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Born in Lufkin, I was reared in Orange. I attended The University of Texas at Austin and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.  My husband Larry and I were married in 1967 and reared a son and a daughter while living in Houston and Austin. We now have four grandchildren: two in San Antonio, and two in Dallas.

After receiving the Master of Divinity degree from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in 1987, I served as assistant rector at All Saints’ Church, Austin, and as rector of St. James’ Church, La Grange, and St. James the Apostle Church, Conroe. I served as Canon to the Ordinary from 2000-2003 and have served as Archdeacon and Canon for Ministry since 2003.

I have served the diocese as a deputy to General Convention and as a member of the Division of Christian Education, the Executive Board, the Standing Committee, and the Mission Funding Committee. I have served as a trustee of The Bishop Quin Foundation and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities and am currently serving as a trustee of St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital System and the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, where I chair the Search Committee for the Dean and President position.

Personal Data
Born January 8, 1947, Lufkin, Texas
Married June 10, 1967 to Larry N. Harrison
Two children, four grandchildren

Education
Lutcher Stark High School, Orange, Texas:  Diploma, 1964
The University of Texas at Austin:  Bachelor of Business Administration, 1967
Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest:  Master of Divinity, 1987

Ordained Ministry
2003-present     Diocese of Texas, Archdeacon and Canon for Ministry
2000-2003       Diocese of Texas, Canon to the Ordinary
1997-2000    St. James the Apostle Church, Conroe, Texas, Rector
1992-1997    St. James' Church, La Grange, Texas, Rector
1987-1992    All Saints' Church, Austin, Texas, Assistant Rector

Secular Employment

1. Department of Accounting, University of Texas at Austin

2. Hamilton Brothers Oil Co., Houston

1968-1980            Full and part-time intermittent employment and contract work with
                              various commercial mortgage brokerage firms

Ministry Activities
Member, Division of Christian Education, Diocese of Texas, 1987-1995

Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest:  Lecturer in Liturgics, 1991, 1994, 1999

Field Education Supervisor, 1995-96

Executive Board, Diocese of Texas, 1993-1996: 
Diocese of New Westminster Visitation Team;
Shaping our Future Committee;
Chair, Employment Nondiscrimination Committee

Trustee, The Bishop Quin Foundation, 1993-1996, 1997-2000

Board Member, La Grange Area Ministries for Emergency Needs, 1994-1997

Board Member, Colorado Valley Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, 1994-1996

Founding Board Member, Fayette Resale, Inc., La Grange, 1995-1997
 (ecumenical operation to fund community needs)

Diocesan Mission Funding Committee, 1996

Clergy Deputy to General Convention, 1997, 2003, 2006

Board Member, Montgomery County Emergency Assistance, 1998-2000

Trustee, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, 1998-2006

Trustee, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital System, 2000-present
Standing Committee, 2000-2001

Trustee, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest 2005-present

Archdeacon Harrison is highly qualified to serve as a Bishop Suffragan for the Diocese of Texas.  She has ably served this Diocese for nearly 20 years in a variety of capacities including assistant rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Austin, Rector of St. James, La Grange, Rector of St. James’, Conroe, and on the Diocesan Staff as Canon to the Ordinary and presently, Archdeacon with oversight of the South Region.  She is currently chair of the Search Committee for a new Dean for the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest, oversees the Commission on Ministry, and is a member of the Board of St. Luke’s Hospital.

Archdeacon Harrison is a very compassionate person and an excellent Administrator, both highly desirable traits in a Bishop Suffragan for one of the largest dioceses in the Episcopal Church.

Robert M. Hays
St. James’, La Grange

1.  What is at the heart of your personal theology that informs all you do as an ordained person and as a human being?

From the time of my earliest memory I have experienced Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord, and that is the heart of my identity and my theology. From childhood, Jesus has been a constant and continuing presence. I have experienced many dimensions of this mysterious gift, including Jesus as healer, companion, teacher, corrector, challenger, strength-giver, absolver, comforter, and the one who daily calls me into the life and work of God's Kingdom.

We share both incarnational and resurrection life with Jesus. This means that the holy life of God is present in all circumstances of this life and the next.  Whether as a human being or an ordained person, the relationships and various settings of our lives are the context in which God calls us to holiness and service. The assurance that all things work for good for those who love God frees me to enter into the challenge and vulnerability of life and ministry and to remember that all areas of our lives have eternal significance.

2.  What is the most significant thing you have learned in your years in ordained ministry?

I have learned again and again that the ministry of the Church rests upon the foundation of love--God’s love for us through Christ, our love for God, and our love and care for one another and the world. It is both simple and infinitely challenging because we are human, we see and know imperfectly, and we fail God and one another. But I am convinced that it is through love that the Holy Spirit moves among us with the power to forgive, transform, create and empower. The call to love and care must shape our choices in every context, no matter how difficult.

3.  What experiences in ordained ministry have specifically fitted you with the ability to discharge the duties of Bishop Suffragan as outlined in the job description?

Bishops Suffragan have the primary ministry of supporting the vision and ministry of the Bishop Diocesan. As former Canon to the Ordinary and now as Archdeacon, I have successfully served two visionary bishops and have an in-depth understanding of both the solemn responsibilities of their office and the nature of the support they need from our Bishops Suffragan.

Our Bishops Suffragan serve as Regional Executives for the different regions of the diocese. In that role, they support clergy and congregations in various ways. As a priest, I have served urban, suburban, and rural congregations and understand the needs of different kinds of churches. In my diocesan work I have also served as a Regional Executive. I have helped to develop resources which support the work of all our clergy and churches and believe I can be particularly effective in bringing our diocesan resources to the local setting.

