Rev. Carmen Cook hopes the church will become more inclusive in embracing worship styles of other cultures, including Native American. “We don’t need to make all people white. That’s an insult,” she observes. “If we respect our different cultures and practice loving each other for who we are, that would take us a long way,” she adds.
Carmen, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Gladwin, is a Native Americans active as a leader within The Michigan Conference. She also pastored Onaway and Millersburg UMCs before moving to the Central District in 2018. At one point Carmen served as the chair of Detroit Conference CONAM (Committee on Native American Ministries). That’s the agency that determines the recipients of grants made from the funds that return to the Michigan Annual Conference from the Native American Ministries Offering.