SAT-7 UK

Showing God's love through powerful, faith-filled television & digital media programmes in the MENA Find out more at www.sat7uk.org

Our Vision is to see a growing Church in the Middle East and North Africa, confident in Christian faith and witness, serving the community and contributing to the good of society and culture. Our Mission is to provide the churches and Christians of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) an opportunity to witness to Jesus Christ through inspirational, informative, and educational television servic

es. To achieve this SAT-7 UK has have two core charitable activities. Firstly to encourage the development of a growing church and to make the gospel visible to everyone in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and secondly to raise awareness about SAT-7’s work, provide information about the region and encourage prayer through engaging and mobilising the UK church.

02/01/2025

Jan 2nd prayer diary entry.

HOPE - Pray that as people tune into SAT-7’s programmes this January, they would embrace the hope that Jesus offers and go boldly into the year ahead, full of His hope.

Please pray with us using the comments section below.

31/12/2024

CHURCH LEADERS SHARE HOPES AND FEARS FOR SYRIA’S FUTURE. Read the full article here - https://www.sat7uk.org/church-leaders-share-hopes-and-fears-for-syrias-future/

The dramatic and unexpected fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been a cause for great celebration for many people in Syria and beyond. But there is also much uncertainty regarding the country’s new leaders, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and what their rule will mean for minorities in the country.

Over the last week, SAT-7 has heard from church leaders in Syria on flagship live programmes Different Angle and You Are Not Alone about their hopes and fears for the country’s future.

Pastor Adon Nabih Noaman, President of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Homs, told Different Angle that this was “one of the most difficult times” for Christians in the country because they are “entering a new era that is unknown”. But he encouraged viewers with the message that “God is good and loving. He is alive and present in our lives, especially in the hard times and when we need to feel His presence.”

Expressing his hope for positive change in Syria, Pastor Noaman said that there was much rebuilding to be done after years of damage to the country’s infrastructure, and also to people’s lives, saying that many “need time to heal”.

Read the full article - https://www.sat7uk.org/church-leaders-share-hopes-and-fears-for-syrias-future/

CALL TO PRAYER
Amid all the uncertainty about Syria’s future and concern for what this could mean for Christians and other minorities, Pastor Harout Youssef of the Evangelical Nazarene Church in Latakia called for prayer as the country goes through “a very critical time”:

“Prayer can change events and can have an effect on authority. It is known that bent knees are stronger than armies. We pray for safety and for those in authority, so the hand of God is over everything that happens in this country. We pray for peace in this country and for hope and stability. We pray for the authority who took over recently, for justice, freedom, tolerance, and equality. We believe that God is the head of all authority and kings’ hearts are in God’s hands.”

It has been reported that churches in Syria were open for services on Sunday, so let us pray for further positive news as Christians in the country navigate this period of transition and uncertainty.

29/12/2024

When we first heard from SAT-7 KIDS viewer Jad, he was watching our programmes in secret and longing for the day when he could get baptised and attend a local church safely. When we next heard from Jad, three years later, everything had changed.

27/12/2024

Thank you to all our supporters who have sent in a message of comfort and joy. We have received over 200 messages so far!

Your messages are being shared with SAT-7 studio staff and viewers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on programmes and on social media. Your prayers will reassure Christians in the MENA that they are not alone this season.

If you haven't yet sent a message, there is still time 👉 https://www.sat7uk.org/comfortmessage

26/12/2024

Today we share with you a special Christmas testimony, the story of Shirin, a mother from Iran who was living in Belgium with her family. To listen to the full Voices of the Middle East podcast episode visit: https://sat7uk.org/listen

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from all at SAT-7 UK!

Youm Al-Milad (noun). The Arabic phrase for “Christmas Day”, the day on which the birth of Jesus is celebrated, whether on 25 December or 7 January in some Arabic countries.

Merry Christmas! On Youm Al-Milad (Christmas Day), Coptic believers in Egypt, Sudan and Libya will greet each other with the words “Pichristos Avmacf!” (Christ is born), and reply, “Chen Umethmi Avmacf!” (In truth, He is born!) Arab Christians across the MENA will say “Eīd Mīlād Majīd!”, (Glorious Holiday of Birth!) In Türkiye, many will give the secular greeting “Muylu Noeller!” (Happy Holidays!), but Christians will say “Doğuş Bayramınız Kutlu Olsun!” (Happy Nativity Day!) And Persian believers will whisper to each other, “Krīsmas-i Mubārak” (Blessed Christmas).

