Iranian Christians in Sunnyvale Reach Out to Homeland Via Satellite

March 27, 2006

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-convert27mar27,1,4845138.story?coll=la-headlines-california

On March 27, 2006 the Los Angeles Times reported, "As Afghan officials considered last week whether a medical aid worker should be executed for converting from Islam to Christianity, an alliance of small Christian congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area was working to spread the Gospel to more Muslims in the Middle East. 'We are very proud of that man because he has not denied his Christianity,' said Navid Moborez, 29, an Afghan Christian and former Muslim who now lives in Fremont and belongs to the Iranian Christian Church here... Spreading Christianity is the mission of the Iranian Christian Church, which has affiliated with three other congregations in Northern California that primarily serve former Muslims. The churches, which have a combined membership of about 450, produce six hours of Farsi-language Christian programming Mondays through Fridays in a television studio under the same roof as the Iranian Christian Church. Those broadcasts, as well as the Sunnyvale church's Sunday service, are transmitted by satellite to Iran and other parts of the Middle East... Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network has allowed the group to use its satellite. 'The message of the Bible used to be transmitted by books, by print,' said Razmik Karabed, a member of the Iranian Christian Church and an engineer at a semiconductor firm, who has lived in the U.S. since 1974. 'Now the methods are more sophisticated, but the intent is the same: to help others start a relationship with God.'"