Harrison's husband, son, daughter and four grandchildren, ages 3-9,
will participate in the service.

"Two of them are 3-year-old twins," she said. "So the family is all
keeping a close eye on them. It will be lots of fun."

Harrison spoke by phone this week with Chronicle staff writer Barbara
Karkabi. Excerpts of that conversation follow.

Q: What reaction has there been to your election as the first female
bishop in Texas?

A: The response has been very positive. I guess I don't hear the
negative response.

Q: What was your reaction when you were elected?

A: You are always surprised, I think, at something like this. It's very
humbling, and it's a very large and very solemn responsibility. I just
hope to fulfill the office in the best way possible.

Q: What does a bishop suffragan do?

A: In our diocese, we have three regions. I'm regional executive for
the western area, which has about 50 churches from Austin to Waco,
Bryan/College Station and Bay City. ... I also oversee the ordination
process for the whole diocese, campus ministries and world missions.
I'm the bishop's liaison to several diocesan institutes including St.
Luke's Episcopal Health System.

Q: When did you become a minister?

A: I was 40 when I was ordained; it was a second career. Before that, I
was a commercial mortgage broker. ... It's very exciting to start on a
new mission at my age. I feel very privileged to have that opportunity.

Q: How can liturgical churches like the Episcopal Church compete with
megachurches such as Lakewood?

A: We have very large churches also, though we certainly don't tend to
get as big. St. Martin's in Houston is the largest Episcopal church in
the country, with close to 8,000 members.

The Episcopal Church has a lot to offer, a lively tradition and
beautiful, diverse worship. You see everything from very traditional to
very contemporary worship. So I don't think of it as competition but
more of having a different gift to offer.

Q: The Texas diocese is diverse and ranges from conservative to
centrist and liberal. How do you think you can keep that diverse group
together?

A: We have worked very hard to maintain a focus on mission rather than
issues. One of our gifts as Anglicans is our ability to tolerate some
tension around disagreements, and I will work very hard to keep those
relationships in good order.

It's a very challenging time for the church, but we have the resources
to meet that challenge and support the clergy and people of the diocese
as we work through these issues.

Q: Can you explain the focus on mission rather th an issues?

A: You can only use your energy in so many ways, and you can focus it
into arguing with one another or you can focus it on reaching out to
the world with good news and with service to those who need it. If you
focus on mission, it doesn't mean you ignore the issues, but it puts it
into perspective.

Q: In what way?

A: In the sense that it is not the core mission of the church. These
are challenges that have to be met and issues that have to be
addressed, but we should never allow issues to drive our ministry.

It's the calling we have from Christ to be evangelists and servants
that should drive our ministry. The church has never been without
issues — never has been and never will be.

Q: What issues do you mean?

A: I'm referring mostly to issues of human sexuality. I believe the
election of Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori was
controversial not so much because she's a woman, but because of her
views over the past years and her support of same-sex unions. This is a
particularly challenging area now. But it's also an issue of asking:
What is the catholicity of the church?

Q: Meaning?

A: Well, how is it that we are part of a bigger picture than just our
national church? And how do we negotiate those tensions and remain in
communion with other Anglicans? ... The American church has moved
forward on some very delicate issues without consultation. It's an
issue of how we live together, rather than of one particular question.

Q: What is your position on the incoming presiding bishop and the
election of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson the first openly gay bishop in
New Hampshire?

A: Those are real different questions.

Let's start with New Hampshire:

I was chair of our deputation at that convention and this last one. I
voted against his approval for consecration because I did not believe
we had consulted widely enough in the Anglican Communion and come to
any agreement about the basis for moving forward on an action like
that.

Q: Do you feel comfortable with that?

A: I do. It's a very difficult decision in some ways.
I feel the church needs to deal with this issue head on. ... It was
sort of done without discussion. He was elected, and it just went
through the usual channels without appropriate consultation within the
Anglican Communion.

Q: And you think it's better to lay it all out on the table?

A: I think we have to deal with the theological issues before we start
doing it.

We sort of got the cart before the horse.

I did vote to give consent to the House of Bishops on Katharine's
election. While I don't agree with her on some of the issues — she
voted for Gene Robinson and has supported same-sex unions in her
diocese — she is a very bright and gifted person.

barbara.karkabi@chron.com
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/4241978.html