On 12 December 2019 SAT-7 KIDS celebrated 12 years on air with a special birthday episode aired live via satellite and on social media.
The mood was one of excitement and thankfulness as much-loved presenters from previous SAT-7 KIDS programmes remembered their best moments on the channel, and viewers called in to say how their lives have been impacted.
“I love Marianne very much,” shared Sally, a SAT-7 KIDS viewer from the Palestinian Territories. “She taught me through the programme Let’s Sing Together about Jesus, and many songs.”
On a festively decorated set Milad Hadchiti, presenter of the SAT-7 ACADEMY show Puzzle, chatted with hosts from various long-running SAT-7 KIDS series. Marianne Awaraji from Let’s Sing Together, Essam Nagy (AKA Mr Know) from Why is That? and Layal from Bible GPS joined Milad in the Beirut studio. Via a live link with Egypt, presenters of Family of Jesus and Chato joined in the fun.
Each presenter shared how their time with SAT-7 KIDS and their interactions with the channel’s millions of viewers have impacted their own lives.
Formative influence
Viewers were treated to a flashback sequence showing highlights of the past 12 years of broadcasting. While some were seeing clips for the first time, others were now adults, who found themselves revisiting shows that had had a formative influence on them and on their faith as they grew up.
“I have always loved watching SAT-7 KIDS since I was a child, and I still love to watch it,” said Shahinaz from Algeria. “I’m now 19 years old, but age never stops me from watching because I love anything related to Jesus Christ.
“I wish for everyone to follow and support SAT-7 KIDS on social media to discover this great and beneficial channel. I thank all SAT-7 staff for their efforts. Merry Christmas to everyone.”
SAT-7 KIDS’ presence on social media is seeing remarkable growth, especially since shows like Bible Heroes and A Riddle and a Story began running Facebook live sessions in which presenters share messages, sing worship songs and answer children’s questions. SAT-7 KIDS channel posts were viewed almost 900,000 times in October.
It was no surprise then that birthday messages poured in on from fans on these platforms as well. One 26-year-old mother shared, “Happy anniversary SAT-7 KIDS! I used to watch you as a child and now I watch the channel with my children. We love its Christmas programmes. May you continue to teach kids and adults about Jesus Christ. You are planting in the young generations very good and honest teaching.”
Hope and prayers for the future
“There are many important stages that shape a person’s life. As a child grows, reaching 12 years of age is a crucial transitional stage. That can also be said for our channel that has just turned 12 years old,” comments Andrea El-Mounayer, SAT-7 KIDS Channel Manager.
“My wish for SAT-7 KIDS in the next year is that we will be a light of what’s going on in the region. I pray that we can really make the viewers feel how much we are relating to them and how much we are there for them. I pray that God will continue to give us wisdom to know what to say to our viewers during the difficult times they are experiencing. And I pray that God will water these seeds that we are planting and we will see a miracle.”