Forty House Church Leaders Arrested

28 November 2007

Forty leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship (CGF) were arrested on November 18, according to a November 27 press release from China Aid Association. According to one eyewitness, Public Security Bureau officers raided a leadership meeting in Fanhu, Hunan and arrested those present. Twenty-one were released within a week but the remaining detainees are being held at the county detention centre. Family members have been told to bring blankets and money to cover their living expenses while detained.

All those arrested are senior leaders of the CGF, including its founder, Pastor Shen Yiping.

Pray for these detained leaders during this time. Pray that all will be released soon. Pray for the families as they not only deal with the absence of their loved ones but also face this financial burden forced upon them.

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.