House Church Closed

13 December 2006

Tongling, China A house church assembly in Tongling City, Anhui Province was closed by the local Religious Affair Bureau (RAB) on November 26, 2006, according to a December 11 report from China Aid Association. The church leaders were then told to worship in the local Three-Self Church.

The house church, which has approximately 200 members, was founded by Christian Brother Wang Xingquan fifty three years ago. Xingquan's daughter has recently come under pressure. Her work unit has stopped paying her salary and has threatened to fire her unless she joins the Three-Self Church. Another Christian church member was coerced into resigning from the church after his job was threatened.

On December 5, 2006 the government held a hearing upon request of the Christians and upheld the RAB's decision to close down the church. The church members are currently holding worship services in their own homes and are preparing for further legal action to protect their right to religious freedom.

Pray that this house church will be reopened. Pray that Chinese Christians will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25).

Ask God to continue to work in the heart of the brother who bowed to government pressure.

For more information on 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.