The vision of Love In the Name of Christ Montgomery County (Love INC MoCo or LINC MoCo) is – with the help of our partner churches – to extend the transforming love of Christ to all our neighbors in need, no matter how dire their situation. Of course, this Gospel hope applies to us all. We write here to share a bit of the story of Claude Allen, our Executive Director, so you may see that he, just like us, has been tested by fire and experienced redemptive transformation.
Early Years
Politics was not Claude Allen’s passion when he came out of college in 1982. Yes, he had gone in with a goal of being an ambassador for the United States, but while there he met a king, the Lord Jesus Christ. As he was growing in his faith, a Christian friend shared these words from Scripture:
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ… – 2 Cor. 5:20
“In an instant, my life was transformed,” recalls Claude. “I knew I was not to be an ambassador for the United States, but for the kingdom of God.”
Political Advancement
After college, Claude became involved in politics, working first for Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. Thereafter, Claude entered Duke University Law School, graduating in 1990 with a juris doctor degree and a master’s in international and comparative law. From 1995 to 2005, Claude’s political career skyrocketed: deputy attorney general of Virginia; Cabinet Secretary to Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore; deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and, eventually, Domestic Policy Advisor to President George W. Bush.
Surprisingly, Claude never went looking for high position. His aim was to serve where he was. And he turned down every job offer several times. At each transition, he sought the counsel of those he worked for, his pastor, and his wife, Jann, to whom Claude granted full veto power.
A Time of Testing
Then in 2005, while at the White House, Claude received a call: Would he take the lead on the Hurricane Katrina Response? Unbeknownst to the White House, when he was at HHS several years earlier, Claude had met with the New Orleans mayor and city health director. They presented him with a plan to use the Superdome during future emergencies. Claude retorted, “Absolutely not! It’s not designed for emergencies, and if anything happened, people could be trapped.”
Now, in Katrina’s aftermath, Claude was receiving a call from the city health director in a panic: The Superdome was out of food and water, and crimes were occurring. It hit Claude personally: “Did I fail? Could I have been clearer?” He was feeling terribly responsible for the stories coming out of New Orleans.
Just before Katrina hit, Claude had faced a punishing work schedule, involving several lengthy trips and brutal work hours. He was leaving for work at 4 a.m., returning at 11 p.m., and getting less than four hours of sleep a night. Moreover, his family – still working to get settled in D.C. — had moved four times in less than two months. At this time, Claude was very much a neighbor in need!
After taking on the responsibility for the Katrina Response, Claude saw on the news a picture of an African American man in New Orleans, sitting in a chair and holding a sign: “I’m dead, bury me.” Under the weight of everything he was facing, Claude snapped. He thought: “I’m almost homeless. Helpless too.”
Transgression & Consequences
Late that night, Claude was wandering in a Target, not wanting to disturb his wife, Jann, who was at home with their children. He purchased a $500 Bose sound system. Back in the car, he realized:” Jann is going to kill me. We don’t need this.”
For no reason Claude can explain today, he went back into Target, took an identical Bose sound system from the shelf, and brought it to the cashier with his receipt, and gots his money back. Then he went out to his car, took the first sound system from his car, and put it back in the store in a cart. He rationalized: “I didn’t keep it.”
Several weeks later, Claude did the same activity (buy, take, acquire, refund, put back) with a lower-priced item at a different Target. Here are the actions of a man, under terrific pressure, out of balance emotionally, and acting out irresponsibly.
Of course, Target’s in-store video system caught this conduct. In a future visit to Target, where Claude typically did the family shopping, a security officer approached Claude, asked a few questions and then gave him a citation detailing a fine and a future hearing date.
A short while later, Claude got a misdemeanor summons in the mail. When Claude arrived in court a few days later, officials arrested him and filed felony criminal charges. To limit damage to the President, Claude immediately resigned from his White House position.
Ultimately, Claude wasn’t convicted in this case. In ruling on this matter, the judge said he realized that Claude’s conduct was out of character for the person he was. Still, this event brought Claude’s public political life to an end.
International redemptive compassion work
Out of work, Claude was approached by a couple asking if he would lead and manage projects for their foundation. Their international organization focused on pro-life work, abstinence education, HIV/AIDS prevention, and orphan care. So, for the next 10 years, Claude was back in his ambassador calling, visiting impoverished people dying in mud huts as well as appearing before kings, queens, and queen mothers.
“That’s been our mission all along, to interact with all people in all places and identify with them in their journey,” Claude says.
Back in the Fire
Seven years later, in May 2013, while on a retreat with other couples, Claude and Jann received a call from the police telling them that their teenaged son had been arrested and detained. When they got home, they learned – to their shock and horror — that their oldest son had just murdered a friend.
The court in this case ultimately determined that their son was not criminally responsible because of mental illness. He was turned over to the State forensic hospital for treatment and rehabilitation. For Claude and Jann, this situation cast them into a new realm of faith and activity dealing with mental health issues.
From his previous work as Virginia’s Secretary for Health and Human Resources, Claude gained a deep understanding of the mental health system. Since no education existed for families who are trying to navigate that maze, Claude and Jann became advocates–not only for their son, but for others in similar situations. This personal experience went far in equipping Claude to stand with our Love INC Montgomery County clients today who may be struggling with mental illness and help advocate for them too.
Redemptive Refining
Much of what Claude does now for Love INC Montgomery County is in the realm of trauma, mental illness, and prison ministry. As he reflects on his life experiences, he shares that God gave him very personal examples in his own family. “We regret our sin and errors,” he says, “but would not trade what we’ve learned from them.”
Claude and Jann have known brokenness to a degree most of us hope never to encounter. Much more importantly, they have known the gracious nature and transforming power of their Lord and King – Jesus. It is their difficult history that makes them such ideal ambassadors of redemptive compassion to others. May the Lord bless their work among those in need of Montgomery County.