Welcome Bishop Harvey!

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ROGERS, ARK.— Cynthia Fierro Harvey was assigned to the Rio Texas Annual Conference during the 15th Session of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference held in Rogers, Arkansas on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

Harvey will also continue to serve as episcopal leader of the Texas Annual Conference—where she has served for the past two years. She previously served the Louisiana Annual Conference for ten years beginning in 2012. She was consecrated as bishop after leading UMCOR as Deputy General Secretary from 2010-2012.

She previously served as the President of the Council of Bishops 2020-2022, President-designate 2018-2020 and as the Secretary of the Council of Bishops 2014-2018. She serves on the board of directors at various organizations, including the Board of Trustees for Southwestern University and the Lydia Patterson Institute. She currently serves as President of The General Commission of Archives and History of The United Methodist Church.

As bishop, Harvey challenged congregations to look beyond themselves and to keep an eye focused on the edge where God is at work. She also has a passion for young people as they lead the church into a future filled with possibilities.

“Bishop Harvey has many gifts and strengths to share with Rio Texas. Among them, a strong commitment to building a church for future generations,” said Rachel Wright, member of the Rio Texas Episcopacy Committee. “I look forward to the ways that our daughters and granddaughters will newly see their present and future selves reflected in Bishop Harvey’s leadership.”

After the announcement, Bishop Harvey shared: “I am looking forward to getting to know the people of the Rio Texas Conference. It is a time to build a church for the future.”

Prior to her 2012 consecration as bishop, Harvey was the Director of Missional Excellence for the Texas Annual Conference. She served as executive pastor for Houston Memorial Drive UMC (1996-2008) and an associate pastor of Houston The Foundry United Methodist Church (1992-1996). She previously spent 12 years in the corporate world as a regional director of marketing for The Rouse Company before her ordination in 1992.

Harvey is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology, and University of Texas at Austin. She was born in Big Spring, Texas in a “typical Hispanic neighborhood surrounded by family.” She married her husband Dean Alan in 1981. They have one adult daughter.

Bishop Robert Schnase, who recently announced his retirement from episcopacy effective September 1, said: “I am grateful to God for the leadership and service of Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey. Bishop Harvey is an experienced bishop with a careful and fruitful eye toward the future. Rio Texas is blessed to have her as our episcopal leader.” 

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SCJ Press Release - New Episcopal Coverage Areas Announced at South Central Jurisdictional Conference

A Call to Prayer

Open Letter Regarding Ministries of Mercy and Compassion along the Texas Border

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March 2024
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Recently, there has been an intensity of dehumanizing language and a militarizing of border areas over the complex and demanding situation along the border in Texas. We recognize the efforts of many of our first responders, migrant shelters, and advocacy centers as noble and express our deep appreciation for engaging in this important and sacred work. Yet, we offer this open letter to stress the need for religious institutions of all faiths to freely continue in ministries that encompass acts of mercy and compassion to the most vulnerable in our communities, including migrants, without the risk of retribution by authorities.

It is our sacred duty as Christians and United Methodists to follow the teachings of Jesus when it comes to ministries of mercy and compassion. Jesus said in gospel of Matthew, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” We seek to honor this teaching in the best traditions of the Church Universal. We seek to serve all humanity to honor God.

We support migrant shelters and ministries offering food and shelter and dignity in many places from the Annunciation House in El Paso, TX to the Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville, TX. We support our Catholic friends and other leaders of faith. We stand in solidarity with the statement from the Conference of Catholic Bishops: “We must especially preserve the freedom of Catholics and other people of faith to assist their communities and meet migrants’ basic human needs.” The United Methodist Church has a long history of supporting and funding migrant refugee centers on the border. Some of these Christian migrant refugee centers are well over 100 years old and have been providing humanitarian assistance long before the divisive politics of our modern times.

We call on Christians and United Methodists to continue in the sacred work of providing food and shelter and dignity to the most vulnerable in our midst.

We call on government institutions to work in harmony with us towards ending this crisis along the border in a way that reflects the best traditions of our country.

We call upon leaders to cease dehumanizing rhetoric that fans the flames of prejudice and racism.

Respectfully,

Robert Schnase
Bishop
Rio Texas Conference
New Mexico Conference

 

Transformational Communities Network Receives $1.25 Million from Lilly Endowment Inc.

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The Rio Texas Conference has received a $1,250,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Transformational Communities Network Academy for Congregational and Community Transformation (ACCT) of the Rio Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church.

The project is funded through the Lilly Endowment Inc. Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to encourage the flourishing of congregations by helping them deepen their relationships with God, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute to the vitality of their communities and the world.

Transformational Communities Network (TCN) is a project of the Rio Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. Its goal is to strengthen local congregations and revitalize communities by providing training and ongoing support for congregational work and community development. The TCN training helps congregations join with their neighbors to accurately assess their current reality, identify giftedness, map community assets, clarify and articulate a shared practical vision, formulate strategic directions, and develop an actionable plan for moving forward.

Recognizing that community transformation is “long work,” TCN provides ongoing training and support by connecting local church leaders with others doing similar work throughout the Rio Texas Annual Conference and beyond. TCN’s vision is to see a vital and ever-expanding network of thriving churches actively participating in the work of community transformation.

“TCN is excited about this next step to journey with congregations in their ongoing community engagement work and to celebrate the stories and learnings coming out of this work,” said Abel Vega, Rio Texas Conference Director of Mission, Service, & Justice Ministries. “It is hoped that in the next few years partnering with communities, we will see the vibrancy of transformation, healing, and wholeness needed for these days.”

Rio Texas Conference is one of 105 organizations that has received grants though a competitive round of the Thriving Congregations Initiative. Reflecting a wide variety of Christian traditions, the organizations represent mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, peace church, and Pentecostal faith communities.

“Congregations play an essential role in deepening the faith of individuals and contributing to the vitality of communities,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment Inc. Vice President for Religion. “We hope that these programs will nurture the vibrancy and spark the creativity of congregations, helping them imagine new ways to share God’s love in their communities and across the globe.”

 

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.

Contact:
Abel Vega
Rio Texas Conference
Director of Mission, Service, & Justice Ministries
(210) 408-4514