Denise Hanson

Hello! I’m Denise, and I hope to get to meet you sometime soon!  I’m thrilled to get to be the pastor at St. Francis United Methodist Church, this warm and wonderful group of people who took this Lutheran pastor in as if I were their own!  I grew up in western North Dakota (Williston), went to college at Concordia in Moorhead, then on to Luther Seminary in St. Paul.  I’ve served 3 Lutheran (ELCA) churches, but find myself most at home in the Wesleyan tradition.  I also trained and became a certified spiritual director through Christos Center for Spiritual Formation in 2020, and now help facilitate learning groups at Christos.  I’m in the process of being certified as an Enneagram teacher as well!  I have 3 awesome children in their early 20s, who all live in the Twin Cities area. I also have a great relationship with me “ex,” but I do know the pain of divorce.  Fun fact: I have an identical twin sister!  In my spare time, you’ll find me outside hiking, biking, playing pickleball or spikeball, or sitting in a coffee shop with a London fog and a good book.   Please reach out if you’d like to meet for coffee, or visit our church sometime.  We’d love to meet you!