Pastor Diaz was born in 1952 in the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. His parents had nine children six boys and three girls. Pastor Diaz was the third child born to his father, Rey, and his mother, Thelma. His parents now live in Jackson Heights, New York, and part of his siblings also live in New York and New Jersey. Two of his brothers reside in the Dominican Republic.

Pastor Diaz came to the United States when he was 21 years old, paving the way for much of his family to later follow. In his country of origin, Pastor Diaz attended a Christian church until he was around 11 years old.

In 1973, he traveled to New York, which became his home for almost the next 24 years of his life. In 1976, he met, fell in love with and married Carolina Cadena, with whom they now have three children. They are Oscar (25), Joselyn (24), and Raquel (14). Oscar was born in Santa Clara, California, where the family resided for almost a year and a half, and Joselyn and Raquel were born in Queens and Brooklyn, New York.

Pastor Diaz has more than 20 years of experience as a pastor in the United Methodist Church. He made profession of faith in a church in Queens, New York, the same church where he had met and married Carolina, and also received his call to Christian ministry. Rey studied his B.A. in The College of New Rochelle in New York, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts.

He then studied in the New York Theological Seminary, graduating with a Master of Divinity. He was ordained Elder in the New York Annual Conference in 1996. He was also pastor of four other churches in New York before being appointed to First Hispanic United Methodist Church. At the present, he has four years as the pastor of First Hispanic UMC.

Pastor Diaz is a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, Director for the Hispanic Family Camp of the Hispanic Caucus, and a member of the Committee of the National Plan for Hispanic Ministries.
Pastor Diaz has traveled to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Canada, Korea, and El Salvador in Central America. He hopes to finish his thesis and graduate with a doctorate in Christian Ministry from Drew University.

As pastor of the United Methodist Church in Port Edwards, Pastor Diaz wants to work with all the leaders and members of Port Edwards, with the assurance that God will guide them to new experiences of his infinite grace and love.