George & Rita Hommel

The Rita Hommel Christmas Mission Endowment
Rita Hommel was born and
raised in Dayton, Tennessee.
She and George were married
in Dayton while George
was a student at the University of Tennessee.
After graduation, Rita and
George moved to Kentucky and
for 30-plus years lived away from Tennessee.
During their 52 years of marriage, Rita
was a loving and devoted wife,
mother, grandmother, and homemaker.
Her greatest joy came from
bringing joy to others. For this reason,
Christmas took on a very special place
in her life. Family and friends were
drawn to Rita during the Holiday season.
She had a way of bringing the full
meaning of Christmas to anyone she came in contact
with.
In 2003, Rita and George sold their business in Kentucky.
In 2004, they retired back home to
Tennessee, settling in deep west Knoxville. Once settled
in their new house, they searched for a new church
home. During this time, Rita was suddenly diagnosed
with a new cancer. George visited and was welcomed at
First Farragut United Methodist Church. Rita tragically
died on August 24, 2005 and Rev. Bernice Kirkland,
then associate pastor at First Farragut, assisted with the
memorial service. The next week George joined the
church.
After her death, George and daughters, Janet Sebba and
Leslie Smenner wanted to do something special in
Rita's memory. George met with Rev. Richard Edwards
and Clyde Tisdale from First Farragut, who in turn,
asked the Foundation for assistance.
In keeping with Rita's desire to share the spirit and joy of
Christmas with those people and families less fortunate,
THE RITA HOMMEL CHRISTMAS MISSION ENDOWMENT
was born. George funded the endowment and also provided
funds to be used to "prime-the-pump" and begin
supporting ministries during the 2005 Christmas season.
Each year this endowment will provide a minimum of
$5,000 to be used by the church's mission team to help the
less fortunate by supplying toys, food, medicine, clothing
and other needs through the hands-on involvement
of members of First Farragut
United Methodist Church. It is the Hommel
Family's hope that the church members
involved in the distribution effort will
be as blessed as the families receiving the
support.
Steve Krupski, chair of the Missions
Team at First Farragut UMC reports that
over $3,000 was used during December
to support various ministries, including
the following:
• Supplied $1,000 worth of toys and
clothes to the Morgan-Scott Project. This
involved a group of First Farragut UMC
members going shopping and a second
group delivering the toys and clothes to
Scott county along with the other things that were collected
by the congregation.
• Working with the Compassion Coalition, the church
adopted five Katrina families here in Knoxville. After
contacting them to find out what they could use a group
went shopping for $1,000 worth of toys, a bicycle, table
and chairs, diapers, clothes and gift certificates. Another
group delivered the gifts to the families and wished
them Merry Christmas.
• A single mother and children were adopted from the
empty stocking fund. Someone from First Farragut
UMC congregation shopped for $189 worth of gifts and
delivered them to the family for Christmas.
• During the week between Christmas and New Year's
Day, First Farragut UMC took their turn receiving
phone orders and delivering bags of food for
FISH. Only this time the bags of food going to families
included a ham. Twenty (20) spiral-cut hams worth
$280 were distributed. FISH never includes meat in the
bags of food they deliver as emergency meals.
• On Saturday before New Year's Day, First Farragut
UMC delivered mobile meals to 29 senior shut-ins. The
church does this the first Saturday of every month since
mobile meals does not deliver on weekends. However,
this time they delivered 20 fruit baskets totaling $200 to
the households along with a wish for Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year with the hot meameal. It was reported
that there were a number of wet eyes.
Charitable Gift Annuity
A charitable gift annuity is a great way you can make a gift to our organization and benefit. You transfer your cash or property to our organization and we promise to make fixed payments to you for life at a rate based on your age.