CYCLING OVER 500 KM TO TEACH THE BIBLE
SAT-7 TÜRK combines a passion for cycling and Bible teaching in the unique program One Bike Seven Churches, tackling the challenging book of Revelation within the ruins of the seven ancient churches.
Filled with visions and prophesies, the book of Revelation is famously difficult to understand. Nevertheless, equipped with a Bible, a bike and a production crew, Engin Yıldırım, the Presenter of this exciting, new program, cycles across West Turkey on a mission:
“To teach our viewers about the message in these letters and what the history of these seven churches means in today’s Christianity.”
CYCLING ACROSS TURKEY
Covering over 500 km, the SAT-7 TÜRK team follows Engin Yıldırım, the Pastor of the Anglican Resurrection Church in Pera, as he cycles from Thyatira and travels South, visiting the ruins of the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, continuing West to Ephesus, and back North, to the churches in Smyrna and Pergamum.
Many people are unaware that the seven churches mentioned in Revelation are all located in Turkey. As such, the program will have a strong appeal to Turkish viewers.
“We knew that a program about the seven churches would be widely watched and be popular because they are in Turkey,” states Can Yazırlıoğlu, the Director of the program. Showing the ruins of the seven churches on the program also helps visually demonstrate Turkey’s Christian history.
“We wanted to make it colourful and attractive, and we wanted it to be different from our other Bible teaching programs. We needed something more active. Filming the program on location has made it livelier,” Can explains.
Combining sport, Bible teaching, history and archaeology, the program has something to offer to all audiences.
A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON REVELATION
The past and the present collides as the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation are examined within their ruins.
Standing among the ruins of the ancient church in Thyatira, Engin explains the purpose and importance of this program.
“The main reason for this project is to explore the book of Revelation, and especially to look at the letters written to these seven churches. Just as the words in these letters encouraged and advised the ancient churches, they can still encourage and advise Christians today.”
Written in a period of persecution for Christians living in Turkey two-thousand years ago, the letters in Revelation are just as relevant to the 150,000 Christians living in Turkey now.