In a room filled with family and friends, a late Brooks Memorial Baptist Church pastor was recognized this past weekend for his service to the church.

The life of Dr. E. DeWitt Allen, who passed away on July 5, 2009 after a long battle with leukemia, was celebrated Sunday as the congregation of the church dedicated their new library in his honor.

Allen was the pastor at Brooks Memorial for 19 years before retiring from ministry in 1983, and during his time at the church left memories with everyone he came in contact with.

The library, which bears his name on the door, has shelves filled with books with several of them being donated from Allen’s family.

David Taylor, who taught Sunday school, while Allen was pastor, was one of many on hand Sunday and spoke during the dedication. He said that Allen never stopped looking for ways to spread God’s word to people in the community.

“Brother Allen never stopped looking for ways to increase his ministry,” Taylor said. “He led the church to purchase the land it sits on now in the 1970s after seeing that there was no church in this area for the people that lived here. He believed in educating people in the word of God, and he had a vision for a larger education building for our church. He said we could reach more people if we had a larger building for education.”

The building that the library sits in is the larger education building that Allen always dreamed of.

Allen’s dream was continued by the church and came to fruition earlier in the decade.

Allen’s wife, Dot Cobb Allen, said for the library to bear his name was something really special.

“This is really beyond words,” Allen said. “He was such a wonderful man. He was brilliant beyond words, and he could do so many things.”

Before ending the dedication ceremony and letting the crowd gather into the newly named Dr. E. DeWitt Allen Memorial Library, Taylor gave thanks to to Allen and his family.

Taylor said that Dot Allen and her son, Schuyler, did a wonderful thing in donating the books that were used by Dr. Allen.

“One of these rooms in this building is our new library,” Taylor said. “We thank Dot and Schuyler (Allen) for donating Dr. Allen’s books to the library. We dedicate this library to God in honor of Dr. Allen. He left us with a wonderful legacy.”