Pastor Hormoz Shariat , president of IAM and senior pastor of The Iranian Christian Church said, "We are delighted to invite the community to share in our traditional celebration of Iranian New Year.

Founded originally out of their home in 1987, by former Muslims, Pastor Hormoz Shariat, Ph.D., and his wife, Donnell, The Iranian Christian Church is now the largest group of affiliated Iranian Christian churches outside of Tehran, Iran.According to International Antioch Ministries' founder, Pastor Hormoz Shariat, Ph.D., "We are grateful for the 700 Club's recognition of our historic efforts in bringing evangelical Christianity to Iranian Muslims.Pastor Hormoz Shariat, Ph.D.Pastor Hormoz Shariat, Ph.D., founder and CEO, International Antioch Ministries, San Jose, CA

Hormoz Shariat, the co-founding pastor of the Iranian Christian Church in San Jose, Calif., and founder of International Antioch Ministries (IAM), which has broadcast Iranian Christian TV (ICTV,www.iam-online.net) since 2002, agreed. "The population in Iran is 70 million.Seventy percent of the population is under 30, and we are finding that many young people are converting their families and friends after they come to Jesus," Shariat, 49, said."Still, they have to hide their viewing of the Christian broadcasts, as they risk imprisonment, loss of residence and jobs, and even death."In December, the U.S. State Department's Annual Report on Religious Freedom assailed Iran among the worst offenders of religious liberty in the Middle East.According to this year's Open Doors' "World Watch List" of countries where Christians are targeted, Iran ranked fifth among nations that persecute believers.Safa, who like Shariat was raised a devout Shiite in Iran and later became a Christian after leaving the country, said Nejat TV (www.rezasafa.com) has seen more than 3,000 Iranians and Afghans accept Christ since they started broadcasting last year.Meanwhile, Shariat noted that ICTV's live, "prime-time" pastoral call-in show has been "the catalyst" for more than 50,000 conversions of Muslims worldwide."One time we had 30 people listening in on a single phone call and all came to Jesus through our show and we ministered to them off the air," Shariat said.A missionary working in the Muslim world who asks that his name be withheld because of security concerns said: "Satellite TV broadcasts have long been one of the only significant ways of reaching the Muslim world in any large quantity," he said.

Dr. Hormoz Shariat | More » Epicenter Conference 2011 DR. HORMOZ SHARIAT Dr. Hormoz Shariat is the founder and President of "Iran Alive Ministries" (IAM), whose mission is to transform Iran with the power of the Gospel. Hormoz himself is an Iranian Muslim convert. He has a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California and a BA in Bible and Theology. In 1987, he planted a church in San Jose, California. Hormoz has been a guest on various radio and TV stations such as the 700 club and the Inspiration Channel. Dr. Hormoz Shariat

The number of Christians in Iran has risen to anywhere between one and three million, said Dr. Hormoz Shariat, founder of Iran Alive Ministries. Meanwhile, the government has begun cracking down on Christians in a way it has not done before, he said. "The persecution is a result of God working and people responding," Shariat said during the webcast. Shariat recounted the story of a 17-year-old boy who was imprisoned for his Christian faith. He was beaten, his leg broken and the fingers on his right hand broken. In addition, his education was expunged, and he was dismissed from his university. Yet, at the end of the teenager's imprisonment, the guard in charge of his torture asked the young man to continue to share the Gospel with him so he could become a Christian, Shariat said. Iranians are eager to hear the Gospel of Jesus, because they see so many flaws in their own Islamic faith, Shariat said. The Christian movement in Iran should not be pitied, he said. Christians should be encouraged to take hold of their opportunity to make Iran a new country, he told the audience.