On the first Christmas night, the birth of Jesus was proclaimed from the heavens with angels’ song and the rising of a new star. These signs were an invitation to those who witnessed them to celebrate Christ’s birth, recognising Him as the promised King.

It was costly in the early centuries of the Church to acknowledge Jesus as King, or Kyrios (Lord), rather than just another deity in the Roman pantheon. It is costly today for those in the MENA to acknowledge Him as more than just a prophet. Their Christmas greetings declare that God Himself was born as a human being, and that He is the way of salvation.

We have the privilege in the UK to be able to respond to and proclaim this truth freely, singing it out in carols that resound from our churches on Christmas morning. Some in the MENA will huddle close to their television screens to hear the same truth from Christmas broadcasts filmed in safer parts of the region.

Wherever we are and in whatever language we say it, let’s greet each other with a familiar “Merry Christmas” and a deeper appreciation of all that this greeting truly means.

P R AY

• Give thanks for Jesus’ coming on the first Christmas Day!

• Pray for Christians who are celebrating in the MENA today and on 7 January.

24/12/2024

This Christmas, sing along with believers in the Middle East and North Africa in a moving rendition of Silent Night, complete with on-screen lyrics.

23/12/2024

Find out what Christmas is like for Christians in Egypt.

22/12/2024

This Christmas, as hearts across the Middle East and North Africa cry out “Where is God?” amidst war, crises, and suffering, SAT-7 shares a message of hope and reassurance.

In this vlog, SAT-7 CEO Rita El-Mounayer reflects on the pain of the past year, from the devastation in Syria to turmoil in Lebanon, the Holy Land, and Sudan. Through SAT-7’s special Christmas productions, viewers are reminded of the timeless truth: Immanuel – God with us. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, in humble and challenging circumstances, shows us that God is not distant from our suffering.

Join Rita in praying for SAT-7's Christmas broadcasts and that the message of Jesus' birth will bring hope to people in the MENA region.

21/12/2024

Marianne, who heads up our viewer support team, sings a song of God’s blessing over her city of Beirut.

20/12/2024

Heading up our viewer support team is Marianne Awaraji, who lives in Beirut in Lebanon – her apartment is close to where the recent bombings have taken place. Our staff in Lebanon have incredibly been continuing to broadcast despite everything going on around them. Marianne shares more about what Christmas is going to be like for them this year.

18/12/2024

Refugee (noun). A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or a natural disaster.

The otherwise joy-filled nativity narrative is punctuated by the jealousy of Herod, who wishes to eliminate the newborn King. An angel warns Joseph, “…take the child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill Him” (Mt 2:13), and so the Holy Family takes flight.

Unlike many refugees today, Jesus was eventually able to return to the country of His birth, Across the MENA, vulnerable people are fleeing war, persecution and natural disasters. Devastating earthquakes in Türkiye, Syria and Morocco, as well as unprecedented flooding in Libya, caused mass displacement in 2023, and many have yet to return. In Sudan, the civil war has forced many to flee to the Egyptian border. The Syrian refugee crisis remains one of the worst in the world, whilst in Gaza, almost the entire population has been internally displaced.

SAT-7 has been shining a light on the plight of refugees, as well as the Middle Eastern Christians who are serving the strangers in their midst. The SAT‑7 programme Different Angle interviewed Egyptian Christians who are supporting refugees from Sudan. “Our role is to apply our Christian values in accepting them and bringing Christ to them,” said Father Soliman Alfy, a Coptic priest. “I worked in Sudan for some time and experienced their hospitality. I was a stranger in this country for a time, so I understand how strangers in a different country feel. A true Christian accepts the other.”

P R AY

• Pray for all those who have been displaced from their homes, that God will go before them.

• Pray for Christians who are extending God’s love to their new neighbours and for SAT-7’s coverage of these stories.

16/12/2024

Our Ministry Content Advisor at SAT-7, George Makeen, has written a powerful article on the recent situation in Syria and how that impacts the wider region. Please pray with us in the comments using the prayer points below.

Read the full article here - https://www.sat7uk.org/what-next-for-syria-and-the-wider-middle-east-region/

George writes 'Other countries of the Middle East and North Africa, which are facing crushing financial challenges and losing support among their populations, are seriously concerned that there could be a domino effect such as we witnessed during the Arab Spring of 2011-12, when the strongman leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya were toppled in swift succession. Fallen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ally Iran will be especially perturbed by his shock removal.'

