Anniversary Conference Leads to Further Charges

On December 9th, 2018, police in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, began a coordinated attack against members of the Early Rain Covenant Church. This has resulted in the detainment of more than 100 church members – several of them convicted of a variety of charges – and mounting pressures being imposed upon the church during the ensuing years. For more information on the initial attack, go to this report.

Since the crackdown began, members of the church have been unable to meet together in person. Instead, they have held small group gatherings in homes and participated in online meetings. On the fourth anniversary of the incident, members of the church organized an online event, which was initially hosted by Elder Li Yingqiang. As the event commenced, an archival video was played featuring their detained pastor, Wang Yi. In the middle of the video, Elder Li suddenly interjected: "The police are already here. They are knocking at my door. I'll be gone soon." After praying with everyone, he was taken to the police station where he was accused of "disturbing social order."

After Elder Li's arrest, Dai Zhichao, one of the church's preachers, took over hosting the conference. However, he happened to be summoned to the police station that evening and was later charged for "organizing activities in the name of a banned social organization." Even though he was released several hours later, Elder Dai has been under residential surveillance since September 29th – with orders that he is prohibited from leaving his home. The authorities have now informed Elder Dai that he will be monitored for a longer term.

Despite the interruptions that took place when governing officials arrested the two elders, more than 1,000 people attended the online anniversary event which lasted almost eight hours. The conference featured testimonies from several of the church members. Videos were also presented welcoming home Elder Qin Defu, a church member who was released from prison that very day, after having completed his four-year sentence. (A report on Elder Qin's case is available for review here.)

Praise God for the persevering members of the Early Rain Covenant Church, whose lives have served as ongoing testimonies of His grace and faithfulness in the midst of intense persecution. While we also give thanks that Elder Qin has recently been released from prison, please continue to pray for those who remain in detainment, including Pastor Wang Yi. May all charges against Pastor Wang, Elder Li and Elder Dai be dropped. Furthermore, pray that the members of their church will no longer be subjected to harassment from governing authorities because of the recent anniversary conference nor any future online gatherings.