Updates from Shandong and Shanxi

11 July 2007

China map Pastor Zhang Geming and Pastor Sun Qingqen, two of the six church leaders who were arrested during a church raid in Shandong province on June 15 (for more information, click here), have been sentenced to one year re-education through labour. According to a July 7 report from China Aid Association, both have been sent to a labour camp in Jining City to serve their sentence, which runs from June 29, 2007 to June 14, 2008. The four other detained church leaders were released after paying a fine of 10,000 yuans ($1400 CAD).

Six church leaders were arrested on June 9 while distributing literature in Jiaocheng county and were later released (click here for more). On June 29, they went to the local Public Security Bureau office for an official explanation for their arrest. Ms. Gao Qiuxiang (54) accompanied them. While at the PSB office, Gao was arrested and sentenced to ten days of administrative detention.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in China, go to the China Country Report.

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.