“Are you staying or are you straying?” - This was the question Luke Allen left for his class. He was unanimously nominated by The Baptist College of Florida’s Theology Division to be the student preacher for chapel on November 28, and he brought an inspiring message out of Psalm 23. While walking through the text Allen observed, “[Psalm 23] is a picture of our own stupidity as Children of God, because we wander away from Him which results in our own pain and our own sorrow… But God is always seeking us out and we must listen to the Shepherd’s voice… And when we are done running the race of life, what is set before us? The ultimate green pasture where we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Allen is a graduating senior with full honors in a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ministry Studies and the President of the Fall Class of 2022. His years here at BCF have taken him on the journey of a lifetime. Hailing from Homosassa, FL, Allen grew up in the First Baptist Church of Homosassa and attended Inverness Christian Academy from kindergarten to high school. He excelled at public speaking which became evident when he competed in the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS) competitions. After a rocky first attempt in the Junior Bible Preaching category in middle school, Allen became interested in honing his teaching and speaking skills, even enrolling in speech class a second time to see himself improve. In high school, he tried again in the Bible Preaching category and won first place, delivering a 15-minute memorized sermon alongside a few dozen other young preachers. Allen felt a specific call to ministry at 16 years old which was cultivated through his home church, who allowed him to fill the pulpit on many occasions. His school was also a huge factor in the development of his faith and calling.
With a little experience and a big call on his life, Allen left behind his family and long-term girlfriend to come to BCF in 2019 at the recommendation of his home church’s Music Minister, Mike Barber, who attended in the early 2000s. He recalls, “The day I got here, I knew absolutely no one, but I spent the first week here just getting to know all my dorm mates and eating a lot of Waffle House.” He had been dual-enrolled with BCF for a year before moving on campus so he was very excited to see what it would be like living and taking classes here. Unfortunately, Allen’s class experienced the brunt of Covid-19 and had to leave campus during their second semester. “We were all bummed and not sure what things would look like when we got back.”
Students returned to campus that fall, and shortly after that, his girlfriend began classes at BCF. A semester later they got married. Allen shared, “I’ve made a lot of good memories and a lot of crazy memories during my time here. I even got to marry my beautiful bride. Preaching in chapel was the culmination of a lot of difficult days and hard work. It was an incredible honor, and I hope all of my professors did not secretly grade me on the presentation.”
Allen plans to continue working at Publix Supermarkets while his wife Mia finishes her undergraduate degree at The Baptist College of Florida. Upon Mia’s graduation he plans to pursue his Master’s degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he will further his theological education. As he reminisced on his time here at The Baptist College of Florida he said, “I have made a few lifelong friends at BCF and am excited to keep up with each other’s ministries until God calls us home.” A fitting reflection from a young preacher who is looking forward to a lifetime of faithful ministry as he aims to preach the Word and serve the church.
A recording of the full chapel service is available on our Facebook page. For more information on this or future chapel services, please call us at 800.328.2660 or visit the website at www.baptistcollege.edu.