Rev. Sylvia Harris
Senior Pastor
Pastor Sylvia was born and raised in Western Maryland in a family with a long history with the Evangelical United Brethren branch of The United Methodist Church. At 12, she was baptized by her grandfather in the creek on her uncle’s farm and joined Benevola United Methodist Church. When she was a teenager, she resisted God’s call to ministry. Instead, she became a licensed mental health therapist, working with people struggling with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar, various personality disorders, and other mental health challenges. When she and her husband welcomed the first of three children, they soon made the decision for her to remain at home with their children while they were young.
If you want to schedule a meeting with Pastor Sylvia, check out her calendar scheduling page here.
Pastor Sylvia and her family moved to the valley in 2014. This is where she eventually answered her call to ministry, joining the staff of another United Methodist Church for over four years. Pastor Sylvia was appointed on December 1, 2020, as part-time interim pastor to Wesley United Methodist Church in Phoenix. During her years of ministry there, she was reappointed several times, eventually serving there full-time while working on intentional revitalization and creative ministry engagement. On July 1, 2023, Pastor Sylvia started ministry as the Senior Pastor of Song of Life United Methodist Church.
Pastor Sylvia has her Master of Divinity with a specialization in Women, Society, and Church from Saint Paul School of Theology, where she received recognition related to her ministry leadership and academic abilities, biblical studies, and social and ethics justice. She serves Song of Life in connection with the Desert Southwest Annual Conference as an Ordained Elder. Pastor Sylvia served for several years as a member and chairperson on the DSC Commission on Race and Religion, where she worked toward being an antiracist Annual Conference. Pastor Sylvia continues to serve in this work as one of the Annual Conference’s Diversity and Equity trainers. Beginning July 1, 2025, Pastor Sylvia became the chairperson of the DSC Commission on the Status and Role of Women. In this position, she oversees the monitoring of the Annual Conference for the full inclusion of all people at all levels in the life of the Church. In addition, since 2024, Pastor Sylvia has served as the chairperson for the East District Building and Location Committee. Through these commitments, Pastor Sylvia lives into the fullness of our United Methodist connectional identity.
