"Some 59.5 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide; 42,500 persons per day are forced to leave their homes; 51% of refugees are under 18 years of age." -- The UN Refugee Agency (unhcr.org)
Contact: Al Gibson, Communications Officer, GOD TV, 407-862-5084, agibson@god.tv
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., Jan. 20, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- GOD TV is set to broadcast 'Refugees #LoveYourNeighbor' from January 22-31, a season focusing on the ongoing crisis and its horrific statistics as more people flee their homes due to conflict and persecution. The Network is airing programs that seek to find solutions to the crisis as well as motivate the Church to do more to help those who are hurting – emphasising that the Christian response should be one of faith and not fear.
"The Church must play its part in addressing one of the most pressing crises in the world today," says GOD TV President, Wendy Alec. "The refugee crisis is so close to God's heart, yet so little attention is drawn to it. I encourage GOD TV viewers to watch and be equipped to reach out to those who seek protection – with a message of hope, compassion and enduring love."
Some of the humanitarian organizations featured on GOD TV during the Refugee Season include: Samaritan's Purse; the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (FRRME); and British fostering and adoption charity, Home For Good.
In addition to films from these organizations GOD TV will broadcast its own original productions including its flagship series, In Depth, with Wendy Alec as executive producer. Hosted by Joel Woodrow and Samantha Stephen the In Depth specials feature interviews with social justice visionaries such as Joseph Castleberry, Author of The New Pilgrims: How Immigrants are Renewing America's Faith and Values; Matthew Soerens of World Relief; Danielle Strickland of the Salvation Army; Dr Krish Kandiah who is President of the London School of Theology and Ann Buwalda of the Jubilee Campaign, which protects human rights and the religious liberties.
GOD TV has also produced two original films for Refugee Season, one focusing on the work of Bridges Humanitarian Initiative that is helping the thousands of refugees fleeing Syria via the Greek Islands. The other, ICF Munich shows how German Christians are making a difference.
Refugee Season includes the following films, some of which are making their global television premiere:
- The Stranger profiles three US immigrant stories, urging viewers to respond in ways that are consistent with Biblical principles.
- The Last Plight captures the despair of 600,000 Assyrian Christians and Yazidis seeking refuge after horrific IS terror attacks in Iraq.
- The Human Highway shows the humanitarian outreach of Samaritan's Purse, which offers hope to families fleeing Syria, helping them cope with the trauma of their journey.
- Victory In Christ captures heart-rending stories of displaced Iraqis. They've lost everything fleeing IS, but God hasn't abandoned them.
Much of GOD TV's Refugee Season helps faith communities deal with fears linking refugees to terrorism, showing how rare it is for a refugee to commit terrorist acts. "While we can't ignore terrorism, we have to overcome the primary battle against fear," says Ann Buwalda. "Christians need to stand as dual citizens of heaven and earth, engaging in all arenas of life. We must see refugees through God's eyes and discover ways to pray for them."
A joint social media effort is underway on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #LoveYourNeighbor. GOD TV and the partner organizations who've provided programming aim to create a buzz as viewers share or retweet about Refugee Season.
Broadcast times can be found at god.tv, where the programs are also available via video on demand. (god.tv/refugees) GOD TV can be watched throughout the USA on channel 365 of DIRECTV and channel 103 of Glorystar as well as on cable in some cities. Viewers can also access GOD TV's webstream on their smartphone via the GOD TV App; computer (god.tv); or TV screen, (Roku).
About GOD TV: GOD TV took to the airwaves in the UK in 1995 and now transmits from Jerusalem to a global reach of some 900 million people. The network's worldwide broadcast license is held by Angel Christian Television Trust Inc, a US not-for-profit corporation and GOD TV has offices in Kansas City, MO and Orlando, FL. GOD TV is owned by several Angel Charities internationally, which in addition to the network's media outreach, assist people in the developing world. GOD TV adheres to the Evangelical Alliance Basis of Faith. Its signal is broadcast Free To Air (FTA) and is accessible to all.
Contact: GOD TV's Communications Officer, Al Gibson at agibson@god.tv Tel:407-862-5084
GOD TV Broadcast HQ: Jerusalem, Israel. International offices: USA (Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri) UK & Ireland (Plymouth, England), Europe (Hamburg, Germany), Asia & Middle East (Chennai, India; Sri Lanka), Africa (Cape Town, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya), Australasia (Melbourne, Australia).
