It took a while, but Carletta Allen found her calling. The pastor at historic Asbury United Methodist Church in Annapolis, Allen worked in the fashion and banking industries before earning a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
Besides her ministerial role at Asbury, the oldest African American church in Anne Arundel County, the 67-year-old Allen serves as president of the board of the Annapolis Opera Company, a chaplain for the Anne Arundel County Police and a member of the board of trustees of Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center.
Here are three things you may not know about Allen:
Opera stirs her soul.
“As a young, struggling mom, I hadn’t the money to go out on weekends, so I turned on PBS. I’d heard that this Pavarotti guy was a pretty good singer, so I watched [a performance of] ‘La Boheme.’ I couldn’t believe the human voice could do such things.
“As much as I love the singing in opera, I also love the drama, staging, costumes and the bringing of stories to life; it takes the stress right out of me. My body is wracked with arthritis, but when I’m at the opera, or listening at home, in a relaxed state, I don’t feel the pain. There’s nothing but the music and the transcendence that happens when one is immersed in that music.”
Her basement is a veritable boutique.
“I used to model and I still love fashion. I’m the only woman I know who admits that she has too many clothes; there are literally hundreds of outfits downstairs, though I’m slowly downsizing, with an eye on retirement, and giving them to consignment shops.
“I’ve had nine jean jackets and 34 handbags, though I’ve given 14 of [the latter] away. I love hats — wool, felt and church-lady hats — and still have 22 of them, after giving away a dozen more. My excuse is that I wear other people’s art.”
A second childhood beckons.
“I never learned to dance; growing up, everything was about school, school, school. I read a lot, didn’t date much and started work at [age] 12. I’ve been a workaholic all my life, but I plan to take a line dancing class this year. At my age, I’m not worried about looking silly; I’ll just take my Advil and get out there. It’s time for me to have the childhood that I didn’t have, just doing things for fun, like a 3-year-old does.”