'Christians, and others, in the region, are greatly concerned that we may witness another violent attempt to eliminate religious and ethnic minorities in Syria. Many believers have already fled the country because of persecution by groups that took territory in the early years of the civil war. This is a matter of great personal anguish for us at SAT-7. In April 2013 two Syrian bishops, Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, and Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop in Aleppo, were kidnapped. Mar Gregorios was a much valued and respected member of SAT-7’s International Council. Since then, there has been no news of them.

Today, we hope and pray that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will be true to its promise to protect minorities and will allow Christians to practice their faith in peace and freedom. SAT-7 has heard from Church leaders in Syria this week who are concerned about the future of their country, and are asking for prayer for unity, peace, and protection. What we really want to see, as believers, is the Church in Syria being empowered to grow, not just survive, in the coming years. And we also hope and pray that the international community will play its part in upholding the right to freedom of religion and belief for everyone in Syria, and in the wider region.

Please pray with us in the comments below;

- Pray for Syrians who have suffered so much violence and injustice over many years. - Pray for healing of hearts and minds, and for a new era of peace and justice.
- Pray for freedom and respect for minorities in Syria, and that the rights of all will be upheld.
- Pray for the Church in Syria, for wisdom as it navigates the uncertainty of the current situation, for protection, and for the freedom to grow. Pray that believers will know the presence and comfort of Immanuel amid the fear of the unknown.
- Pray for Syria’s neighbours and the wider region, for an end to the conflicts that are destroying millions of lives, for reconciliation and the acceptance of differences.

14/12/2024

Our A Very Middle Eastern Advent colouring and activity books have been well received by many of our supporters. Becky from Shropshire wrote in to say:
"My 6 year old has absolutely loved the advent activity book. Each activity is really well thought out. The best thing for us has been the conversations and questions it has sparked around Christmas in the Middle Eastern countries and an awareness of life outside a 6 year old's immediate surroundings. A fantastic resource, thank you"

It's not too late to order your copy 👉 https://sat7uk.org/activitybook

13/12/2024

Magnificat (noun), from Latin Magnificat anima mea Dominum, “My Soul magnifies the Lord”. Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55, often recited in Christian worship

When Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel, she is initially “troubled at his words” (Lk 1:29). But, when she realises the part she has been chosen to play in God’s plan, her fear turns to wonder and praise that we now refer to as the Magnificat. Mary begins, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk 1:46-7 NRSVA). Far from being prideful, Mary praises God for “look[ing] with favour on the lowliness of His servant” (v 48), and for choosing to lift up the poor, hungry and powerless (vs 52-4). Like Mary, we find that our praise finds completion when we place our stories within the plan of God’s salvation of the world.

Samia Kessai, presenter of Despite All, a show for Algerian women, shared the story of a woman living in rural Algeria. “When I first met Tala, she had never, ever left her parents’ house. Why? She had no opportunity. She is illiterate. She cannot go out to study, to meet anyone, or even to go shopping. She is 41 years old. And because she is not married and cannot get a job, society obliges her to stay at home.”

Tala’s isolation is sadly very common in rural Algeria. “I have seen nothing in my life,” says Tala. “I first opened my eyes here, in my parents’ house, and 41 years later, I am still here.” Tala’s only refuge is her Christian faith, which gives her strength to carry on. She rejoices in God when watching SAT-7’s programmes.

“For years, women who watch our testimony programmes have told us they are especially moved by the testimonies of other women.” Samia said. Mary’s words are especially resonant in the lives of these women, whose spirits rejoice when they hear just how much God cares for the “lowly” ones like them. Our response should also be to retell the story of God’s salvation and magnifying the Lord.

P R AY
• Pray that Mary’s praise will be a song in our hearts this Christmas.
• Pray that 'Despite All' will help Algerian women to find hope in the Lord.

11/12/2024

Karama (noun). An Arabic word meaning “dignity”, the state or quality of being worthy of honour and respect.

The part that the doctrine of the Incarnation played in shaping the world we live in today cannot be understated. The greatest effect of the doctrine of the Incarnation on culture is the dignity it conveyed upon all human life. In the centuries following the birth of the Church, Christians would rescue abandoned babies, put their lives on the line to care for the sick, and follow Jesus’ example in welcoming the despised and rejected. Though our own culture still falls short of this standard, we can thank the Christian foundation of our civilisation for the human rights we enjoy today.

