Middle East (MNN) — In countries like Iran and Afghanistan, being a young Christian is very dangerous – and lonely. Access to biblical resources is extremely limited and many Christian kids and teens in these countries may not know any other believers their age.
This makes programs like Hashtag on SAT-7 PARS critical for young believers.
SAT-7’s Farsi-speaking channel, SAT-7 PARS, is a Christian satellite TV broadcast in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. All three of those countries rank on the World Watch List for Christian persecution. Iran and Afghanistan especially are in the top 10 with extreme persecution levels.
Parastoo Poortaheri is a Broadcast Officer, Presenter, and Producer with SAT-7 PARS. Their program Hashtag is aimed at Christian kids and teens ages 8 to 16.
(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)
Poortaheri says Hashtag is a mix of educational and biblical programming. “It has different parts in the program such as ‘Around The World.’ We take them every few weeks to one country or a specific place, let’s say, and just talk about that place so that they get to know the place or the area or the city of that country.”
Hashtag started running on SAT-7 PARS last year and it was well-received. They are currently on season two.
“We have ‘Heroes of the Bible’ and we talk about a certain part of the Bible every week,” Poortaheri says. “Every time we are on the show, we are introducing next week’s theme or the part of the Bible that we’re going to talk about. Then through our social media…every Monday morning, they can find a voice file of the story plus the video which is on Instagram. For some people who don’t have a Bible, that would be easier because it’s like a brief part of the story that we’re going to talk about. But we also mention (in case they have a Bible) where they have to go and read that part.”
Then they host a game on Hashtag featuring 12 questions from the Bible story that week.
Poortaheri says, “This way, we’re asking of them to learn those Bible stories. It [is] amazing because many times when they answer the question, they know it and they love it. Some of them for example, like Noah and Abraham might be a little bit familiar for them and they already know about it. But…many other stories, they don’t know about it and they’re so happy when they know it.”
(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)
Hashtag also features a time of worship, celebrates viewers’ birthdays, and more! Ultimately, they want to engage Persian kids and teens with Christian community and God’s Word.
SAT-7’s channels operate on the generous support of the global Body of Christ. Support SAT-7 PARS and their Gospel ministry here!
And please pray for young Christians in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan to grow deep roots of faith. Ask the Lord to use SAT-7 PARS for the growth of His Kingdom.
Header photo of Parastoo Poortaheri on Hashtag, courtesy of SAT-7.
