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Early Rain Covenant Church

  • Imprisoned Church Members Released; Others Remain in Custody
    A group of believers / Wang Runyun excitedly greeting his family
    Wang Runyun and Zhang Ligong with other believers / Wang Runyun greeting his family
    Photos: ChinaAid

    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.

  • Church Leaders Arrested
    Elder Wu Jiannan, Pastor Hao Mingchang, coworkers - Photo: ChinaAid
    Elder Wu Jiannan, Pastor Hao Mingchang, and their coworkers.
    Photo: ChinaAid

    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.

  • Ongoing Persecution of the Early Rain Covenant Church
    Dai Zhichao, his wife, and two boys - Photo: ChinaAid
    Dai Zhichao and his family
    Photo: ChinaAid

    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.

  • Community Members Pressured to Reject Christians
    Zhang Fan's wedding - Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid
    Taken at Zhang Fan's wedding
    Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid

    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.

  • Raid on Home Church Gathering
    People eating together - Photo: ChinaAid www.chinaaid.org
    Police monitor church members enjoying a "love feast."
    Photo: ChinaAid

    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.

  • Preacher's Family Locked in Their Home
    A delivery being brought through Wu Wuqing's chained door.
    Chain-locked door at the minister's home.
    Photo: Early Rain Church

    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.

  • Raids Against Banned Churches
    Authorities checking identification - Photo: ChinaAid www.chinaaid.org
    Police checking every church attendee's identification.
    Photo: ChinaAid

    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).

  • Release of Pastor An Yankui
    Pastor An Yankui greeting others upon his release - Photo: Facebook / Pray for Early Rain Covenant Church
    Pastor An Yankui with his family and church.
    Photo: Facebook / Pray for Early Rain Covenant Church

    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.

  • Early Rain Covenant Church Further Targeted
    Li Yingqiang and his wife. - Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid www.chinaaid.org
    Li Yingqiang and his wife.
    Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid

    In December 2018, security forces raided the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan. More than a hundred members were arrested, including Pastor Wang Yi, who has since been sentenced to nine years in prison. The location where the congregation met has been demolished and authorities have officially banned all future gatherings. Despite these measures, members of the church have sought alternate ways to continue meeting for worship and share the message of the Gospel. In response, security forces have continued to intimidate church members.

  • Close Monitoring of Pastor's Wife and Son
    Pastor Wang Yi with his family - Photo: ChinaAid www.chinaaid.org
    Pastor Wang Yi with his family
    Photo: ChinaAid

    Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church is presently serving a nine-year prison sentence. He was arrested, along with his wife, in December 2018. While Pastor Wang's wife, Jiang Rong, was released on bail, the authorities have barred her from interacting with family, friends, and church members. She is being constantly monitored by security agents and essentially has no freedom of movement.