Inherent in the preaching of the Gospel message is the promise of karama for all people, for whom Jesus was born and died. SAT-7’s programmes aim to bring social change by showing viewers the value of all people in God’s eyes. Today Not Tomorrow on SAT-7 ARABIC and Insiders on SAT-7 PARS focus on women’s rights and issues, challenging inequality in the prevailing culture and demanding change.

While Christmas is already a holiday which dominates our calendars each year, filling our lives with light and seasonal cheer, the cultural ripples caused by the reality of Jesus’ birth are greater than many realise. As we thank God again for sending His Son this Christmas, let’s count among our blessings the advances in all areas of civilisation, and most of all the karama that His Incarnation bestows upon us all.

P R AY
• Pray that SAT-7’s programmes will help to break down barriers and bring about social change.
• Pray for a recognition of the dignity inherent to all human beings as imagebearers of God.
• Give thanks that the Incarnation has laid the foundation for the human rights we have today.

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Videos

This Christmas, sing along with believers in the Middle East and North Africa in a moving rendition of Silent Night, complete with on-screen lyrics. #silentnight #MENA #singalong #christmaseve

Find out what Christmas is like for Christians in Egypt. #christiansegypt #egyptchristians #christmasegypt #christianchristmas #christmaschristian

This Christmas, as hearts across the Middle East and North Africa cry out “Where is God?” amidst war, crises, and suffering, SAT-7 shares a message of hope and reassurance. In this vlog, SAT-7 CEO Rita El-Mounayer reflects on the pain of the past year, from the devastation in Syria to turmoil in Lebanon, the Holy Land, and Sudan. Through SAT-7’s special Christmas productions, viewers are reminded of the timeless truth: Immanuel – God with us. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, in humble and challenging circumstances, shows us that God is not distant from our suffering. Join Rita in praying for SAT-7's Christmas broadcasts and that the message of Jesus' birth will bring hope to people in the MENA region. #Christmas #syria #lebanon #sudan

Marianne, who heads up our viewer support team, sings a song of God’s blessing over her city of Beirut. #Beirut #Lebanon #Christmas

Salam (Peace) is a song of unity and a message of faith amid the uncertainty of war: “We raise our voices with Jesus. Your peace, Jesus, is our joy.” While filming the music video, the children and crew could hear the sound of bombs exploding in the distance, but they were committed to the project and its purpose. “I was a bit startled at first, but we continued,” explained one young girl with remarkable maturity. “What we are doing here, we do it to glorify the Lord.” Their parents too were keen to be involved. “SAT-7 KIDS is not just us,” said director Rawad Daou. “We are not the only ones believing in this message. All the parents present with us while we filmed their children believe in the same message, and that’s why they came with their children to record this clip.” Rawad said they could sense God’s presence throughout the recording. “The voices of the children were anointed by the Holy Spirit,” he said. “It was a song of freedom for me. I am sure that this clip will bring liberation to many children hearing it.” Read more 👉 https://www.sat7uk.org/a-refuge-for-children-frightened-by-war #peace #salem #unity

Please share your prayers in the comments below for our Christian brothers and sisters in Lebanon. With tensions remaining high in the region and air strikes and ground operations impacting thousands of Lebanese families, the church in Lebanon has been taking practical action to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the region. Please pray for strength, compassion and protection for the church in Lebanon at this time. #lebanonchurch #lebanonchurches #lebanonchristian #lebanonwar

Today marks a devastating year of conflict in the Holy Land. Thousands of lives have been lost, homes destroyed, and hopes shattered. For the last 12 months, we have looked behind the headlines to people across the region who are crying out in prayer and calling for peace. We continue to raise the voices that need to be heard – children, the Church, and the call for peace across the MENA region. Please watch the video to hear them, and share the video to raise these voices. Please take time today to pray for an end to this brutal conflict that is spreading further across the Middle East. "So let us do all we can to live in peace and let us work hard to build up one another." Romans 14:9

"Seek peace and pursue it." - Psalm 34:14 Today (21 September) is International Day of Peace. As individuals and as SAT-7 we have a crucial role to play to speak out for peace in a world where many have a different agenda. So please raise your voice today, wherever you are, to speak up for the cause of peace. #internationaldayofpeace #peace #promotingpeace