[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 35 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF CHARLES SHUMAN

                                 ______


                           HON. GLENN POSHARD

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 14, 1996

  Mr. POSHARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great 
friend of the State of Illinois. Earlier this year, Mr. Charles Shuman 
retired from his position as a Sunday schoolteacher at the First United 
Methodist Church in Sullivan, IL. What makes this a memorable event is 
that Mr. Shuman taught his class faithfully for 60 years. And this has 
been just one facet of his exceptional life. He has been a longstanding 
friend of the Democratic Party, as well as a former president of the 
American Farm Bureau. It is with great respect and admiration that I 
say thank you to Charles for his phenomenal contributions to life in 
central Illinois.
  Our present world moves at a seemingly nonstop pace. There never 
seems to be enough hours in the day, and everything from technology to 
fashion changes right before our eyes. But how small some of these 
developments seem when compared to an older generation's observance of 
motor cars and radio. Charles used to ride to church in a horse and 
buggy when in grade school, his family wrapping warmed bricks for the 
ride to help keep them warm. To this day he remembers vividly his first 
encounters with radio, automobiles, and movies. Despite these drastic 
changes in the world around him, Charles knew what was important to him 
and stood by it. His devotion to the church was one of these things, 
and he began his Sunday school teaching with the same boys' class he 
himself had participated in as a student. He met his wife Ida while 
teaching, and the two formed a coed teenage class. Later Charles taught 
the builder's class for young married couples.
  The devotion Mr. Shuman has displayed over the years has touched 
countless lives both in and out of his classroom, and serves as an 
example of what faith can provide for each of us in our lives. As 
Charles has said, ``I always felt that one of my objectives in life was 
to find how to walk closer to God, and it seemed to me that Sunday 
school Bible study was one way to do it.'' And as he has shown, change 
is no excuse for losing sight of what is truly important. I am honored 
to represent Charles Shuman in the U.S. Congress, and I wish him many 
more years of health and happiness.

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