SAT-7 viewers will enjoy a feast of hope-filled Christmas programmes in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian over the festival period. From broadcasts showing gifts and Bibles being taken to isolated villagers, a Christmas visit to children in an orphanage and support given to impoverished families, to live church services, musical concerts and special episodes of regular talk shows, the joyful message of Christ’s birth will fill screens across the region.
Below: Watch trailer for Sorrows and Joys of Christmas from Tunisia
One special programme is Christmas Bus on SAT-7 ARABIC. Speakers and musicians travel in a bus typical of those that used to ride between remote villages in Lebanon, hear Christmas memories from local people and share gifts with the communities they visit. Another is a SAT-7 ACADEMY special filmed at an orphanage in Lebanon, where the team spread Christmas joy through gifts including digital copies of the primary education series My School, which helps children continue their education while out of school.
Meanwhile, a SAT-7 KIDS special, This Christmas, You Can, filmed in Lebanon, invites teens to visit families living in poverty in Lebanon, bringing them essentials they need and helping them fix their homes. The programme aims to help teenagers appreciate the joy of giving to those in need. A special episode of the current affairs series You are Not Alone has also been produced in which refugee families share their hopes for other families with similar challenges. The episode seeks to show that, even amid hardship and injustice, there are ways to celebrate and see God’s goodness.
Bringing church home
Living in predominantly non-Christian societies, it can be challenging for believers to gather to celebrate Christmas. This is especially difficult in countries such as Algeria, where local authorities have closed many churches, and in Iran and other places where believers live in isolation without access to churches or fellowship. To help isolated believers feel connected, a festive Christmas house-gathering was filmed in Algeria, while a new Christmas special called The Sorrows and Joys of Christmas will be broadcast from Tunisia.
SAT-7’s Persian-language channel SAT-7 PARS will broadcast a live Christmas worship episode on its programme Our Neighborhood. In addition, a one-hour special in which three Persian pastors share how they celebrate Christmas will help inspire viewers in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan to commemorate Christ’s birth joyfully and safely. SAT-7 PARS’ women’s programmes New Identity and Insiders have also prepared special episodes about hope at Christmastime.
SAT-7 TÜRK is celebrating Christmas with viewers through special episodes of regular shows Worldview, We Asked the Catholic Fathers, and The Bible with Deacon Father Burhan.
Other SAT-7 ARABIC specials include a live episode of popular worship and testimony show Spiritual Evening, and live services broadcast from well-known churches including Kasr El Dobara Evangelical Church in Cairo, Egypt, helping viewers participate in Christmas and New Year’s Eve services from home.
Besides its full-length programmes, SAT-7 screens will feature songs, and colourful Christmas concerts throughout Christmas week and New Year. Although many Christians in the Middle East and North Africa may not be able to attend a physical church, SAT-7 will bring church home to millions across the region, sharing with its over 25 million viewers the hope and joy of Christmas.
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