Lifeline of faith marks 25 years in the Middle East
It all began with a night watchman. He and his family were huddled under a makeshift shelter on a Cairo building site watching a flickering black–and–white television. Christian magazine publisher Terence Ascott spotted them as he walked home to his apartment. Suddenly he saw the answer to his question of how to reach the millions of non–readers in the region with the Gospel.
A decade later, the arrival of satellite television – free from state control – finally made broadcasting by and for the region’s Christians possible. So it was that in May 1996 the first programme from SAT–7, an indigenous Christian TV channel supported by the Churches of the Middle East, aired from a rented Beirut studio.
Twenty–five years later, SAT–7 has become a network of four 24/7 TV channels broadcasting in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. It is watched by over 25 million viewers in at least 25 nations – 19 of them in the 2021 World Watch List of countries where it is hardest to be a Christian. This year it added SAT–7 PLUS, the region’s first on–demand Christian TV service.
Lifeline
SAT–7’s programmes are a lifeline to small and even persecuted Christian communities. They offer inspiring worship and teaching from some of the region’s leading churches and unite viewers with the wider Body of Christ.
For large numbers of non–Christians, SAT–7 acts as a ‘shop window’ to discover what Christians think, believe and how they live.
SAT–7 started its Arabic language channel, SAT–7 ARABIC, in 1996, but added a Persian channel, SAT–7 PARS, in 2006, and a Turkish channel, SAT–7 TŰRK, in 2010.
Almost 50 per cent of this region is under 25 so 2007 saw the launch of SAT–7 KIDS, a dedicated children’s channel where Arabic speaking children can discover a God who loves them. SAT–7’s Persian and Turkish channels also have their own children’s schedules. A range of education programmes, begun when millions lost schooling because of the Syrian civil war, is watched by 1.8 million children a week*.
Diverse
SAT–7’s schedules are diverse and holistic. As well as broadcasting worship and Bible teaching, magazine and talk shows help viewers apply Christian values to everyday living. Dedicated programmes help women address the challenge of life in male–dominated cultures. Young adult shows tackle the questions of the next generation. Music and drama programmes mix entertainment and biblical truth.
In 25 years of broadcasting, SAT–7 has served a region that has endured wars, uprisings, and economic crises. With studios in Cairo, Istanbul, and Beirut, Persian studios in Cyprus and London, and small teams in Algeria and Tunisia, SAT–7 broadcasters are affected by these challenges themselves. On live shows, they talk directly with viewers and through its viewer support teams SAT–7 answers thousands of messages every month.
For 25 years, SAT–7 has brought joy and transformation to millions. Please pray that the spark ignited by our programmes will light the fire of faith in many more hearts for years to come.
*IPSOS 2018 audience research
Learn more about SAT–7 at www.sat7uk.org
