Screenshot from SAT-7’s Gel de İnan (“Believe If You Can”). Photo courtesy of SAT-7 YouTube.

“One thing we all ought to be praying about is this lie that Christianity is a Western religion,” Cerniglia says.

Believing Christianity is a Western ideology can isolate Christians culturally from their own people. “Pray for those who feel isolated because of their faith and the choice to follow Jesus, and who feel marginalized from mainstream society,” says Cerniglia.

Another common stereotype is that Christianity is disconnected from everyday life.

“This is some sort of mythical practice to a distant God among people who don’t have real lives,” Cerniglia says of that perception.

To challenge these misconceptions, SAT-7 TÜRK launched a talk show called Believe If You Can (YouTube: Gel de Inan). The program walks alongside young people as they navigate questions about life’s meaning, their place in society, and career choices.

“Christians in Türkiye experience the same questions and realities, and we have a relationship with Jesus, the Son of the Creator of the universe, who guides us and promises us wisdom,” Cerniglia says.

The show is vibrant and dynamic, even integrating live AI technology. “We use an AI tool where guests respond to questions, and this tool sort of paints a personality picture of the viewer,” he adds.

The program presents Christian themes in contemporary, engaging ways that resonate with young viewers. Through it, SAT-7 hopes to show that Jesus is relevant and real.

Pray that viewers would come to know Christ. Also pray “against the evil spirit who spreads lies, that spreads lies about about who we are as Christians,” says Cerniglia.

Header photo: Istanbul, Türkiye (photo courtesy of Ibrahim Uzun via Unsplash).

Contrary to projections that it would end swiftly, the US-Israeli war on Iran is in its fourth month. John Cergnilia with SAT-7 remarks, “To be frank about it, I don’t hear Iranian colleagues talking about this being short-lived.” 

SAT-7 is a satellite TV ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. Its Persian channel (SAT-7 PARS) broadcasts into Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. 

Cerniglia says that the SAT-7 PARS team has heard stories of horrific injustice from Iranians on the ground. Yet Iranian believers also have a sober grasp of what it means to be a Christian. 

One colleague from Iran told Cerniglia simply this: “Following Christ means sacrifice. It means suffering.” 

Recently, the SAT-7 team has shared content especially for grieving or struggling parents. Children in Iran have been killed in US airstrikes and crackdowns by the Iranian regime. Many today are being recruited for military-like security activities. 

“Even when — this is hard for me to even say — even when a Christian in Iran loses a child, they expect it as a Jesus-follower,” Cerniglia says. “Sacrifice and suffering in that context.”

Some contact SAT-7 PARS Audience Relations Specialists at great personal risk to ask for prayer and share their stories. (Image courtesy SAT-7)

SAT-7 PARS content for parents includes a poignant video compilation of how parents have expressed both grief and resilience in the face of loss. SAT-7 has also broadcast a three-episode series called The Passage. One episode talks about how parents can walk their kids through the emotional pressures of war. 

Please stand with Iranians in prayer. 

“Pray for protection over civilians — not just Christians, but over all civilians, 80 million people living in the country of Iran. [Pray for] restraint and wisdom among leaders,” says Cerniglia. 

“And of course, [pray] that God would strengthen the churches and believers. The resilience that we hear about the Church, the spiritual maturity of the Church in Iran, is nothing short of stunning.”

Visit SAT-7’s website to receive a prayer list with further requests.

Header photo of home worship courtesy of SAT-7 PARS.

Rita el-Mounayer with SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry in MENA, says in Egypt and Lebanon, for example, the Christian church is respected; and ministries like SAT-7 are relatively protected. But in other countries across the MENA region, the work of ministry must be carried out almost, if not entirely, underground. 

In these situations, el-Mounayer says the goal is to protect underground Christians by reducing their exposure to potentially antagonistic people. 

“This happened in Morocco,” she says. “One person took photos of all the underground people in the church and posted them on Facebook, and suddenly there was a big problem in Morocco and then the government wanted all the missionaries to go.” 

