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A recently published report outlined the opposition experienced by Zhang Qiang and Xiao Yue who were initially scheduled to wed on May 21st (see our previous report). Due to harassment from local Chinese authorities, however, these two members of the Early Rain Covenant Church were ultimately forced to postpone their wedding ceremony.

Zhang Qiang and Xiao Yue were eagerly anticipating their wedding day, which was planned for May 21st. But as the day approached, governmental pressure against the Christian couple began to mount. The problem is that they are members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu – a church that has been banned and continues to face significant oppression from Chinese authorities. (See our country report for more details.)

In January 2020, an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party hosted a conference in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Five Chinese Christians who attended the event were charged in July 2021 and convicted on January 7th, 2022, of "illegally crossing the national border." These Christians were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to eight months. For more details, see our previously posted report.

The Early Rain Qingcaodi Church, a church plant previously established by the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC), is located in the city of Deyang, which is part of the Chinese province of Sichuan. Shortly after the police initially raided the ERCC in December 2018 (for more details on this incident, see this report), they also broke into the Qingcaodi church, expelling the Christians and posting a notice on the gate of the building in their efforts to ban the believers from meeting. In March 2021, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs published a list of illegal organizations, including both the ERCC and the Qingcaodi church.

Since the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) was raided in December 2018, leading to dozens of arrests, the opposition of government agents has been relentless. (For previous reports revealing the ongoing difficulties experienced by the members of this prominent church in Chengdu, click here.) While the church as a whole is no longer able to meet together, ERCCmembers continue to gather in small groups.

Two separate incidents that recently took place in Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan, demonstrate the effectiveness of the Chinese Communist Party authorities in dividing communities to bring about harassment of Christians and, in particular, members of the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC). The first incident involved the wedding of a congregation member from the church.

On the morning of Sunday, August 22nd, police raided a gathering of members from the Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church as they met for worship. According to the police officers, someone reported that an illegal assembly was taking place at the location. When the officers tried to enter the room, the home church group leader, Preacher Dai, asked to see a search warrant. However, the officers refused and demanded identification from everyone present.

Members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan, China, continue to face harassment as authorities attempt to shut down their unregistered church. While the head pastor, Wang Yi, is serving a nine-year prison sentence, other members of the church have also encountered consistent persecution.

In May 2019, local authorities informed the Xunsiding Church in Xiamen, China, that they intended to officially close it down. Church members were threatened with the loss of their jobs unless they complied and, on May 19th, dozens of officers, including those of SWAT teams, raided the church service. In the following days, officers remained on site to ensure no one re-entered the facility (see this report for further details).

In VOMC's previously posted Persecution and Prayer Alert, it was reported that Pastor An Yankui had been arrested on December 30th and sentenced to 15 days in prison. (This particular report may be reviewed here.)

Due to the nature of China's judicial system, there can be frequent uncertainty regarding the details of an arrested person's sentencing. In this case, however, we are thankful to report that Pastor An was indeed released on January 16th and joyfully greeted outside the detention centre by his family and fellow members of the Xuncheng Reformed Church.