The Reverend John M. Allen, Priest-in-Charge

St. John's welcomes Fr. John effective February 1, 2010.

Fr. John is adamant about living our Baptismal promises by being a welcoming church to all.  He also believes strongly in carrying the Good News and Love of Jesus into the community by fostering strong and effective outreach programs.

Fr. John’s ministry objectives are two-fold.  One objective is to serve as a pastor in a parish where we can pray, learn, work and play together to develop spiritually as individuals and become a vibrant Christ-centered community of faith.  The other objective is to encourage and empower each person to carry the message and love of Christ from the Church into the world.

Since February 2005, Fr. John has served as rector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church ~ La Iglesia Episcopal de San Lucas in Vancouver, Washington.  Before that, he served for a year as interim rector at All Saints' Episcopal Church in downtown Palo Alto, CA, near Stanford University. Fr. John began his priestly ministry at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

A graduate of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in May 2002 with a Master’s in Divinity, Fr. John was ordained as a priest at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco on December 7, 2002.

While serving at St. Luke's, Fr. John has, among other things, embraced a growing Spanish-language congregation, supported the inclusion of spiritual leaders from other faiths in the Vacation Bible School Program and encouraged the use of a variety of liturgical texts, dance and musical styles in worship.  He also supported the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program and a youth ministries program for middle and high school students.

Prior to seminary, Fr. John worked for the federal government as a senior executive and manager for 24 years, accumulating extensive experience in administration and human resources.

Fr. John and his wife Georgie have been married for 35 years. They have twin sons, two daughters-in-law and grandchildren, two boys and two girls.

Along with his wife Georgie, Fr. John said he “looks forward with great joy to joining St. John's Church, a vibrant Christian community.”