Cookie Santiago

Cookie Santiago
Director of Hispanic/ Latino Ministries in the North Carolina Conference

Workshop Leader

American by birth, Latino by heritage, Rev. Josefina “Cookie” Santiago brings an unequaled passion to the spectrum of Hispanic/Latino ministries in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church in her role as director. In addition to her role in the North Carolina Conference, Santiago serves as a consultant for the General Board of Global Ministries – National Plan for Hispanic/ Latino Ministries. Rev. Santiago’s life is a celebration of the diversity of the people that she leads in ministry. She amplifies empowerment of all people to be in ministry to those who are considered to be “the least of these”, teaching, encouraging, training, and equipping people from all walks of life, races, and places to embrace our brothers and sisters of Hispanic/Latino heritage.

Rev. Santiago is the creator of E.M.B.R.A.C.E. (Empowering Ministry to Bridge, Reach out, and Affirm Cultural Esteem). Purposely omitting the words Hispanic or Latino in the acronym, the focus is to reach out and “embrace” all of our brothers and sisters from all places, celebrating their diversity, accepting their culture and uniting all people as one in the family of God.

Rev. Santiago’s ultimate desire is to move the people of United Methodist Church in the NC Conference to the place where we worship in mutual buildings with total unity and complete autonomy. She dreams of the day that every church in the conference offers bilingual Bibles in the pews, Mil Voices displayed as prominently as The United Methodist Hymnal and all of God’s children worshipping and working together with their unique heritages, languages and traditions to proclaim the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to all people.