Peter was born in Karimnagar, Telangana. He finished high school in the south of India, then went to the US and completed his BSc and worked for some years, mostly with children and youth.

Mercy was born in Nizamabad, Telangana, India. After completing her MSc, she worked for a few years in some hospitals in India.

About two years after getting married they founded Shining Stars in Hyderabad, Telangana, on March 5th of 1996. They have three sons, who presently live in the US.

The vision of Shining Stars states – “No child left behind from being happy, valued and whole so that they can learn, grow and become the leaders of tomorrow.” We desire to, “Develop children through long-term, holistic programs, including partnerships, (with like-minded churches and/or individuals) that address their spiritual, socio-emotional, mental and physical needs.”

We believe that if we are to make a positive impact on society for the next generation, we need to start when children are young and invest in their lives over the long term.

Peter and Mercy have a desire to see daily, holistic developmental centers established in various parts of India. Presently (2024) we have partnerships in Telangana, Andhra, and Odisha.

Our partners should first develop a desire to invest in and inspire the next generation to care to be salt and light in society around them. Once that desire is there, we would like to see their centers become self-sustaining and their children/youth trained to be multiplying disciples, investing in others too.

We are thankful to see many of our alumni, who have now grown up, living as salt and light in many sectors of society, where they are living and working. Some are teachers in some of our centers, some are running centers themselves, some are on our staff, and some are also serving on our board of directors.