clients God gave him the inspiration to form a gospel choir that would assist with raising the money for the mortgage. By the grace of God, the mortgage was paid and then the ARC Gospel Choir was born. The choir eventually became world renowned, having performed extensively locally and abroad throughout the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, Geneva, Mexico, Aruba, Israel, Lebanon, Japan, The Caribbean, and the US Virgin Islands. The choir has produced six albums with different labels. Jesus Walks, performed by award-winning artist Kanye West, sampled the ARC Choir's Walk with Me, which was well received by music critics and won multiple awards including a Grammy for Best Rap Song of the Year. Through his work with ARC, Allen has helped thousands of substance abusers transform their lives. James Allen was an extremely spiritual man who in his own words is not righteous, but faithful to the dictates of God. In addition, ARC branched out to further its mission through providing housing (over 900 units) in three locations for people living with HIV/AIDS as well as one location for the homeless. The program, developed through trial and error, continued to grow and was met with much success. It has been in operation for over 60 plus years. Mr. Allen served as Clinical Consultant to the Special Action Office of Drug Prevention under President Richard Nixon and was a charter member of the New York Council of Narcotics. He was the recipient of numerous awards and citations, including the Essence Humanitarian Award in 1998 and is listed in the Schomburg Library as one of New York's Top 100 Black Influential Leaders. He appeared on numerous television shows, including Gil Noble's "Like It Is" Show, Positively Black, Nightline with Ted Kopple and has also been featured in several TV documentaries, including "The Gospel According to Mr. Allen." "We get people at their lowest-- and the music lifts their souls," said James Allen. This pushed him to provide a constant musical atmosphere. The ARC Gospel Choir would give free performances at prisons and nursing homes, and they performed at weekly Hour of Power program sponsored by the Harlem Spirituals, an international tour group. Additionally, James Allen held Bible Fantasy every Sunday. Mr. Allen was so passionate and devoted to his mission even after he retired and during COVID-19 pandemic he continued his weekly Bible Fantasy via Zoom. "When God lets you do something to meet your needs, it's not for you to use selfishly for yourself, but it's to be shared."- Mr. Allen. On Sunday, February 25, 2018, James Allen, Elder Emeritus of Christian Parish, in recognition of his life of service and Christian devotion, was ordained into Christian Ministry at Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal. Brother Allen was raised a Master Mason in Boyer Lodge #1 on July 2, 1979 and faithfully served Boyer Lodge for 41 years. Boyer Lodge #1 bestowed Life Member on Brother James Allen on July 12, 2004. Brother James Allen was elevated to highest degree off 33rd and is Grand Inspector General and a member of King David Consistory No. 3 NYC. Brother Allen will be greatly missed by the craft. Brother Allen brought to Boyer Lodge (under his petition) 6 men that would live to be Past Masters: Paul Henderson, Earl Singleton, Thomas Taylor; Edward Bess, Thomas Booker and Adelso Carrion. Bro Allen lives through their good work, along with countless others he inspires. So Mote It Be. A firm believer in God, Mr. Allen stated, "I lean on Him for support, I trust in Him for guidance and I give Him the credit for any and everything I have done since overcoming drug addiction.." If he was asked what he wanted to be in life, he would always say, "I want to learn to play the guitar". James Allen was peacefully called to his eternal home and Heavenly Father on Sunday, October 25th, 2020 in his home. Preceding Mr. Allen were his beloved wife, Mary; his daughter Janice; his daughter, Lynn; his son, Bruce; his daughter, Ellen; and his son, James Allen Jr. He leaves to cherish his legacy and loving memory: his daughter, Sabrina Allen Lumpkin; his Caregiver and long time close friend, Sandy Rhett; his brother, Herbert; his sister, Leola; his sister, Lynn; his grandchildren: Bruce Jr., Jermaine, Shawn, Keisha, Jamiyu, Stefano, Tatiana, James Allen III, Christie, Javis, Justyn, Jamese, and Donovan; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. ARC began when an addict asked a church congregation: "Does God love dope fiends?" When you look at what God has done through James Allen and ARC, how would you answer that question? In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal 2044 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, New York, NY 10027