BIO:

Dennis Hart wears many hats (most of them to hide his rapidly receding hair line).

In a career that has spanned over thirty years, Dennis began as a contributing cartoonist for The Wittenburg Door, a Christian magazine published by Youth Specialties during the ‘70s and ‘80s. During the early 80’s Den Hart was offered the opportunity to become an art instructor for the Los Angeles Unified School System in an adult education program that served seniors at residential facilities and civic centers. The joy of teaching soon branched out as he developed art classes for youth within various Southern California churches, and eventually his love for theatrical performing evolved into developing a series of dynamic theater arts and fine arts classes for youth at a highly successful, non-profit youth organization called Christian Arts and Theater in Corona, California. A full-time Art Director, Dennis provides his marketing and graphic design skills within the marketing department of a rapidly expanding restaurant chain called Farmer Boys.

While his creative history has provided a multitude of blessings to him, Dennis also has experienced a life that has molded him into a steadfast servant of Christ through a series of events that can be described as nothing less than graces from the Lord:

“The Abusive Church: Lesson in Grace” - Dennis Hart and his family were members of an “intentional Christian community” in Southern California that gradually evolved into an abusive cult. Out of that experience Dennis has been able to share with others about the dangers of submission to abusive church leadership, and identifying the “red flags” of human manipulation and deception vs. the humble, yet powerful work of the Holy Spirit. (45 minutes – 1 hour with Q&A - Adult audiences)

Homosexuality and the Church As the youngest child of three other siblings, Dennis dealt with the tough issue of living with two brothers who were homosexual, and with the untimely death of his closest brother to AIDS. He has shared with adult groups about the issues of homosexuality and the church, how the scriptures address the “gay” lifestyle, as well as the role of the church in evangelizing and ministering to homosexuals. (45 minutes - 1 hour with Q&A - High School/College-Career/Adult audiences).

"Survivors: Reality Isn't TV" - His wife Pam was diagnosed in 2001 with Stage 3 breast cancer and subsequently underwent a bilateral mastectomy, an 8-week regimen of chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. Dennis shares the struggles from his perspective as a husband and parent, how the Lord provided his family with loving support, and how his wife has continued her battle against cancer as a survivor and activist. (45 minutes - 1 hour with Q&A - Adult audiences)

"Our Aging Family" - At age 78, Dennis’ mother was diagnosed with senile dementia and came to live with he and his family. During the next five years his wife, Pam, became the daily caregiver for Edna until shortly before she passed away in 2003. Dennis shares about his wife’s dedication and compassion as a caregiver even through her battle with breast cancer. As an educator within the geriatric field during the early ‘80s, Dennis began to discover that the elderly, for the most part, were our society's loneliest population. It would be nearly twenty years later that he would discover how his work with seniors would enable him to serve his aging mother with a new-found compassion. During his talks, Dennis takes the audience through a “sensory declination” experience that enables them to experience, for a brief moment, what our society’s elderly live with on a daily basis. (45 minutes -1 hour with Q&A - High School/College-Career/Adult)

"Art as Evangelism" - As a career artist and educator, Dennis Hart has had the opportunity to present the gospel to a broad audience through pantomime, skits, puppetry, and visual arts. What do you do when, in front of 500 people, in the height of a dramatic moment on stage, a fly zooms into your mouth while you are talking? Or you realize that, despite all those rehearsals, you can’t remember your lines to save your life! Are you really making a difference by acting the fool on stage? What is Christian art? How can a painting make any difference in a person’s life? Learn how the Lord can use His ‘fools’ to share the gospel through the arts. (30 minutes to 1 hour - Jr. Youth/High School/Young Adults)

"Black Bart the Story Teller" - “There’s a cowboy in these parts and he’s a rarin’ ta tell you about the great Creator!” As a western-style story-teller, ‘Black Bart’ evolves into a wide range of characters who tell modern-day parables that address God’s love for his creation, our conscience, ethics and decision making and dealing with the hard question of why bad things happen to good people…all presented with humor and compassion in the package of a lovable old cowboy. Audience participation includes kids spontaneously ‘playing roles’ in hilarious, acted-out stories, with Black Bart as the director. (30 minutes - Jr. 8-12)

References available upon request.

For more information visit: www.hartdirector.com