Church Leader Retreat Raided

11 August 2004

Kaifeng City, China For the third time in two months, Chinese authorities have rounded up large numbers of house church leaders as they gathered together for mutual encouragement and fellowship. In the latest incident, more than one hundred house church leaders were arrested on August 6 when a leadership retreat was raided. According to China Aid, just as the first day of the two week retreat was beginning, more than two hundred military police, Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers and others surrounded the building and began their assault. Though no arrest warrants were presented, everyone in the house was arrested, including the wife and three young children of one of the organizers.

The conference was being held in a home in Tongxu County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province. Those arrested were church leaders from various provinces. One church leader was also arrested on his way to the meeting, carrying literature for those attending. After his arrest, his house was raided and a large quantity of literature was removed.

Pray for spiritual and emotional endurance for those arrested, as well as their family members. Pray for the strength to stand firm, despite the opposition and torture they may face.

We encourage Christians to write to the Chinese embassy in their respective country, protesting this action against their citizens. For contact information, click here.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in China, click here.

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.