House Church Banned, Leader Questioned by Police in Hegang, China

09 July 2008

A house church missionary, Jiao Chunbao, was detained by government security officers while on his way to a worship service in the city of Hegang, Heilongjiang province on July 2, according to a July 7 report from China Aid Association. The officers forcibly escorted Chunbao to the police station where he was told that his church was banned from meeting together for worship and threatened with re-arrest if meetings continued. Two female members of the house church were also taken to the police station and questioned.

Pray for Christ's peace and grace to fill the hearts of Chunbao and the house church members (Philippians 4:7). Ask God to embolden Chinese Christians to continue spreading the Gospel despite increasing pressure from the authorities.

For more information on the persecution facing 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.