The Rev. Tonya S. Harris (Pastor T) is a native of Galveston, TX, with roots there since the great storm of 1900. She grew up “Metho-Baptist” as some of her maternal family members were Methodist and some were Baptist. Additionally, as a church musician from age 12, she regularly participated in ecumenical and interfaith worship experiences and events. Also since the age of 12, she has led in most aspects of the life of the local congregation and surrounding community. Including Sunday School, youth ministry, Vacation Bible School, neighborhood evangelism, regional choral events, Administrative Council, as well as an elected term as National Vice-President of the United Methodist Fellowship of Music and Worship Arts.  Since relocating to Californiain 2000, Rev. Harris has taught several lay speaking classes, facilitated strategic planning workshops for local churches. conducted seminars and workshops on the district, conference and national levels, and preaches regularly in diverse settings beyond her local church appointment. In 2006 she was a California-Pacific Conference delegate to the World Methodist Conference in Seoul, Korea.
Rev. Harris will be recommended for ordination at the June 2010 session of the California-Pacific Annual Conference. Within our conference, she is active in various leadership capacities that have included the Long Beach District Planning and Strategy Committee, the conference Design Team and Sessions Committee, and the Board of Trustees of Claremont School of Theology. She has served as the Director of Programs in the Los Angeles District, co-pastor and later senior pastor of First UMC of Compton, senior pastor of Lynwood UMC, and is the newly appointed pastor of Park Hill UMC in Chula Vista, CA.
Pastoral ministry in California is preceded by 20 years of professional experiences in Texas and nationally. Work in various fields has provided Pastor T with a broad tapestry of experience that includes the fields of music performance (violin), education, state government, volunteerism, small business ownership, arts management, and consulting a national clientèle. Pastor T has: designed tools for the statewide training of visual and performing artists as community developers; implemented an orchestral experience for children living in poverty; founded an inner-city fine arts magnet school program; collaborated in the research and performance of classical works by African American composers including a Public Broadcasting System national broadcast. Her music compositions and arrangements have been performed regionally.  She has also produced major fundraising events.
Pastor T earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Houston (TX), the Master of Divinity degree from Claremont School of Theology (CA) and is planning for doctoral study in anthropology. She is happily single and is blessed by being aunt to 3 nieces, 3 nephews, and one grand-nephew. She loves travel, classic film/documentaries,  and geneological research.
Pastor T is passionate about and committed to the work of spiritual, psychological, economic, and infrastructural transformation in the inner-city. As she has followed Christ, her ministry has impacted marginalized communities and the lives of young people living in poverty. These ministries include gang intervention, violence prevention, juvenile justice, cultural literacy, and young adult leadership development. To this end, she is the founder of the nonprofit organization, Urban Lights Initiative, Inc. She is guided by the promise of Isaiah 61.