Bringing hope to children in Lebanon after months of war
Public events resume having been cancelled due to conflict
After months of cancelled plans, six summer events unexpectedly took SAT-7’s public engagement team into communities across Lebanon. There, they brought fun and hope to children displaced by war and gave young voices a chance to be heard across the region.
For much of the year, war and insecurity had made taking SAT-7 out into Lebanon’s communities nigh on impossible. As attacks struck the country, villages in the south were evacuated and families fled to temporary shelters; more than 1.1 million were displaced.
“Coming out of a hard winter, with the war putting so many of our plans on hold, event after event cancelled, I genuinely expected a flat, quiet summer,” said Juliana Sfeir, SAT-7 Arabic Public Engagement Manager.
But, as she would later reflect, God had other plans…
Doors opening
By July, with parts of the country more stable, invitations started flooding in from churches and partner organisations across Lebanon. Doors were opening that the team had neither planned nor orchestrated.
Over just a few weeks in the summer, SAT-7 was invited to take part in six events across Lebanon, meeting over 3,000 people through church gatherings, conferences and children’s camps. And, after months in which community engagement had repeatedly been halted, it became the team’s busiest summer yet.
“God had other plans and the last word,” Juliana reflects.
The event at Kherbet Kanafar Baptist Church in July was especially memorable. Around 90 children, mostly from internally displaced Lebanese families along with local Syrian refugees and children from the surrounding community, took part. They had heard that something good was happening and had come to see for themselves.
What followed was an afternoon of fun and faith featuring songs, stories, games and a football-themed skit called ‘Chaos Cup’, exploring unity within the body of Christ despite difference.
For a few hours, children who had experienced displacement, uncertainty and conflict were given permission simply to be children.
Yet beneath the laughter was a deeper hunger. “What struck me most was how thirsty the children were for the word of God, for hope, for the simple sense that someone loves them,” Juliana said.
Seen and remembered
Across the six events, the team distributed SAT-7 materials to encourage the people they’d met to stay connected with the ministry.
The summer also brought young volunteers into the team: people from local churches eager to serve, create and share Christ’s love.
But its most meaningful results emerged through conversation: children discovering that SAT-7 KIDS was something they could participate in, not merely watch; new relationships with churches and organisations; and greater openness across denominations.
Youngsters at an Every Generation Ministries event were invited to share their thoughts on what peace means to them, creating a powerful vox pop for flagship live programme, Jesus Our Strength.
At Days of the Diocese, a six-day annual event held across several locations in Lebanon from 25–30 July, the team introduced SAT-7 KIDS to around 600 children. Four days later, they returned to speak more personally with teenagers and young adults.
Many told Juliana about how they had grown up watching SAT-7 KIDS. Some remembered particular programmes and challenges; others revealed that much of their childhood knowledge of the Bible had come through the channel. One young man described how those childhood challenges had helped shape his faith and biblical understanding.
“It was a quiet reminder that the seeds we plant don’t always show themselves right away,” Juliana said. “Sometimes they take years. And then, one day, someone simply tells you.”
This summer, SAT-7 went out to meet its audience – and new viewers – in Lebanon. It brought hope and belonging; care and compassion. And it found people who had been carrying SAT-7 with them all along.
PLEASE PRAY
- That displaced children across Lebanon will experience Christ’s love, hope and security.
- For SAT-7’s public engagement team as it seeks to reach and serve more communities.
- That the seeds planted through SAT-7’s programmes will continue to grow in young lives for years to come.