Church raided, members beaten and robbed

07 October 2010

On September 26, a house church meeting in Youqing, Sichuan province was interrupted by 10 police and security people, who proceeded to destroy and confiscate private property and detain and beat church members. The authorities, who claimed the gathering was illegal, smashed one desk and about 30 benches and hauled them away. They also confiscated the Christians' books, as well as 500 Yuan (approximately $75 CDN). They then took 20 Christians to the police station where they were interrogated. Five were released after their families posted bail, but the others remained detained for several hours before being released. During the detention, the director of the station beat two of the believers, Wang Junzhang and Yan Chuanchun. When the some of the believers returned the next day to retrieve their property, five were given 15 days' detention for "disrupting the public order under the guise of religion." (Source: ChinaAid)

Praise the Lord for the faithfulness of Chinese Christians who continue to meet together in fellowship, at great risk. Please pray for the release of those in custody. Pray that those who were beaten will be strengthened and fully restored.

To learn more about the suffering Church in China, please visit 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.