Police raid large Christian meeting

ChinaAid 20 January 2011

Chinese authorities raided a large Christian meeting in coastal Shandong province in early January. More than 1,000 believers were gathered at the meeting, which was held in a church building in Cangshun County. In the afternoon, local Public Security Bureau officers burst into the church and forced the meeting to end. They detained an unspecified number of believers, including Lu Daihao, a well-known evangelist visiting from Taiwan to speak at the event. Local Christians have reported that Pastor Lu has left Cangshun, but his exact location was unknown at last report.

Pray Pastor Lu and all those involved in this raid will remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10). Pray that Chinese Christians will continue to proclaim the gospel lovingly and boldly, even to those who oppress them. Pray for religious freedom to be truly upheld in China.

For more on the trials facing Christians in China, 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.