House Church Leaders Detained

09 April 2008

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on March 29, authorities disrupted a house church worship service in Qu county, Sichuan province and detained seven house church leaders, according to an April 7 report from China Aid Association. Two of the leaders have since been released.

The following day, authorities detained 10 female leaders and four children who were attending a Sunday school class in Qu. All of the children and five of the leaders have since been released. Two believers are currently serving a sentence of 15 days administrative detention. Six female leaders remain detained on accusations of belonging to an "evil cult." If convicted, the leaders could face sentences of up to three years "re-education through labour."

Pray that the detained leaders will be released. Pray that God will open doors of opportunity for them to clearly share the gospel for which they suffer (Colossians 4:2-3).

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.