News
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Looking back on 1,000 Turkish “words of hope”
SAT-7 TÜRK’s longest-running program, Words of Hope , has now beamed God’s Word to Turkish speakers more than one thousand times. As SAT-7 marks 15 years of Turkish broadcasts, Words of Hope presenter and pastor Haluk Bilgen reflects on the program’s years of witness and impact.
SAT-7 brings Christmas hope to believers in the Middle East
SAT-7 viewers will enjoy a hope-filled slate of Christmas programs in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian this week. From programs sharing gifts and Bibles with isolated villagers, children in an orphanage, and impoverished families, to live church services and special episodes, the joyful message of Christ’s birth will fill screens across the region.
Fifteen years of ministry to the Persian world
“SAT-7 PARS has been impacting and changing people’s lives for 15 years,” says Panayiotis Keenan, Executive Director of SAT-7 PARS. “It is also a platform for viewers to express themselves to the world, and a voice for the voiceless, for those who have been silenced and isolated. With the enthusiasm, dedication, and determination of the team, I am positive that we will continue to make Gods love visible for many years to come.”
Pope Francis visit to Cyprus gives hope to refugees and churches
SAT-7 provided extensive live coverage of the recent Papal visit to Cyprus, sharing how it was an opportunity to promote the region’s refugee crises and the importance of collaboration between different Christian communities.
My school provides education to refugees in “hope” centres
A new partnership between SAT-7 ACADEMY and the Lebanese organisation Heart for Lebanon brings the primary education program My School to two centres for Syrian refugees. The HOPE Schooling project, which seeks to improve learning outcomes for children not in formal education, is already changing lives.
God’s hand at work in Afghanistan
“We can see that God is working in Afghanistan through the messages we receive from viewers, which often bring tears to our eyes,” shares Panayiotis Keenan, Executive Director of SAT-7 PARS. Amazingly, despite all they have faced since the Taliban takeover, SAT-7 PARS viewers are experiencing transformation in God.
Children show real-world impact of disability inclusion program
“When I watch City of Stars , I pray for the children with disabilities. If they were at my school, I would welcome them,” says a young Egyptian girl who watches the SAT-7 KIDS program that models disability inclusion. As the program produces its third season, viewer comments demonstrate its impact in a generally non-inclusive region.
Lebanon media events see social cohesion idea exchange
Media representatives from across Lebanon’s media landscape were brought together by SAT-7’s Beirut office for three days of workshops and training as part of Lebanon: Our Story, a project funded by the Danish Government that aims to drive social cohesion among young people from different communities in the country.
New content and high-def revitalise SAT-7 KIDS
SAT-7 KIDS is introducing a raft of exciting and engaging new content for its young Arabic-speaking audiences, along with updated graphics and the news that programs will now be available in high definition (HD) on the on-demand service SAT-7 PLUS and all Arabic social media platforms.
SAT-7 viewers more likely to support women’s rights, surveys show
Women and men who watched SAT-7’s Arabic women’s program Needle and New Thread were more likely to support women’s rights to live free from violence and discrimination, says an independent evaluation that shows the program successfully raised awareness among high percentages of viewers.
SAT-7 TÜRK documentary wins cultural heritage film award
SAT-7 TÜRK’s documentary The Cross and the Wolf , which tells the story of the Christian ethnic Turkish Gagauz people, has been awarded the Cultural Heritage award at the 2021 Universe Multicultural Film Festival. The film is a powerful act of representation and remembrance of a Christian history and culture that is usually overlooked in Turkey.
Church4Kids – a new initiative for Persian children
SAT-7 PARS has launched Church4Kids , a new discipleship project for Persian-speaking children. Through live Instagram streams, worship and teaching material, and one-to-one encouragement, Church4Kids creates a safe space for children in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan to learn more about God.
SAT-7 PARS broadcasts the Gospel of peace to Afghanistan
Fear and hopelessness are casting a shadow over the lives of people living in Afghanistan. SAT-7 PARS’ Afghan presenters, Pastor Shoaib Ebadi and Assistant Pastor Noorullah Noor, seek to speak light, hope, and peace into the darkness that people are experiencing in Afghanistan.
