Support UM News on World Press Freedom Day: Give to help sustain and expand the storytelling capacity of UM News. Your donation today will transform information into inspiration and ensure we can continue sharing stories of God’s work in the world through The UMC. Help us reach our $10,000 goal and keep this vital ministry fair, faithful, trusted and free for all!

Women making history: Cynthia Fierro Harvey

In 1987, Congress designated the month of March that year as Women's History Month. The annual observance continues to this day. In 2013, United Methodist News Service invited several women, both lay and clergy, in The United Methodist Church to share their stories. Here is the response from Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, elected to the episcopacy in 2012 after serving two years as head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. She serves the Louisiana Episcopal Area.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.

A: I was born on May 5, 1959, in Big Spring, Texas. I was raised in a typical Hispanic neighborhood surrounded by family. My grandparents lived across the street, and my great-aunt and uncle lived next door. I have no memory of ever being with a babysitter but always with family. Being in community is a cornerstone of who I am.

I grew up on what some called "the wrong side of the tracks." My parents' home was a very modest home built by my father and grandfather. I remember two bedrooms, one bathroom and five people. It was also the house with the Virgin Mary in the front yard!

I am married to Dean Alan Harvey, and our daughter, Elizabeth Grace Harvey, is 22.

Q: In what local church did you grow up?

A: I was raised in a Roman Catholic household. I am the first non-Catholic in my family. It was not until I went to college that I began attending a United Methodist church — first, Dunwoody United Methodist Church in Georgia, then Foundry United Methodist Church in Houston, which was the church from which I entered ministry. Foundry was the place where I discerned my call.

Throughout my high school years, I was active in student government, was a cheerleader and very involved in school activities.

I attended The University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1980 with a degree in journalism.

I had a full career in corporate marketing prior to entering full-time ministry. I used to pride myself in having been a layperson longer than (I was) clergy, but (that is no longer the case).

My parents both had eighth-grade educations but were the smartest people I have ever known.

Q: What are your gifts and how do you share them with the church?

The Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey plays with a child at the Fairfield orphanage at the Old Mutare Mission in Zimbabwe in this 2007 file photo. A UMNS file photo by Bill Norton.

The Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey plays with a child at the Fairfield orphanage at the Old Mutare Mission in Zimbabwe in this 2007. A UMNS file photo by Bill Norton.

.

A: I have the gift of being able to maintain the balcony view or the long look while maintaining a sense of the here and now. I can lead people to large causes but am also smart enough to know when to follow. I am creative and have a commitment to innovation and stretching or pushing the envelope to see what is possible and not yet seen or discovered. I have always been a curious person, asking many questions. I believe this will serve me well.

Q: How do you nurture others, especially girls and women, through the church and in other aspects of your life?

A: I pray that I might model for young girls that it is possible to overcome what might be considered impossible. Confidence and certainty about who you are and being comfortable in your own skin is important for young women. Being the best "you" you can be is what I believe God has in mind. In that confidence and certainty, one might discover the very person God is calling.

Q: Why is Women's History Month important to you?

A: Women's History Month is a time to learn about the women that have gone before us, who have blazed the trails and been true pathfinders of the faith.

I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants. Every day, I remind myself that I am just a girl from Big Spring, Texas, called by God to live out a life of faith. I never prayed to become a bishop; I prayed that God would use me as God saw fit. I am simply a faithful and humble servant of God.

See more features like this as part of the special series, United Methodist Women Making History.

This interview was conducted in 2013 by Barbara Dunlap-Berg, internal content editor for United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn. Contact Dunlap-Berg at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected].


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
General Church
In her presidential address, Council of Bishops President Tracy S. Malone outlines the challenges facing United Methodists — including the need to rebuild after church disaffiliations and take on the rise of cruelty and erosion of human rights. Malone, who also leads the Indiana Conference, was speaking to bishops meeting in Chicago this week. Photo by Paul Gómez, United Methodist Communications.

Bishops urged to confront rising cruelty

As The United Methodist Church rebuilds, Council of Bishops President Tracy S. Malone challenged her fellow bishops to address inhumanity and act with the compassion of Christ.
General Church
A procession of United Methodist bishops leads opening worship at the 2024 United Methodist General Conference on April 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. The board of The United Methodist Church’s finance agency voted to give bishops a 3% retroactive salary increase. The move comes after bishops in December asked to forgo a raise in 2025 amid tight budgets denomination-wide. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishops given 3% retroactive pay hike

The board of The United Methodist Church’s finance agency voted to give bishops a salary increase that starts at the beginning of this year.
Social Concerns
Bishop Julius C. Trimble. Photo by Tessa Tillett for the Indiana Conference.

Love demands compassionate response, prophetic witness

United Methodists have a long history of advocating for the needs of others. Today, that call continues.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2025 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved