“Suddenly, a light appeared…” For one believer in Iran, this was the moment that changed everything. Alone in a dark room, Yazdan was desperately praying for hope, help, peace. “An hour passed,” he said. “Then suddenly a light appeared. It illuminated the dark room for a whole minute. I couldn’t sleep from joy!” Yazdan’s experience echoes another night: a hillside […]
Celebrating Christmas is difficult for many Christian children who live in the predominantly non-Christian countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Especially so in countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Algeria, where believers are facing increased pressure at this time. For children and adults alike SAT-7’s Christmas schedules this month offer them the transforming message of “God with us” […]
5 December, 4.00-5.00 pm SAT-7, the Christian satellite TV broadcaster serving the Middle East and North Africa, is inviting families to join a special Advent Family Celebration with children’s TV presenter Gemma Hunt. Gemma will join children’s author and SAT-7 External Engagement Director Martin Thomas in an online celebration on Saturday 5 December. With games, paper-chain craft activities, songs, stories, […]
by Annamaria, Executive Assistant at SAT-7 TÜRK Christmas in Turkey is celebrated like any other country where Christian worship is allowed by the government. There is a huge celebration on Christmas night where churches are pretty much full. It is a beautiful sight. Of course, on important days like this there are always police positioned at the church gates for […]
Omeed Jouyandé explains why Herod and “all Jerusalem” had good reason to be alarmed by the arrival of a group of Magi from Parthia. But their mission was not as Herod feared – and their faith and identity remains an inspiration for Iranian Christians today. Danial from Iran describes how believers celebrate Christmas in his homeland: “Christmas is very […]
During the festive season in Egypt, most Egyptians are just getting on with their day to day lives. They don’t really notice the Christians celebrating. But some hotels and shops display Christmas decorations, and Christmas trees are very popular – they often sell out before Christmas! This time of year can be cold – we even had snow in […]
Many Iranians enjoy Christmas as a festive season. In the capital, Tehran, Christian pastry shops, usually owned by Armenians, are well-lit and well-stocked with Christmas trees, gifts and cards. Even businesses owned by non-Christians will sell trees and flowers for Christmas. In some parts of the city you will see Christmas trees in the windows, and in Isfahan, a city […]
First-time pregnancy can be a disorientating time for a couple, as changes occur so quickly and hopes run so high. But it can be even more confusing and isolating in a culture in which issues relating to pregnancy and childbirth are rarely discussed, and superstitions proliferate. That’s where a new SAT-7 PARS programme called Forty (“Chehel” in Farsi) comes in. […]
Christmas came early ten years ago when a brand new channel called SAT-7 KIDS, planned as a present for the children of the Middle East and North Africa, was launched on 10 December 2007. Instantly well-received, it has proved a bright, welcoming haven for millions of young viewers. Luke 2:52 tells us that when Jesus was a child He “grew […]
A Christian choir asked to perform at an inter-governmental meeting in Sudan in order to promote peace and goodwill have appeared on SAT-7 ARABIC for the second time. Viewers of the first appearance by Sudan’s Candlelight choir deluged the channel with enthusiastic comments, delighted by the multiracial choir’s lilting praises. Keep on Singing producer Andrew Gamal therefore had no hesitation […]