A platform for the voice of Turkey’s church
SAT-7 TÜRK's work to represent and connect Christians from different backgrounds in Turkey has created a unique opportunity. In a new documentary, the channel will bring together voices from different denominations to tell the story of a man whose humble faith also crossed many barriers: Padre Luigi Iannito, a beloved Italian priest who ministered for 50 years in Turkey and who passed away earlier this year.
SAT-7 commends new paper from MENA church
As Christians around the world enter this special month – when we pray for persecuted brothers and sisters – SAT-7 commends an important paper produced by an ecumenical group of Middle East Church leaders. “We Choose Abundant Life: Towards Renewed Theological, Social, and Political Choices” provides a framework to help the Church move beyond survival towards an active witness that addresses the region’s challenges.
Children grow in faith through “Allo Marianne”
“The children now talk to God as their friend,” says Marianne Daou, explaining the difference her program Allo Marianne has been making in viewers’ lives. The program has been encouraging Arabic-speaking children throughout some very tough times in 2021, helping them lean on God, grow in understanding, and model His love to others.
Worship program is most-watched content on SAT-7 PLUS
The new on-demand streaming service SAT-7 PLUS is thriving, nine months after it launched as the first Christian platform of its kind in the Middle East. Encouragingly, the platform’s most-watched program is As in Heaven , a new Arabic worship program created especially for the digital audience.
Special broadcast from Lebanon calls for peace
For many in Lebanon , the violence that broke out on 14 October brought back memories of the civil war. A special episode of SAT-7’s program You Are Not Alone , broadcast just two days after the clas hes, shared survivors’ voices, offered hope , called for peace, and rais ed prayer as life becomes increasingly difficult in Lebanon .
Raising awareness of restriction of girls under the Taliban
Zahra M. an Iranian journalist and social activist who recently travelled to Afghanistan was interviewed live on SAT-7 PARS program Insiders to raise awareness of the current situation of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Zahra’s words and our viewer's testimonies are a stark reminder of the rights and freedom of girls being severely restricted in the country while the world marks International Day of the Girl Child today, on 11 October.
Detox for the Persian soul: Christian counselling series for Iran and Afghanistan
“Many people in Persian countries live with trauma”, says Annahita Parsan, the presenter of a new biblical counselling series on SAT-7 PARS. Domestic, emotional, and sexual abuse and negative attitudes, leave deep scars. But the liberating message of her series, Detox for the Soul , is that no one with these emotional and mental scars is a lost cause: they can be set free.
SAT-7 North Africa programs help challenged believers
As Algeria reels from devastating fires, isolated believers are struggling without support as churches remain closed. But, says SAT-7 producer and presenter Samia Kessai, “people are searching for God and contacting us”, and SAT-7 is responding with programming and a new North African social media platform that shares the hope of Christ.
Going deeper with viewers through SAT-7’s social media spaces
There is an increasing thirst for Christ in the Middle East and North Africa, and this is evident in the rising correspondence on SAT-7’s social media. Questions about the Christian faith, requests for support with sensitive issues, and even queries about parenting are steadily streaming in since the relaunch of SAT-7’s Arabic social media pages, including several new brands to cater to viewers’ needs.
Partnership, passion and the importance of the next generation at SAT-7’s European vision meeting
“It is a great privilege to invest in people’s lives when they are still young,” shared Rita El-Mounayer, SAT-7’s Chief Executive Officer, in the dynamic opening session of SAT-7 Europe’s Vision Meeting on 17 September. Ms El-Mounayer left Partners, guests, and online participants in no doubt as to a major future focus of the ministry.
Holding out hope for Afghanistan
“The Taliban have completely taken over everything and our hope is cut off,” says Tahmaseb * a viewer in Afghanistan, speaking to the SAT-7 PARS Audience Relations team. Through programs and the Audience Relations teams , SAT-7 PARS continues to hold out an unbreakable hope to viewers in Afghanistan .