January 21: Charles Shumate
The Rotary Club of Indianapolis welcomes Charles Shumate, District Governor, Rotary District 6560 on Tuesday, January 21.
Join us next week to hear from our District Governor Charles Shumate. Shumate became district governor on July 1, 2019 and will serve in the position till June 30. Better known to his fellow Rotarians as “Shu,” he was president of the Anderson Rotary Club in 2012-2013 and nominated for district governor by two of its previous presidents—Brian Donahue and Robert Shoemaker. “Shumate always shows up with a willingness to serve,” says Donahue. “He’s a ‘uniter’ who brings people together. He sees the big picture of Rotary, locally, nationally, and internationally, and is a great person to spread the word. Finally, he’s articulate and enthusiastic and is well-prepared to present the Rotary message and carry it forward.”
Shumate, a Rotarian since 2002, is a sustaining member of the Paul Harris Society and led the Anderson Club in achieving 100 percent Paul Harris membership in 2017. He is president of Church Builders Plus, an Anderson-based nonprofit that assists churches in developing capital campaigns and obtaining construction loans.
A native of Meridian, Mississippi, he graduated from Anderson University, earned a master’s degree in religious education from Lexington Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Ball State University. He is an ordained minister in the Church of God and was pastor of churches in Tennessee and Kentucky between 1970 and 1976. He returned to Anderson that year and held various executive positions with the Church of God headquarters before becoming president of Church Builders Plus in 2002. He has written four books focusing on church growth. He has been married to his wife, Laretta Kay, for 52 years, whom he met when they were Anderson University students. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.
Throughout his many years as a pastor, church executive and civic leader, Shumate has found that creating a team is the key to leadership success. “The most important quality for success that always come to the surface is to create a team,” he says. “You don’t have to be the lone ranger looking for your Tonto. When you look at major corporate presidents who are successful, it’s not always the best stage-performers. It’s often the quiet individual who knows how to build a team. I think building a team is the predominant quality for success in the church, in business, and in Rotary.”
He says, “Rotary gives me the privilege to meet and befriend some of the finest people I have ever met who have a similar interest in helping those in need. I have an opportunity to develop leadership skills and help people in need at home and around the world. Most importantly, I am a Rotarian because I have a heart to help accomplish God’s mission during my lifetime, to do my little part to help make this world a better place. In Rotary I can accomplish collectively with fellow Rotarians what I would possibly not be motivated to do alone.”
All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!
