Pastor Rich’s Resignation
On January 5, Pastor Rich Hansen submitted his resignation as Pastor of First Pres to take up a new call as Professor of Systematic Theology at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Rich and Marilyn will become missionaries through our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Here’s what comes next:
- Our Session will be meeting with representatives of San Joaquin Presbytery at its January 19 meeting to begin the process of seeking an Interim Pastor. The PCUSA has many highly qualified pastors who specialize in helping congregations like ours move through the transition period between senior pastors. The Session will establish a search committee to seek and recommend a candidate to be hired by the Session; we hope he or she might arrive sometime this summer.
- During the next three months, the Church Nominating Committee will begin searching for 7-9 church members to serve on a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). This PNC will be elected by the congregation hopefully sometime in May or June, and will be charged with presenting to the congregation God’s candidate to become our next Senior Pastor. This is an important process done with care and deliberation, and will typically take 18 months or more.
The Session encourages all members and friends to be in prayer for the Hansen’s during this major life transition for them as they follow God’s new calling, and for all of us in the First Pres Family as we continue to follow God’s calling here in Visalia. If you have any questions or comments, we encourage you to contact any of the 12 Elders. (Names and contact information listed on the Elders page on this website)
10 Questions for Rich and Marilyn about their Call to Ethiopia
#1. What is your commitment? When do you leave?
Marilyn: We have made an initial three year commitment. It concludes with a three month interpretation period back in US, when we’ll travel to various churches around the country telling our story and generally promoting PCUSA mission efforts in Africa and other parts of the world. Depending on the needs of the school where Rich will be teaching, we may be invited to continue for another three years. We will be back in the US for Lauren’s graduation from Westmont in May, 2011, and will hope to stop by Visalia and say hello.
Rich: My last Sunday at First Pres will be sometime in May; the date has not yet been determined. We hope to sell our home this spring (we have much redecorating to do!), and during June will likely be moving our furniture somewhere—we don’t know where yet, as we’ll be essentially “homeless” in the US. All we’ll be taking to Ethiopia is clothes, lots of books, and other small items—everything else to set up our new home we’ll be purchasing there. On July 1 we begin three weeks of training for new PCUSA missionaries; we anticipate moving to Ethiopia sometime in August.
#2. You’re going to teach at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology. What is it?
Rich: The best way to get a good picture is to spend a moment exploring their website: www.egst-addis.org It has only been in existence for 12 years, but is growing and just moved into a new six story building, their first major building project. It offers five post-graduate degrees, including an MA in Leadership and Management, a Master of Theology, and even an MA in HIV and AIDS in Relation to Theological Studies.
#3. What is exciting for you about this call?
Rich: One faculty member wrote the following to me: “My greatest joy in teaching at EGST is seeing students who have been shaped and formed by their time at EGST take up key ministry roles and thrive in those roles. I think compared to the average seminary grad in the US, the students who graduate from EGST take up roles that are disproportionately influential. One or two lead entire denominations, a number have teaching or leadership roles in most of the lover-level English language schools in the country.” I am excited about the opportunity to get to know students of this caliber and invest in their lives, as they will become significant Christian leaders for their church and society.
Marilyn: I am excited to begin learning a new language and really understand a very different culture from the inside out. The PCUSA will fund our language study for at least the first year, as they want us to as much as possible become part of the culture. I am excited about the possibilities for relationships with Rich’s Ethiopian colleagues at the seminary, but also for friendships with ordinary Ethiopian people who will be our neighbors and our fellow church members. We expect to get to know other missionaries doing all kinds of creative things all over the country, and I am excited about the potential for a variety of international friendships as well.
#4. What exactly does a “Professor of Systematic Theology” teach?
Rich: Theology is simply our reflections about our experience with God. It begins with the scripture writers reflecting (by the power of the Spirit) on how they knew God, continues all down through history as famous people like Augustine, Calvin and Luther sought to make their reflections more systematized or integrated, and continues with us. Anyone who thinks about who God is and their relationship with God is a theologian! I will be teaching three courses per semester as well as advising students and supervising students writing Master’s thesis, all with the goal of helping them reflect about how they can best know, understand and serve God in their own spiritual and cultural context. Because their Ethiopian context is so different from anything I have ever experienced, first understanding their life situation in order to help guide their theological reflection will be an amazing challenge.
#5. What can you tell us about Ethiopia?
Marilyn: It’s in the horn of Africa, with Sudan to the west, Somalia to the east, and Kenya to the south. Ethiopia is famous for where the coffee bean originated (too bad neither Rich nor I are coffee drinkers!) It is the second most populated nation in Africa, with 79 million people gathered into 80 different ethnic groups. Although most African countries are less than a century old, Ethiopia has been an independent country since ancient times; its people are proud that they are the only African nation never colonized by Europeans. The only time Ethiopia has not been self-ruled is for a short time during WWII when it was conquered by Italy; there is still an Italian presence in Addis Ababa, including a disproportionate number of Italian restaurants (my favorite).
Rich: The Great Rift Valley runs through the middle of the country, and is home to the oldest human remains found anywhere on the planet. It has some of Africa’s highest mountains as well as some of the world’s lowest points below sea level. It is such an ancient country, it definitely marches to the beat of its own drum—it is the only African country with its own alphabet, as well as its own time system and unique calendar. Ethiopia is known in popular imagination for the severe famines during the 1980’s, resulting in perhaps a million deaths, that made it the world’s “poster child” for poverty and malnutrition. Conditions are better today, but droughts are still a major issue.
#6. You will be living in Addis Ababa—what is it like?
