A Conversation With...Walter & Darlene Hansen

Original: AConversation With...Walter & Darlene Hansen

A graduate of Wheaton College (IL) and on the board of trustees at Westmont College (CA), Walter Hansen is currently president of Rivendell Steward's Trust. The Trust is a private foundation for making grants for mission projects and for education in the non-western world. He is also professor of global theological education at Fuller Theological Seminary. Darlene graduated from Moody Bible Institute and has taken art classes at Wheaton and Westmont College (CA). She is an artist and has been chair for the last two years of the Arts Council at Westmont College.

The Hansens fund the CCCU Initiative Grants to Network Christian Scholars, and have endowed chairs at four colleges. The Hansens are the 2007 recipients of the CCCU Philanthropy Award.

What are your current position titles?

WALTER: I wearseveral hats. I'm president of RivendellSteward's Trust which is a private foundation formaking grants for mission projects and for education in thenon-western world. I'm also professor of globaltheological education at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Darlene is anartist and has been chair for the last two years of the ArtsCouncil at Westmont College (CA). She also calls herself a homeexecutive and certainly she is. She provides lots of hospitality inour home.

DARLENE: Iactually call myself a SHE, a Side-tracked Home Executive because Ispend a lot of time at my computer and phone organizing thecomplexity of planning hospitality events, taking care of our home,personal appointments, caring for grandchildren, and communicatingwith people, meanwhile I am cooking, creating photo albums, havingtimes with friends in Bible study or prayer for our children andgoing to an art classes and taking dance lessons with my husband,Walter. I enjoy creating a collage of life that has movement andenergy like a dance.

What is the significance for you now to be recognized with the CCCU's Philanthropy Award?

WALTER:It's really an affirmation of one of our majorinterests in life which is to support excellence in Christianliberal arts education. It affirms that we'reheading in the right direction and fulfilling what we feel thatwe're called to do.

Other than teaching at Fuller, what is your connection to or perspective on the value of Christian higher education?

WALTER:I'm a graduate of a Christian liberal artscollege- Wheaton College (IL)-andon the board of trustees at Westmont College, so for a huge part ofmy life I've been involved in Christian liberalarts education. The whole idea of"liberal" in a liberal artseducation is to set free to grow and develop as a human being. OurChristian commitment is to use our freedom to serve Christ. One ofthe definitions I like of liberal arts education is to encouragethoughtfulness in both senses of the word: to use intellectualskills to address major issues of life, and in another sense, todevelop character qualities of being kind and considerate of otherpeople. The Christian aspect is that we believe that throughrelationship to Christ we are best empowered to be all that we arecreated to be.

DARLENE: Igraduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago with aBible-Theology degree. I also have been a special student atWheaton College and Westmont College, taking art classes. I havebeen educated in art through private lessons from artists whosework I admire. My art education has also been gained through theopportunities to travel with Westmont CollegePresident's trips as we have traveled in Italy,Spain and Portugal.

What is your passion?

DARLENE:  Mymain passion in life is about CREATIVITY.   This passioninfluences all of my life and motivates me in how I use my giftsand talents to serve my family, community and the body of Christhere and abroad.   My personal mission statementis:  To inspire, nourish and express creativity by using myGod-given resources, talents and gifts of encouragement &hospitality in the context of my family, friends, community andworld.   

WALTER:I'm exuberant about life. How good is the life Godhas given to us. Life has so many dimensions in terms ofrelationships to family and friends, the pursuit of service toothers, the pursuit of knowledge to understand how to serve God andcare for his world.

What motivated you to endow the Lothlorien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts at Gordon College this fall?

WALTER: Darlene isan artist and I'm an emerging theologian of art(in the sense that I'm in the beginning steps).For the last 10 years, we've been especiallyinterested in CIVA (Christians in Visual Arts). CIVA has its homeoffice on Gordon's campus. We were at a CIVAconference on the campus of Gordon College (MA) and got to knowBruce Herman and all the art department people and became wellaware of the exceptional quality of the art department there. Wedesired to be involved, and it became apparent that one of bestways to do that was to endow a chair there to support the artists.And then an important part of this equation is getting to knowBruce Herman who is one of our all time favorite artists andfriends now. On that personal level, a real sense of excitementstarted to take hold of us. And we've beenendowing chairs on other college campuses and thought this would beexciting to be involved in one of the best Christian colleges onthe east coast as well.

What connection do you see between the arts and the Creator God?

DARLENE: The artscome from the essence of who God is as Creator God.   OurGod expresses Himself to the world through his creativity innature.   Art is what God has given his women and men touse as a way to multiply His own creative genius.   Thosewho embrace the Arts as their work or pastime or ministry join withGod the Creator to make the invisible visible.

What are some of your favorite charitable giving causes?

WALTER:We're involved in endowing chairs at three or fourcolleges; we enjoy doing that. We've been involvedin micro-finance, micro-enterprise work in some of the poorest ofthe poor regions of the world through Opportunity International andWorld Relief. We have visited those places in Bangladesh and thePhilippines and were just so moved to see what'staking place there through micro-finance work. We have one projectI found very exciting with Ron Tappy at Pittsburgh TheologicalSeminary who has an archeological dig in Israel and discovered analphabet stone there last summer and has made quite a hit withthat. We've also enjoyed providing scholarshipfunds at several colleges and seminaries for students from thenon-western world. We're delighted to see thefruit of faculty research projects funded by the initiative grantsof CCCU.

DARLENE: Since I am an artist and I see the world through art, I gain a lotof joy through being a patron of the arts. I like to support thework of CIVA, Mobia (Museum of Biblical Art) in NYC, La CompagniaDe Colombari, an international interdenominational theater companythat is presently doing productions of Laude in Urbis: MysteryPlays in the 21st Century, in Orvieto, Italy. I also have enjoyedsupporting the Arts at Westmont College, Gordon College and WheatonCollege.   

 Locally, Iam involved supporting the work of The Santa Barbara RescueMission: Bethel House, a recovery center for women with drug andalcohol addictions. I have also for many years been involved with aministry to women with unplanned pregnancies.