Christmas at CORe
Welcome to the Christmas service at CORe on December 25th. We will meet in ZKs Restaurant, Celebration Hall at 10:30 am.
This will be a time of singing carols and readings.
Bring your friends as well. RSVP corepune@gmail.com
Baptism Service
There will be a baptism service on November 26th along with the one-day retreat at Bible Center, Pune. Those who are interested learning more about baptism and want to be baptized please contact the pastor at the earliest.
Ministering to the lost and the least
Just three or five kilometers from the place CORe meets for worship in a celebrity’s hotel lounge are the sprawling slums of Mohammedwadi. That is the growing edges of the city of Pune where Pune expands to where once the forests were. The only reminder of the ancient forests is the presence of the Office of the Forest Department surrounded by newly planted acacia trees on a barren hill slopes. Krishna Nagar is one of the slums of Mohammedwadi area where people who are employed in construction business live in c
Water for the family
rammed tin-houses.
The Shalom Foundation is in the middle of these slums. You leave your car in the open maidan and trust an old man whom they call watchman to keep his eyes on it. You have already driven one or two kilometers from the official tarred road of Pune city and over private land until you find this rather safe place. Now, walk into huge enclosure walled away with tin sheets called Krishna Nagar where people live small shacks built of tin-sheets for wall and for roofs.
About 80 children had gathered by the time CORe Youth volunteers reached there with puppets and guitars to tell them the story of Jesus. Water is scarce, so most of the children didn’t appear to have had a bath. They are still wearing school uniforms since it may be their only dress for events like these. CORe Youth members sang for them, told stories using puppets and shared with them soft-drinks and snacks.
For a Christian worshiping community like CORe, who live in comparatively better comfort, driving own cars or bikes to church, sending messages to each other over Blackberries or Androids, worshiping in a centralized AC conditioned hall this introduction was rather uncomfortable but also challenging. After the “show” for these underprivileged kids we sat in a circle and asked ourselves, “is there something that God wants us to do for these kids?” We felt the answer is “yes.” However, we continue to pray for God to show the road ahead so that we may show his love for them. That we may get engaged in their lives so that their life on both sides of the grave will be transformed.
Reconnecting with nature again on August 6
It is important, especially for us who live in concrete jungles in Indian metros, perched high above in flats (apartments) to reconnect with God’s nature. God’s glory and majesty is evident in the nature that he created. Every blade of grass and every bud has a something to teach us about God the creator. We praise God for Maria Udyan, a farm-house now surrounded by concrete buildings in the city of Pune, a green patch surrounded by glass and concrete structures. We are committed to revitalize this abandoned place back to life. While doing this, we the urbanites learn to connect to the soil, plants, water and everything that is essential for life.
Saturday, August 6, 2011 we march on to Maria Udyan with spades, knives, trowels, plants, seeds, water cans…. as we work with nature and fight with the elements to nurse Maria Udyan back to life!
Mark your diary!
Fasting Prayer
Saturday, July 23, 2011 is the day of fasting for CORe. All members who are able to fast skipping breakfast and lunch are encouraged to do so and spend time in prayer. At 4.00 pm we all will meet for an extended time of prayer where Bro Joshua Shanmugam will bring the Word. Be there!
CORe Youth Eco-Adventures
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CORe Youth Eco-Adventure, Saturday July 16, 2011. Reconnecting to God’s nature!
Fifteen youth turned up for the Eco-adventure on July 16 as we began revitalizing Maria Udyan. a farm not very far from Pune International Airport. It was important for us, the urban youth with God’s nature, something that we miss living in concrete jungles. Many of us were novices and were initiated to gardening as we learned how to weed, plant cuttings, etc. Some blisters, mild body aches but thank God for the dead trunks that we uprooted and the new saplings that we planted. And at 2.00 pm when we stopped for lunch, God sent his approval in the form of rain to water the plants just planted. As it rained outside we had games, singing and prayer going on the newly cleaned up rooms in the farmhouse!
Would like to join us for another adventure? Email: corepune@gmail.com for details.
Inner Life Workshops
Meditation Workshop
July 9, fourteen of the CORe Youth spent a whole day at the Ishvani Kendra, Pune learning to meditate and listen to God’s voice through the scripture. It was a great, unforgettable experience to know that we can still listen to the voice of God directly without a middle person. We will go through the other Christian disciplines as facilitated by Dr Paulson Pulikottil second Saturday of every month. For details email: corepune@gmail.com
Workshop on Prayer, August 13, 2011 at Maria Udyan, Pune
Join us for the next Inner Life Workshop to be held on August 13, 2011 (10 am. to 4.oo pm) on Prayer. For details email corepune@gmail.com or call (0)9923947792
New CORe Cell at Jasmine Society
Bible Study Group at Jasmine Society
Joshua Shanmugam is leading a Bible Study group at the Jasmine Society in Khondwa on every Wednesday at 6.00 pm. Those who are interested please join, call Joshua on 09225301129.
