TBC Rally

Torch Bearers for Christ Monsoon Rally

The Torch Bearers for Christ (TBC), the Youth Wing of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) in India, had their quarterly monsoon rally on 1st September at Canossa Convent, Andheri, from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Youth from the OLPS and Pestam Sagar parish jointly organised a bus to take them from Chembur to the venue and back. The bus left the OLPS church at 7.45 am and picked up youth from Pestam Sagar on the way to Andheri. Below are a couple of pictures of some of us along with the bus.

The theme of the rally was 'Our Identity in Christ'. The theme was showcased in the backdrop on the stage at the venue, as shown below. The rally began at 9.00am sharp with Praise & Worship led by Lenny Soares and the TBC Music Team. This was followed by a teaching by Francis, a member of the Bombay Service Team, on our Identity in Christ. The gist of the teaching was that we were all Adopted, Rescued, Chosen, and Honoured (ARCH) childen of God.

After the teaching there was a short break during which we stretched our legs and did what we do best.....

The break was followed by a testimony by a Parsi convert, Nadir Shah Dhody. His testimony dwelt on the 'Lordship of Christ'. We then celebrated mass led by Fr. Rufus Pereira. Fr. Rufus emphasised our complete participation in the Eucharist and its significance.

After the mass we broke for lunch. I joined my cousins Kerwin Noronha and Aldon D'Silva for lunch on the Canossa lawns. They both attended the rally which was walking distance from their residence at Takshila Housing Colony. The other youth who had attended the rally, over 2000 of them, spread out over the premises and had lunch.

After lunch, we reassembled for the rest of the program. There was a short skit on the theme of 'Our Identity in Christ' presented by the youth of Four Bungalows. The picture below was taken by Sanjay Fernandes, which explains why yours truly is bang in the center of it.

The skit was followed by a session of ministering conducted by Jesus the Real Vine Prayer Group.

The day's program ended with a spontaneous outburst of joy and song following the ministering. I tried to take some snaps of our group enjoying the moment, but things got blurred because they were constantly moving :-) I've still not mastered using my digital camera. It has options for setting shutter speed, and continuous pictures. It can even record movies..... But I've still to find my way around those features.

We then proceeded to the bus to get back to our homes and our lives. Below you can see Jude and Sanjay who picked up some goodies for us to eat on the way. Don't they make a lovely couple? :-) And the picture besides that shows the other couple that Jude is a part of.... In the bus we sang 'Happy Birthday' for Jude's better half, Julie, who celebrated her birthday that day. We then demolished the birthday cake in a remarkably short time and spent the rest of the time chatting on the way home.

Hope you liked the pictures. Do give me your feedback, suggestions, and 'constructive criticism' by either mailing me or signing my Guestbook.

Thanks! Come again soon!