Thus, across North African countries, SAT-7 ministry team members take the role of engaging spiritual seekers via social media while minimizing overt social networking. 

“When it comes to the underground church, we’re very careful,” el-Mounayer says. “So what we do is let the church contact these people but not the people contact the church.” 

Iran, on the other hand, is a different story entirely. 

“In Iran, our only contacts are Iranian expatriates with Iranians inside the country. A lot of times we won’t have the privilege or opportunity to connect with the Christians in Iran,” el-Mounayer explains.

She says those from a Muslim background are especially hard to engage, as this group faces extreme backlash from the Iranian government and their own communities. 

Still, untold numbers of Iranians are trading the fear of Islam for the love of Jesus. Even among young people who are not explicitly choosing to follow Christ, many are questioning their religious upbringing. 

A 2020 survey of Iranians found the following: 

“Approximately half of the population reported losing their religion . . . Around 6% of the population said they had converted from one religious orientation to another.” 

Confusion around matters of religion presents the underground church and Iranian ministries with immense opportunity and responsibility. 

As people across the MENA region continue their search for truth, would you pray that the Holy Spirit will lead them through His church to Jesus Christ? 

Courtesy of Raandree via Pixabay. Featured image courtesy of Moaztobok via Pexels. 

But inside Iran, there’s another story unfolding.

John Cerniglia, President of SAT-7 USA, says Iranian believers inside and outside the country are still finding ways to share Christ, even in secrecy.

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

“We understand, of course, in Iran that we’re talking about the underground Church,” he says. “There are no church buildings in Iran, but we understand there could be as many as a million underground believers. These are people who love Jesus, but who are unable to be public in most cases about their faith. So we hear from them because they watch our satellite television program.”

Through satellite television broadcasts, ministries like SAT-7 reach homes across Iran with Christ’s hope, even when other channels go dark.

Cerniglia says, “Satellite continues to be the only reliable way to get information into the country…. The government can easily block the internet. They can easily shut down phone service. So we’re on a primary and reliable signal to get into the country.”

Viewers in Iran can even call SAT-7 and speak with an Iranian Christian outside the country at the ministry’s call center.

“A couple of months ago, a man called into the program…and he was receiving our content in the Farsi language,” Cerniglia shares. “He was in Iran, and he called into one of our inbound call centers, screaming. I mean, he was irate.”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7 PARS)

A young Iranian female staffer at SAT-7 answered the call – which Cerniglia explains also introduced a level of cultural imbalance, since the angry caller was an older male.

“He said to her, ‘You’ve destroyed my marriage. You told my wife I shouldn’t be beating her.’”

Despite the man’s anger and the layer of cultural imbalance, the SAT-7 staffer responded with the confidence and grace of the Holy Spirit.

Cerniglia says, “Our young Iranian woman paused and said, ‘Well, sir, what we told your wife is that she was created in the image of God, the Creator of the universe, and that her body is a holy temple to be protected and to be honored.’ And then this young 20-something said, ‘And sir, that’s how we see you. You, too, were created in the image of God.’”

“He was confused by this because this is foreign,” says Cirniglia. “In fact, this began a discipleship journey that our team is on with this gentleman! We hope to lead him to the Lord now that he understands the truth.”

Praise God for the faithful witness of Iranian believers, even from beyond Iran’s borders. Pray that many more Iranians would encounter the truth of Jesus and be transformed.

Find ways to come alongside SAT-7’s ministry at sat7usa.org.

Header photo: Iranians rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, voicing support for the United States and Israel, March 1, 2026 (Photo courtesy of MNN).

At the same time, Israeli strikes have hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, and Israel has issued urgent warnings for people to evacuate areas tied to Iranian officials.

Together, the developments signal the building pressure on both Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamist regime.

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beiteddine_-_drapeau_libanais.jpg)

John Cerniglia, President of SAT-7 USA says, “I was in a meeting this morning with colleagues who live in the region. I have a colleague who lives in Beirut, and he turned his phone out the window of where he is in Beirut, and we were watching bombings happen.”

