SAT-7 Celebrates 30 Years of Making God’s Love Visible

Viewers and staff joined in celebrating the 30th anniversary of SAT-7 ARABIC in a special program on May 31, the date of the channel’s first broadcast in 1996. To mark the occasion, five hours of live programming from Egypt and Lebanon told the story of SAT-7, featuring several people who had witnessed its beginnings.

Hosted alternately by the SAT-7 studio in Beirut and the Coptic Cathedral Theater in Cairo, the broadcast featured praise and worship, prayers, interviews, and testimonies.

“This celebration is summarized in a few words: It is through His grace and for His glory,” said Rami Al-Halaseh, Executive Director of SAT‑7’s Arabic channels. “We cannot move one step forward without the grace of God, and everything we do is for the glory of God.”

To mark the occasion, five hours of live programming from Egypt and Lebanon told the story of SAT-7, featuring several people who had witnessed its beginnings.

Stories of Lives Changed

The event highlighted not only the major milestones in SAT-7’s history and the obstacles it has overcome over the years but also the ways in which it has impacted and shaped the lives of viewers and participants alike.

Ruth, a SAT-7 viewer, came on stage and shared how the channel had a major role in her life and those of her children. As a cancer patient, she had received the bad news that she needed to have chemotherapy, but at that time she found solace in a message of support from the Lord that she heard on SAT-7 ARABIC.

“We lived in a town that had no church meetings, but SAT-7 KIDS helped in the foundation of my children’s faith,” she added.

“I’m humbled and so grateful to God for such stories and encouraged by the fact that we only hear from a small number of viewers and that there are many more that we will never know about till we get to heaven,” said Dr. Terence Ascott, Founder and President of SAT-7.

Romany Abdallah, a young man without limbs who participated in the City of Stars program for children with disabilities, shared how the program helped him discover his talents, meet new people, and make friends.

“These programs help create awareness of how people with special needs need to be acknowledged for their talents and not judged,” he said.

Unstoppable Ministry

Over the last 30 years, nothing has stopped SAT-7’s broadcasting of God’s love: not the fire that almost consumed the Cairo studio; not the flooding in the Beirut building that nearly destroyed all of its archives and equipment; not revolutions in Egypt; not wars or the port explosion in Lebanon.

Viewers interacted with the live broadcast and expressed deep appreciation for SAT-7, describing it as a source of hope, light, encouragement, and blessing in a troubled world.

Maged Mounir, SAT-7 Egypt Executive Director, encouraged viewers to share in SAT-7’s work. “No one succeeds on their own. The success of SAT-7 is because of our cooperation together as a team. Pray for us, for we have great challenges, but we also have great plans. Always feel free to share your thoughts with us and express your opinions about the programs.”

The whole celebration was a powerful act of thanksgiving to God for raising up SAT-7, which stands as a living testimony to His work in the Middle East and North Africa.

“The vision started small as a mustard seed and then grew,” said Rita El-Mounayer, SAT-7’s CEO. “This means a lot to me because we can see that despite all our work and talents, it is all His work. I pray that we see people growing in SAT-7 and new people to carry the vision and the message to reach the largest possible number of people who need the hope of Jesus Christ.”