| My name is Elsie Quintanilla; I am originally from El Salvador, Central America. I have been married for almost 20 years to my biggest cheerleader, Marino Chacon, the pastor of Zion UMC in Lemay and La Trinidad Hispanic Ministry. We are proud parents of Daniella, our 9-year-old little girl, and how could I forget her partner in crime: Chapo, our miniature schnauzer. In addition to spending time with family, I enjoy singing, rides, eating, replanting orchids, and gardening. I’m a snoopy lover. My husband Marino enjoys playing drums, skateboarding, soccer, and music. Daniella likes video games, playing tennis, painting, and meeting new friends. In my country, I studied Computer Engineering. I wanted to study theology, and when I was still in high school, I enrolled in a theological seminary of the Assemblies of God and graduated four years later. I began my ministry in 2000 in the Methodist Church of El Salvador as a youth pastor with my husband, Marino. After a while, a UMC missionary came to El Salvador, saw the youth ministry that we serve, and gave us a coffee cup with money to go to the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. In 2008, I immigrated to the U.S. with my husband and began working with Hispanic Ministries and community projects in Saint Louis. I was appointed to New Covenant UMC and Zion UMC on Lemay in 2019. After finishing seminary, I began a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from the Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana (Costa Rica). I was ordained as an Elder of the Missouri Conference in the class of 2020. In May 2022, I graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration from Dakota Wesleyan University. I have been honored to serve in El Salvador as Director of Pastoral Education in the Conference, youth pastor, and associate pastor in many local and Conference-wide positions. In the Missouri Conference, I served on the Values Team, dCOM, Immigration Task Force, and UWIF (as language coordinator). I am currently the co-director of The Licensing School in Missouri Conference. My passion has always been disciple-making, community service, and social justice. |