For many in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, conflict is not a new reality.

“As I talk to my colleagues who [were] born in the region and have always lived in the region, it’s been their entire lifetimes,” Cerniglia says. “When SAT-7 started 30 years ago, the Lebanese were fighting the Syrians in Lebanon, in Beirut. So I’ve got colleagues who’ve worked at SAT-7 for 30 years, and they will tell you war is all they’ve ever known.”

Yet just because it is familiar doesn’t mean it isn’t overwhelming.

Cerniglia says, “I think, in times of serious conflict like this or uncertainty or fear, some people could be tempted to think the unthinkable about their own lives. So just [pray] that God protect people and give them hope – Jesus is the hope of the world.”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

Through satellite television and digital media, SAT-7 continues broadcasting the Gospel across the Middle East and North Africa, including into areas affected by conflict. The ministry regularly shares testimonies of people encountering Christ even amid war.

Learn more at sat7usa.org.

“The first thing I’d encourage everybody to do is go to our website and read and learn,” Cerniglia says. “There’s a lot of content there from Iran and around the region – first-hand stories and testimonies from Christians who are experiencing what’s going on there in the region.”

He adds, “The second thing to do, after learning a little bit, is join our prayer team. You can sign up, it doesn’t cost anything, [and] we’ll send you periodic prayer reports and requests for you to be praying for our brothers and sisters.”

As tensions rise in Lebanon, please pray ultimately for the spread of the Gospel. Ask God to bring hope and salvation to the Lebanese people – and even to fighters and extremists – that many would encounter Jesus and find true peace in Him.

Header photo: Beirut, Lebanon (Photo courtesy of Sara Calado/Unsplash)

As the Islamic regime seeks to keep its grip on power, authorities are restricting internet access to control information. Connectivity has fallen below 1% in some areas, forcing Iranians to use VPNs and other covert methods to share videos and images of airstrikes.

Satellite television broadcasters like SAT-7 have become a critical — and often the only — source of independent information and biblical encouragement.

Photo courtesy of Artin Bakhan via Unsplash

John Cerniglia, President of SAT-7 USA, says, “We reach probably half a million viewers in Iran any given day, and we hear from about 50 of them per day.”

SAT-7 PARS, the ministry’s Farsi-language channel, broadcasts 24/7 directly into Iran, bypassing government censorship.

“It’s illegal to own a satellite, and actually the government will scan the rooftops of buildings and confiscate satellite dishes,” says Cerniglia. “Of course, it’s impossible to do that widespread in a nation of 85 million people…. We’re on the predominant satellite network that reaches Iran…and it is unblockable and uncensorable.”

SAT-7’s programming focuses on spiritual hope for Iranian Christians and those searching for truth and encouragement. Cerniglia explains, “We have straight-up preaching where somebody can tune in and get expository teaching and preaching on something like the Gospel according to John. Or we have themes around Lent or Advent, depending on the season of the year. We have live broadcasting…but a lot of the content, overwhelmingly, is Gospel-based.

“Even in times like war, as we are in now in the region, we try to help people understand: What’s a biblical worldview? What’s a biblical response to what people in the region are facing?”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

Many viewers are part of Iran’s underground Church and contact SAT-7 via phone, email, or secure platforms like WhatsApp. The reports from recent months reveal the danger they face.

“When the government was cracking down, we heard from a viewer who told us that they were in an emergency room in a hospital, and the Iranian government came in and were shooting and killing patients [who were] seeking treatment because they had been out on the streets protesting the government.”

Amid the current strikes and uncertainty, fear is rising. Yet, faith persists. Cerniglia shares a prayer that SAT-7 received from a viewer in Iran.

“He wrote: ‘With all the sorrow, how can a man lay his head on the pillow and sleep?… Oh God, I believe that you are present and see all the injustice. So I lift my hands to you, and in the name of your only beloved Son, I ask you to intervene. Oh God, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I ask you to shape the future of Iran according to your perfect will and bring joy and laughter in place of tears and sadness. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.'”

