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	Congregation Ousts Pastor for Failing to Reveal Charges By Ron Pazola Naperville Sun July 22, 2008 http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1067128,6_1_NA22_PASTOR_S1.article A local civil rights leader and longtime Wheaton minister is no longer pastor of Second Baptist Church in Wheaton. He was arrested last year on charges of battery and disorderly conduct. The congregation voted Saturday to remove the Rev. Andre Allen from his position as the church's senior pastor. Allen, 54, was pastor at the church for 23 years. Allen was arrested in November after two women accused him of touching them inappropriately while he claimed to be a self-defense instructor at a Lifetime Fitness in Schaumburg. Because Allen pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Jan. 18 for impersonating a health club employee, prosecutors agreed to drop the battery charge. He was sentenced to a year of court supervision and 60 hours of community service. Allen failed to tell church leaders about the charges against him. Only recently church officials found out about Allen's Nov. 2 arrest. When Allen refused to resign after the church asked him to relinquish his pastorate, the congregation met for a special three-hour meeting Saturday. Most there decided to vote against Allen remaining pastor. The church has about 300 members. "This is a very painful time for us," Deacon Frank Jarrett said. "We haven't yet begun the process to find a new pastor, and the church will need some time to heal. Most of the congregation was hurt and disappointed by (the) Rev. Allen's actions, but we have to move on. We will pray for him and his family." In 2007, Second Baptist celebrated its 100th anniversary. It is the oldest African-American church in DuPage County and one of three African-American churches in Wheaton. Allen has denied through his attorney, Vincent Cornelius, that he did anything of a sexual nature with the women. The former pastor has had other scrapes with the law. More than a decade ago, Allen was arrested on similar charges for touching two women provocatively at a fitness center in Lisle, according to law enforcement officials. At the time, he was found guilty of one misdemeanor and placed on court supervision. New allegations emerged Friday when a woman filed a complaint against Allen with Wheaton police. "The report stated that a woman accused Mr. Allen of inappropriately touching her in 2001 when she was in his office," Deputy Chief Tom Meloni said. Allen could not be reached for comment. Allen was hired as pastor of Second Baptist in 1984 after graduating from Northwestern University's Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston. He earned a reputation for promoting civil rights and fighting against homelessness. Under his leadership, Second Baptist awarded scholarships to students who pushed for racial reconciliation. Some of the organizations that Allen served on were the DuPage chapter of the NAACP and the DuPage County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration committee.
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