Imprisoned Pastor Near Death

Pastor Gong Shengliang, the imprisoned founder of the South China Church, is reportedly near death after repeated torture in a Chinese prison. According to Bob Fu, President of China Aid Association, and China analyst for The Voice of the Martyrs, a source within the Jingzhou Prison sent a message to Gong's family saying, "If you expect Mr. Gong to be alive, you shall do something immediately." This source stated that Gong had been severely beaten by prison police. As a result, he is suffering from serious internal bleeding, has lost his hearing in one ear, and has been bed-ridden for more than two weeks. At times he has slipped into a coma. The source stated that Gong is receiving no medical attention. He is facing daily interrogation and no one has been allowed to personally visit him since April 14. Since then, the risk of spreading SARS has been used by the Chinese authorities as an excuse to refuse further contact. Sources who have called the prison say that authorities admit that Gong has been ill but deny that he is being tortured.

The Voice of the Martyrs is calling on Christians around the world to pray for Pastor Gong. He has remained firm in his faith and determination, refusing to confess to false allegations against him. Pray for his physical, psychological, and spiritual endurance.

We encourage you to contact Chinese authorities as well as leaders of your country. Let them know that the world has not forgotten this man and politely call on them to allow medical intervention. Note that Pastor Gong's Chinese name is either Gong Shengliang or Gong Dali.

Below are some addresses to assist you:

President of the People's Republic of China:
HU Jintao
The State Council General Office
Yongneixijie
Beijingshi 100017
Peoples Republic of China
Salutation: Your Excellency

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China:
LI Zhaoxing
Waijiaobu
2 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Beijingshi 100701
People's Republic of China
Tel: 00 86 10 6596 1114
Fax: 00 86 10 6596 1109 / 2660
Salutation: Your Excellency

Chinese Embassy in Canada:
His Excellency Ping MEI, Ambassador
515 St. Patrick Street, Ottawa, K1N 5H3, Canada
Tel: (613) 789-3434,3513,8422/791-0511 (24h) Fax: (613) 789-1911
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

China's Mission to the United Nations:
Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations
350 East 35th Street, New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (212) 655-6100, Fax: (212) 634-7626
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you speak Chinese, we encourage you to telephone the Jingzhou Prison at 011-86-716-8422230 and ask about Pastor Gong's condition.

To also send a note of encouragement to Pastor Gong at:
Gong Shengliang,
Ru Jian Dui, Jiaoyu Zhong Dui, Jingzhou Prison,
Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, 434100 CHINA

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.