Cerniglia asks, “Be praying that God’s hope would be just so obvious and accessible and visible to people – that the work of the Holy Spirit would overtake the work of a fearful mind or heart. I’m praying that God would work in miraculous ways, that the Prince of Peace would reign and rule in a region of darkness.”

Learn more about SAT-7’s vital broadcast ministry in Iran at sat7usa.org.

Header photo: Courtesy of SAT-7.

“People are losing a lot of hope in their countries’ education future, so they tend to give up,” El-Mounayer says. 

SAT-7 staff point kids to Christ while standing in their shoes, as many ministry team members have personal experience with displacement or refugee status. El-Mounayer recalls her own experience growing up in Lebanon:

“I was not a refugee, but I was displaced many times, and all I wanted was for somebody to tell me there is hope.” 

Praise God that the hope of Christ knows no bounds! Please pray that it will reach MENA’s young people before the increasingly radicalized messaging of their cultural environment takes hold. If the Gospel is not preached, El-Mounayer says we lose. 

“We lose this generation that is becoming so confused between the message of extreme hate and the message of extreme love,” she points out. 

Primarily through social media platforms, SAT-7 ministry team members routinely take questions from young people about the love and forgiveness of God. 

“They ask us, ‘Love? God is love?’ They ask us, ‘Forgiveness? We should forgive people who hurt us?’ And we’re very honest when we answer that it’s really not easy – especially in the Middle East when there are many enemies around. But people feel and respect this honesty,” she says. 

After connecting with youth via social messaging apps, the ministry’s next step is to connect them with a viewer support team. 

“They try to connect with the people. They try to answer their questions. They try to pray with them. And then at the end, when we feel it’s safe – specifically their safety – we connect them to a local church or underground church,” El-Mounayer says. 

Please pray for much spiritual fruit from SAT-7’s ministry to children. Learn more about their work here. 

“We are on our knees praying because we really believe that it’s not our work at the end,” El-Mounayer says. “It’s the work of the Holy Spirit.” 

Courtesy of Ahmed Akacha via Pexels. Featured image courtesy of Oussama Ben Slama via Pexels.

Header photo: Courtesy of Oussama Ben Slama via Pexels.

Iran (MNN) — With thousands executed and thousands more arraigned, chaos and heartache continue to plague Iran. How can believers pray for the unfolding situation there? Consider these suggestions from Rita el-Mounayer of SAT-7, a Christian broadcast ministry in the MENA region. 

El-Mounayer says every person in the Middle East wants to be seen with dignity; and she and her colleagues know that the Gospel is the key to dignity’s door. 

“I think it’s a human rights issue that you know that there is a God who loves you and He sent His son to die for you and that you will have eternal life if you believe in Him,” she says. 

Rather than seeking ultimate resolution from political powers, el-Mounayer says the Iranian people need to turn to Jesus for deliverance. 

“I pray that people in Iran will be liberated, will have the freedom to express their religion – Christians or not Christians, that women will have their rights too, and that they will live in freedom like any other country in the Middle East, to a certain extent.” 

Here are some ways to lift up this country: 

• Pray for an end to the violence. 
• Pray for the Gospel to go out and for people to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. 
• Pray for peace in the region and in the hearts of people through Jesus Christ. 
• Pray for the SAT-7 team as they work to broadcast hope and freedom across Iran. 

“Our first rule is to share the Gospel,” el-Mounayer says. “We strive just to tell people that you matter. You have a freedom of choice, and there is a God who loves you. You have abundant life if you follow this God, and if you don’t: we still love you.”  

Please pray especially for those turning to Christ: that they would persevere in the faith and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit as they walk a difficult, narrow road. 

Find more perspective on Iranians turning to Christ by considering conversations such as this one. 

Courtesy of Unsplash. Featured photo courtesy of Tara Winstead via Pexels.

