1/18/2023

I am writing to recommend Susanne Hinson-Rieger for a position in the area of Religious Education (RE).

I am the president of the Board of Trustees at Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis (UUI), and the parent of two children who have been in UUI’s children’s RE for seven years.

Susanne has been the Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration here at UUI since 2015. In that time, she has managed and expanded the RE program for both children and adults. This included a complete pivot to online-only programming in 2020 due to COVID closure of our church campus. Susanne managed this upheaval with grace and efficiency, and added several new online programs to keep the children of the church engaged.

Now that we are back on campus, Susanne has resumed the successful management of several part-time staff members who oversee the nursery and facilitate the youth ministry, as well as the many volunteers who help run RE classes on Sundays during service. Her children’s RE programming regularly includes holiday parties, overnights, and movie nights, and she arranges and coordinates a week-long summer camp. The children enjoy these events, and the parents do too! For the adults in the congregation, the RE programming has recently included chalice circles, storytelling events, picnics, and book discussion groups. Susanne coordinates all of these events, and oversees the volunteers who do the on-the-ground work.

Susanne is a phenomenal advocate for anti-racism and inclusion efforts, and has a warm presence that makes all (children AND adults) feel welcomed. We will miss her once she leaves UUI but know that she will be successful and beloved in all her future roles.

Regards,

Jennifer Gatz

President, Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis Board of Trustees

References

Pam Risley

Co-Chair, UUI RE Council, RE Facilitator, RE Grandparent

grampamr@gmail.com

505-412-2839

Tim Thomas

UUI RE Council, RE Facilitator, OWL Facilitator, RE Parent

thomastimj@gmail.com

317-999-7627

Adrienne Summerlot

UU Religious Educator

UU Congregation of Columbus Indiana and UU Church of Lexington Kentucky

jupiterjane79@yahoo.com

812-219-7372