Rich: It’s a city of about 3.3 million and the capital, at over 7,500-8,000 feet above sea level the third highest capital city in the world. I’ve enjoyed many summers backpacking in the Sierras—now I’ll be at the same elevation just walking around every day! It’s in a bowl with higher mountains looming over it. Addis has an especially international flavor and is sometimes called the ‘capital of Africa’ because it is the headquarters for the African Union and many UN and other international organizations.
Marilyn: We’re told it’s a generally safe city. Many poor people from the countryside gravitate to it, but it also has had more investment and a construction boom the past few years. It has many old and historic Orthodox cathedrals and several museums, as well as the largest open air market in Africa. Photos we’ve seen show lots of greenery, but also congested traffic.
#7. Tell us about the climate? Africa sounds hot!!
Marilyn: Luckily for us, its quite temperate, as both of us hate hot weather! Because Addis Ababa is at such a high elevation, even though it’s close to the equator, the highs are about 70 degrees year-round and lows are in the 40’s or 50’s. There is a rainy season where it rains every day for a few months and gets very muddy, then a dry season when it doesn’t rain at all and gets very dusty. Homes don’t have any central heating (some have fireplaces used for heat), so we’re told to bring lots of layers.
#8. What is the religious situation?
Rich: Ethiopia is one of the first Christian countries in the world, having officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century. Today about 2/3 of the population are Christian and 1/3 Muslim, with the Christians divided between about 43% Ethiopian Orthodox and 20% Protestant. The Ethiopian Orthodox church is one of the oldest in the world, dating all the way back to the 1st century. They lay claim to have the original Ark of the Covenant in one of their holiest sites (take that, Indiana Jones!) The Hebrew name for Ethiopia (Kush) is mentioned in the Bible numerous times. The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) is the partnership church for our PCUSA, and was partially founded by Presbyterians missionaries from Sudan in the 1950’s. It has recorded amazing growth, and in the last six decades has gained more than 5 million members. The EECMY has partnered with the other two major protestant denominations in the country to create the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, a new graduate school where I’ll be teaching.
#9. What do your kids think about all this?
Marilyn: Thankfully, our three kids are very supportive and actually excited for us. This was a true family decision. Actually, we are simply following in their footsteps. Nathan and his wife Milli spent their first year of marriage working for an evangelical mission organization in Cairo, Egypt, and Megan spent her first year after Westmont teaching at Chiang Mai University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. So, they set a good example for us and now it’s our turn.
#10. What will be some of the difficulties you will face living in a developing country?
Marilyn: Ethiopia is the 5th poorest nation in the world, so we know our living situation will be quite simple compared to the US. We are told electricity and water service interruptions are common, especially during certain seasons of the year when electricity can be shut off every other day. Many houses have water storage tanks, so water will still be available when the water is turned off. Water from the tap is not drinkable, so everything from cooking to brushing teeth must be done with bottled or boiled water. Mosques and Orthodox churches broadcast services through loudspeakers, which we are told can be very loud and disconcerting (especially the Muslim first call to prayer at 5:00am!) We know of one missionary couple who actually had to return to the US because this noise pollution became intolerable for them. (We’ll need to invest in earplugs.)
Rich: We’re a close family and the greatest hardship for both of us will definitely be seeing our kids only once or twice a year. We expect to have internet service and hope to stay in touch via Skype. I will be taking a substantial salary cut (all PCUSA missionary personnel receive the same salary—about $40,000/year). Although we expect living costs will be lower in Ethiopia, we’re not sure how much will be left over for extras we’ve grown accustomed to here. Cars are extremely expensive—more than double the cost in the US. Airline costs back and forth to the US are also high and we hope that won’t limit our ability to see our kids.
Pastor Rich’s Letter to the Church Membership
January 5, 2010
My Dear First Pres Family,
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ec. 3:1) My season at First Pres will be ending sometime in May. I have accepted the position of Professor of Systematic Theology at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Marilyn and I will become fulltime missionaries under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as of July 1, 2010, have a month of missionary training during July, and leave for Ethiopia sometime in August.
There is no way we can express all that is in our hearts in this short letter. Serving with you these past 22 years has been a joy and a challenge. You have been not only our church but our family. Marilyn and I could not have asked for a more loving community among whom to raise our three children—you never treated them as “preacher’s kids,” and their love for Christ and his church now as adults is partly a testimony to you. Not all pastors’ families are so fortunate.
Going to Africa may sound crazy to you at this time in our lives, but we are ready for a new adventure and excited the Lord is giving us the opportunity to fulfill several life-long dreams. For me, this includes my love of learning and scholarship. Teaching pastors and future leaders of the African church that is exploding with vitality and growth is a thrilling way I hope to make a difference for Christ.
Marilyn and I also share the dream of becoming at least semi-fluent in another language, and immersing ourselves in a culture outside the US. We have only a glimmer of what our new life will be like, but we know it will be very different—Ethiopia is the fifth poorest nation in the world. It will not be easy, and we covet your prayers. Hopefully, our bonds with you will not be severed but simply change—as we join how First Pres is extending God’s Kingdom in one more arena in the world.
While I realize that long-tenured pastors inevitably get intertwined in the life of a congregation, hopefully we all agree that “it’s not about me.” First Pres is blessed with spiritually mature and dedicated Elders and Deacons, a wonderfully talented staff, and genuine good health as a congregation. I have no doubt that many of you— especially our Leadership Community—will step up and invest in the transitional process over these coming months. All will be well.
Finally, we are sorry we have to share this news in such an impersonal way, especially with our many friends who have encouraged, nurtured and supported us throughout our ministry in Visalia. Marilyn and I look will forward to talking with you personally in these coming months.
With immense gratitude for our years together,
Dr. Richard P. Hansen
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