SAT-7 broadcasts Christian programming across the Middle East and North Africa in Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi. Its Farsi-language channel, SAT-7 PARS, continues reaching viewers inside Iran — even when internet access and other communication channels are blocked by the government.

Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)

Joe Willey with SAT-7 says, “We know that satellite television is virtually uncensorable, and so we can broadcast even programs we have — and we’ve done this. Programs that are created to be online, we can actually broadcast those programs on satellite television. So we can still reach people with the Gospel and with the support that the people of Iran need.”

Willey recently spoke with an Iranian man who has been able to communicate with contacts inside the country. According to those reports, protests are not fading.

“Instead of these protests dwindling, the numbers are increasing,” Willey says.

“It’s a desperate situation, and of course, the information coming out of Iran is filtered through government channels, because the government has throttled digital communication. The internet — and anything that uses the internet — is really blacked out.”

While the sharp drop in the Iranian rial sparked the unrest on December 28, dissatisfaction with the Islamist authoritarian regime has been building for years amid strict Sharia law and ongoing human rights abuses.

Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)

“The shopkeepers started with economic protest because of a devalued currency and financial difficulty in the country,” Willey says. “That has spread to freedom and wanting a different lifestyle.”

That pressure is also driving deeper spiritual questions.

“Younger people and even older people have questioned the harshness and severity of life under this regime,” says Willey. “They will say, ‘Well, if this is religion, if this is God, I don’t want this. I’m oppressed.'”

But when they encounter the message of Christ, Willey says the response is striking.

“They say, ‘Wait, are you telling me that because of Christ, I can be free?’ It is a completely different message. It is the true hope of Scripture, and Iranians are eager to hear that because of what they’ve been through. So SAT-7 can still broadcast the message of freedom that ultimately is eternal in Christ.”

As Iranian Christians navigate this tense moment, Willey says their witness matters deeply.

“The difficult thing is for believers in Iran right now to be salt and light,” he says. “This is an opportunity, and it’s easy for me to say, but they have an opportunity to show the hope they have in Christ…. I honestly pray that a great awakening would happen in Iran.”

Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)

A Christian woman inside Iran recently shared a prayer request with SAT-7: “Please pray for freedom for Iran and for us Christians in the country. The conditions are very hard, and I’ve not been able to get my medicines for several weeks. Food is not easier to find, and the state of education is unsatisfactory, with children feeling discouraged and young people struggling with hopelessness. Please keep Iran in your prayers.”

Header photo: Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)

Joe Willey serves with SAT-7, a satellite TV ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. The team knows their programs are a lifeline for isolated believers.

SAT-7 programs are a lifeline for isolated believers. (Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

“We have to really consider and not be glib about what they are going through, and not just say, ‘Oh, it will be okay,’ although we know in Christ it will be okay,” Willey says.

Instead of glibness, SAT-7 programs strive for gospel grit. That’s one reason why Iranian expats serve across the SAT-7 team. They bring cultural and personal understanding to create biblically sound content to minister to Iran and beyond. Christians aren’t the only audience they hope their content will serve. 

“We can pray for the Christian community to be strong, to stand fast,” says Willey. “But what also is happening in Iran is that people who have been under a real burden of religion, they have been turning to atheism. Because they say, ‘If this is religion, I don’t want any part of it.’ Until they hear the Gospel, until they hear about grace, until they hear about forgiveness. And it changes everything.” 

Pray that God uses SAT-7 and other media ministries to soften hearts across Iran — perhaps for the first time — to Jesus today.

Visit SAT-7’s website to read stories of God’s work in the MENA region, and to learn how to partner with this ministry. “See what’s going on in the Middle East and North Africa, and pray,” invites Willey. 

Header photo: An Iranian woman stands at an overlook with a panoramic view of Tehran, Iran. Tehran is the capital of Iran and its largest city, with the greater metro area hosting a population of 15 million. (Photo and caption courtesy of IMB, CC 4.0)