Mel & Mary Louise Winton

"THE MORE WE GAVE AWAY THE MORE WE RECEIVED"
Mary Louise Smith was raised as a
Baptist in Pennington Gap, Virginia
and taught school in Lee County for 23
years. She first visited First United
Methodist Church of Oak Ridge with
her mother in the 1960's, where Mel
Winton, a life-long bachelor, served as
a greeter. Mary Louise certainly caught
Mel's eye and in 1967, Rev. Cecil
Hardin performed their wedding
ceremony at the church. The Winton's
were faithful church members, who
never missed church or Sunday school
services unless there was illness,
impassible roads due to the weather, or
they were out of town. This church
was their life and they lived life to its
fullest.
Mel was a very understated and generous man - never one
to seek the limelight, but always a steady worker. Giving of
his means and time was one of his greatest joys. Mel first
joined First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge on June
7, 1945. He had a special love for the mission outreach of
the church. Mel also had a special love of learning. He was a
Georgia Tech graduate and an engineer by trade.
After their marriage, Mary Louise taught school another 23
years in Oak Ridge. Mary said she knew Mel was different,
right from the start of their marriage when he brought a
Bible along on their honeymoon. Mel believed in prayer and
knelt at the side of the bed each night thanking God and
naming each pastor and staff member of the church by
name. They never ate a meal in their home without thanking
God first.
Life was not always easy for the
Winton's, but God blessed them in
many ways. To quote Mary Louise,
"We both knew the difference between
our wants and our needs. We both
thanked God every day and I still do.
One important way we thanked God
was through our financial giving to
God's work. In our giving through this
church and through other charities and
mission projects, we gladly gave beyond
a tithe or 10% of our income. Mel really
taught me the joy of giving...it seemed
that the more we gave away the more
we received."
The Winton's did more than just give
money to their church and to support
missions - they also got involved. They
traveled to Henderson Settlement, Red Bird Mission, Deer
Lodge, and to other mission projects. They were also blessed
to attend The World Methodist Council meeting in Nairobi,
Kenya in 1986 and visited struggling Methodist churches and
hospitals in Zimbabwe. There they saw and experienced the
global church that we are all part of as United Methodists.
Earlier this year, Mary Louise Winton created THE MEL AND
MARY LOUISE WINTON ENDOWMENT in loving memory of
Mel, who died on January 2, 2004. It is funded through a
CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY established through the
Foundation that will provide her an income of 9.2% the rest
of her life. The proceeds will fund the Endowment, which
will distribute annual earnings to First United Methodist
Church of Oak Ridge to be used for missions as directed by
the church mission team.
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.