Heartfelt thanks to all supporters as #ForBeirut campaign closes

“I am happy despite the circumstances we are passing through. God is among us. Your songs console us,” a SAT-7 ARABIC viewer said just days after the 4 August explosion that devastated Beirut. Another woman from Lebanon said, “Thank you… thank you. Thank you for the hope you give us. And thanks be to the Lord, who is with our country.”

These comments came in response to An Evening with From Heart to Heart, one of 30 special episodes broadcast so far thanks to SAT-7 supporters’ response to the #ForBeirut campaign. Contacts like this from SAT-7’s Arabic audience have increased by 4,000 percent, with the education stream SAT-7 ACADEMY brand receiving 3,000 comments per day.

Thanks to the incredible response to the campaign, SAT-7 ARABIC, SAT-7 KIDS, and SAT-7 ACADEMY have been able to produce a range of programs to meet the needs of those affected by the explosion, as well as to respond with several humanitarian initiatives to distribute provisions.

“We were able to do all this because you responded to the needs of the people of Beirut, by sending us donations and by holding us in prayer,” says SAT-7 ACADEMY’s Juliana Sfeir, who is based in Beirut.

Supportive programming began the day after the explosion, with a special live show offering comfort from three local church leaders. Sfeir also reported from the blast site, showing the world how young people were working together to clear the streets. An Evening with From Heart to Heart led viewers in worship and prayer, looking out over the devastated city from the rooftop of SAT-7’s Beirut studio.

In the weeks that followed, SAT-7 ARABIC continued to produce short prayer clips from pastors all over the world, shared each day at the time of the explosion. Beirut, You Are Not Alone revealed many testimonies of bravery, faith, and resilience while also giving a therapeutic voice to the suffering. SAT-7 ACADEMY shared a series of resources on supporting mental health following a traumatic event, while a three-part series on managing trauma was broadcast on SAT-7 ARABIC.

Meanwhile, Hello Marianne and Bible Heroes – live children’s programs that had been scheduled to break for the summer – came back to the Lebanon studio to broadcast, comforting their young audience in their distress and taking calls from children all over the Middle East and North Africa who prayed for Beirut. A special program was also made with the children who took part in the SAT-7 ACADEMY children’s rights program Puzzle, who were brought together to visit the blast site, share their experiences, and take part in distributing provisions.

And throughout this period, the Christian community around the world were also mobilised in prayer, Beirut residents up to God as residents battled despair, life-destroying challenges, and several more fires in their city.

As the world prayed for Beirut, SAT-7 viewers in Lebanon also encouraged each other. One said: “I want to tell everyone that the darker it gets, the closer we are to the dawn, and we must stay united in Christ. Even if the whole world is hopeless – and even if the future carries dark clouds – Christians must never give up.”

Thank you so much for your support for SAT-7’s work in Lebanon. The needs continue to be great in Lebanon and across the Middle East and North Africa.  If you would like to contribute to SAT-7’s work, please click here.

And please continue praying for Beirut.

• Pray that children affected by the explosion will know God’s peace, which passes understanding, as they continue to come to terms with their experience, while their parents also cope with their own struggles and their schooling remains disrupted.
• Pray also for God’s hand to be over the country’s political and economic situation, that effective policies will be implemented to improve the suffering of so many people.
• Finally, please ask God to bring hope to those who need it most. Ask Him to give those struggling to believe in a future for their country the vision they need in order to stay and rebuild. Pray that hope in Jesus will transform hearts and bring a better Lebanon.