Imprisoned for Distributing Christian Literature

International Christian Concern, Bitter Winter 13 February 2025

A building is behind a chain link fence with barbed wire security at the top.

On January 17th, five Chinese Christians who had been charged with "illegal business operations" were convicted and sentenced to prison. Pastor Deng Yanxiang received a sentence of two years' imprisonment, while the other four believers were given sentences ranging from 14 to 17 months.

All five of these followers of Jesus had been distributing Christian literature, charging a small fee to cover costs. As a result, the believers were accused of running an illegal business. In China, this is one of several charges commonly used against those belonging to unregistered house churches.

Because Pastor Deng has already served 18 months in prison on these charges, the Christian leader is scheduled to be released in May of this year. Details on the release of the other detained believers are not immediately available. To read a previously published report on the situation facing these imprisoned church members, go to this page.

Ask the Lord to strengthen, encourage and meet the daily needs of Pastor Deng and the many other believers who are currently being imprisoned for their Christian faith and practices in China.
In spite of ongoing opposition from the authorities, pray that our Christian brothers and sisters will continue to faithfully reach out to those around them with the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict the nation's Communist officials, stirring their hearts to the point of repentance and leading them to surrender their lives to Christ.

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.

China News

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Elder Xue Shaoqiang and Sister
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Pastor Huang Yizi
Photo: ChinaAid

Pastor Huang Yizi, a prominent church leader in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, was informed on July 30th that he had been formally charged with "illegal business practices" relating to the distribution of sermon recordings. The Christian leader and several other church members were initially taken into custody on June 26th. At the time, the reason for their arrests was unclear. (A previously published report about the arrests is available here.) However, following the recent announcement of formal charges, further information has now come to light.

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Pastor Chang Shun with one of his children.
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Since 2021, Pastor Chang Shun of the Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang City has encountered ongoing harassment from Chinese authorities. Unfortunately, all his appeals, in response to the multiple administrative detentions and fines he received over the years, have been unsuccessful. In 2023, Pastor Chang's church was officially banned by the government. Most recently, the harassed church leader was detained on June 29th during a raid by law enforcement officers. In this latest occurrence, he was taken into custody alongside Elder Ma Tao on suspicion of "organizing illegal gatherings." Several visiting friends and family members of Pastor Chang were also detained. Authorities forcibly relocated the visiting individuals, loading their belongings onto trucks and sending them back to their hometowns with strict orders not to return to Fuyang.

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