The job description also refers to program responsibilities which will be assigned. For more than two years I have convened the Program Group of the diocesan staff, served as the Bishop’s liaison to our institutions, and served as Executive for Ministry with the Commission on Ministry.  These roles have given me a deep understanding of the program life of the diocese and broad experience in serving the Bishop in a program role.

4.  What particular gifts and strengths would you bring to this position?

I have a deep love for the Diocese of Texas in all its variety and a great hope and confidence in its call to powerful Gospel mission. I believe that my gifts of discernment, preaching, teaching, administering, and encouraging have been developed in ways that empower the work of a Bishop Suffragan. My experience in both parish and diocesan ministry is a particular strength because it gives me insight into both perspectives. My service as Deputy to General Conventions has given me a knowledge of the broader church and a network of relationships across the country.  I also have the habit of working hard, and that is an important requirement for a bishop!

5.  What do you regard as the three most important issues facing the Church today and why are they important?

1. Discipleship Commitment. A mission to transform the world depends upon our ability to focus on that mission and to allow God to touch us all with the continuing transformation of our hearts, minds, and priorities. Disciples must always decide whether they are willing to lay down their lives in the service of God's vision for the world. To adopt a mission identity is to accept a sacrificial, cruciform identity as a disciple--and this makes us vulnerable instead of safe and involves us in struggle as well as joy. This is the foundational question for Christians. Each of us is called to deeper commitment. The mission requires it. The world waits to see it demonstrated. The challenge belongs to all members of the church, and only in answering that call will we grow more faithful.

2. Leadership Development.  We have the challenge of identifying, calling, forming, commissioning, and supporting those who have the talent, the discipleship commitment, and the desire to lead the mission forward. We need to empower both clergy and lay leaders with the skills of leadership, free them to innovate approaches that can be effective in renewing the faithful and reaching the unchurched, and support them in every way possible.

3. Reconciliation within the Church. Our beloved Church faces serious challenges in maintaining our identity and our unity as Anglican Christians. With the Windsor Report, we have begun a process that can lead us toward greater discernment and understanding of one another. The process will not be easy or short, but it is a sacred work that calls forth the best of who we are as followers of Jesus. The question is not whether we have the means to reconcile, because the power of God’s love and desire for our unity is always sufficient. The question is whether we have the will to carry our cross and to devote ourselves to one another in humility and care.

6.   Are you comfortable being under the authority of our Diocesan Bishop and how will you support him in his vision for the Diocese?

Having worked under the authority of four Bishops as a lay person, a parish priest, and a diocesan staff member, I can affirm my comfort in that role. The Bishop of Texas carries an enormous responsibility and must depend particularly on clergy, lay leaders, and diocesan staff members to carry out his myriad duties.

The Bishop’s vision has been developed in a collaborative process. It is bold and faithful and challenges all of us to our best efforts. It is exciting and energizing, and we all have the responsibility of supporting it. The Bishops Suffragan have an important part in articulating the vision through preaching, teaching, and supporting congregations. The Bishops Suffragan also have the ministry of providing feedback to the Bishop about the vision and assisting him in its ongoing refinement and implementation.

I am comfortable with Bishop Wimberly's authority.  I also know the role of speaking honestly, openly, and creatively with the bishop in a way that gets the job done.  As Bishop Suffragan my role will be to represent what is really going on with clergy, a congregation, or a region to the Bishop and diocesan staff in a way that they can hear it and be effective in their response. It isn't enough simply to bring problems to the Bishop; the Bishop Suffragan needs to be part of the solution. I am comfortable and I can help make that comfort work for those I represent. 

7.  Please tell us about your spiritual life and the spiritual disciplines that strengthen you.  How does this support your call to become our Bishop Suffragan?

Spiritual life is what supports the call to any ministry, whether it is Bishop Suffragan or some other calling. My spiritual life is woven from threads of both community and solitude. Quiet time for prayer, study and reflection helps me to keep focused on my relationship with Christ and to remember that God really is in charge. Life in the Christian community shapes my spiritual life through relationships, worship, mutual discernment, and the wonderful “daily-ness” and unpredictability of life together. Sharing the mission of the church binds me to others and inspires me to work alongside them, always seeking the Spirit’s direction for the journey. Stewardship of time, talent, and treasure is a discipline that helps me continuously test my spiritual and ministry priorities. Praying for others is a privilege that keeps me oriented to the needs of the world. Dialogue with spiritual companions helps me seek deeper understandings of my journey and holds me accountable in that process.

8.  Using your holy imagination, what is your dream for the future of the Diocese of Texas?

This is a great question because imagining is always inspiring. In my imagination, I see a network of communities of faith that are healthy in their inner life, faithful in prayer and service and robust in their proclamation of Jesus Christ dead and risen. They are led by clergy and laity who have accepted with their whole hearts the call to serve and who have done the hard work of prayer, preparation, and perseverance in order to become sacrificial leaders. They are witnesses for the peace and justice of God, servants of the needy, and evangelists who gather the lost into the Body of Christ. They are agents of reconciliation at home and abroad. They contribute to the health of the wider Church as they strengthen the diocese in its life and ministry and nurture the leaders of the future.

As your Bishop Suffragan I believe we can be partners in bringing to fruition those holy imaginings each of us cherishes for our diocese, our congregations, and our institutions.  I am humbled by and give thanks for the opportunity to be considered by the people and diocese I love.