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China

• Update: Expelled student invited back to school

  Chen Le with his mother Photo from ChinaAid

  According to an October 29 report from ChinaAid, a 17-year-old high school student who was expelled on October 20 after he signed a document confirming his Christian faith (click here for more information) was able to return to class on October 29. On October 28, the Party Secretary of the High School Division and several other party members and instructors from the Huashan Middle School visited Chen Le at his home and politely invited him to return to his studies. The Party Secretary was reportedly deeply concerned with the international pressure caused by the expulsion.

  Chen Le plans to continue with his education and take the College Entrance Exam at the end of the school year. To learn more about the persecution of Christians in China,click here.

• Student expelled from school for his Christian faith

  Chen Le Photo from ChinaAid

  Chen Le, a second-year high school student, was officially expelled from Huashan Middle School on October 20 after he signed a document confirming his Christian faith, according to an October 25 report from ChinaAid. The official notice of expulsion stated, "[Chen Le] was found by Bazhou Public Security Agency and other related agencies to have engaged in Christian gatherings. His school was notified that it should educate the student and persuade him to mend his ways. However…this student persists in his belief that he should not renounce his Christian belief. He can't promise that he will not believe in Christianity or attend Christian activities."

  Due to the expulsion, Chen Le is now barred from taking the mandatory college entrance exam, disallowing him to pursue further education. Chen Le has responded saying, "I would rather be forced out of school, than deny my faith."

  Thank God for the bold faith of Chen Le. Ask God to open a door for him so he may continue in his education.

  Learn more about how Christians are persecuted for their faith in China at theChina Country Report.

• Update: Pastor Hua released

  Pastor Hua Huiqi Photo from ChinaAid

  Pastor Hua Huiqi, who was arrested by officials on September 17 (read the story), was released on October 10, according to an October 12 report from ChinaAid. He was not physically mistreated during his detention in a secret location. Upon his release, however, officials reportedly threatened to harm his 13-year-old daughter if he "caused any trouble." Pastor Hua, who is recovering at home, has urged the international community to continue praying for his ailing Christian mother, Shuang Shuying, who has also faced imprisonment. He has also requested prayer for his dying brother, Hua Huilin.

  To learn more about the persecution of Christians in China,click here.

• Update: Ten more Christians from Fushan Church arrested

  Arrested believers Yang Xuan and wife, Yang Caizhen Photos from ChinaAid

  Church members of the Fushan Church in Linfen City, China continue to face detention and intimidation from Public Security Bureau officials, according to an October 18 report from ChinaAid. On October 10, officials offered to release ten church leaders who were arrested in late September following an attack on their church site (click here for more information), on the condition that one of the female leaders be held until further notice. The leaders refused to leave behind Pastor Yang Rongli, stating, "We are one team in the one body of Christ! We won't leave her behind alone. We will not leave prison without her." The officials then arrested Pastor Yang's youngest sister, Yang Linli, and ransacked another pastor's home. On October 11, ten more church members were arrested. Officials blamed Pastor Yang for the raids and arrests, and threatened the leaders with further violence if they did not comply with their orders.

  Yang Linli was finally released on October 16 and ordered to not petition on behalf of her sister or the other detained Christians and cease further "illegal activities." Pastor Yang and another church leader, Hua Mei, were then formally accused of "illegal building and disturbing the social order by organizing masses." The next day, five other church leaders were sentenced to criminal detention. Three have since been released on parole. At last report, nine Christians remain in detention and the whereabouts of the ten Christians detained on October 11 remain unknown.

  To learn more about the persecution of Christians in China,click here.

• Update: Pastor Zhang released; Pastor Hua still detained

  Pastor Zhang and Pastor Hua Photos from ChinaAid

  The Voice of the Martyrs received new information on October 8 from ChinaAid regarding Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan and Pastor Hua Huiqi, two prominent Chinese pastors who have been under fire from authorities in recent months.

  Pastor Zhang and his wife, who were forcibly escorted from their home on September 23 by officials (read the story), were released and returned to their Beijing home on October 4. The couple, who were detained to "preserve stability" during China's National Day celebrations, were unharmed during their internment. They expressed their thanks to those who upheld them in prayer.

  More details have been learned about the condition and whereabouts of Pastor Hua Huiqi, who was arrested by officials on September 17 (click here for more information). On September 22, officials escorted Pastor Hua to a hospital in Beijing to visit briefly with his ailing brother. Five days later, his wife, Ju Mei, was able to visit him in prison. She reported that her husband was in good condition and had begun a time of praying and fasting.

  To learn more about the persecution of believers in China, visit theChina Country Report.

• Update: Fushan church leaders detained by officials

  Fushan Church after the destruction Photo from ChinaAid

  Nine church leaders of the Fushan Church in Linfen City, China were seized by Shanxi Public Security Bureau officials on September 25, according to a September 29 report from ChinaAid. The leaders were travelling to Beijing to seek justice from the central government for the September 13 attack on their church site (click here for more information) when they were apprehended without warrant. Following the arrest, officials confiscated church-owned property such as computers and televisions, terming them "illegal materials," and placed the church's other leaders and members under house arrest and constant surveillance. The next day, state military police were stationed inside the church building to prevent believers from entering or holding services. More than 30 daughter churches nearby have also been prohibited from gathering together for worship. At last report, the whereabouts and condition of the detained Christians were unknown.

  Find out more about the plight of Chinese Christians at theChina Country Report.

• Pastor and wife forced to vacate home

  Pastor Zhang Photo from ChinaAid

  Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan and his wife were forcibly escorted from their home on the morning of September 23 by Beijing Public Security Bureau and Religious Affairs officials, according to a September 25 report from ChinaAid. The two are being detained at an undisclosed location in Henan to "preserve stability in the province" for China's National Day celebrations on October 1. Pastor Zhang, the leader of the Chinese House Church Alliance, has been frequently attacked and detained by officials (click here for more details). He has been warned against speaking or communicating with outside sources about his detention, especially the foreign media. The couple will reportedly be held for the duration of the National Day celebrations.

  Ask God to sustain and protect Pastor Zhang and his wife while in detention. Pray for significant and lasting advances in religious freedom in China.

  Find out more about the plight of Chinese Christians at theChina Country Report.

• Prominent pastor detained by officials

  Pastor Hua Huiqi Photo from ChinaAid

  Pastor Hua Huiqi was seized by Chinese officials in Fengtai District in Beijing on September 17, according to a September 17 report from ChinaAid. At approximately 5:30 p.m., Pastor Hua called his wife, Ju Mei, on his cell phone and told her that he had been forced into a Public Security Bureau vehicle while on his way to a dinner meeting. Less than half-an-hour later, Hua phoned his wife again and told her that officials had taken him to an unknown location. The phone line then went dead. When VOMC partners inquired about Hua, officials told them he was in their custody but refused to disclose his condition or location. A week before Pastor Hua's arrest, a vocational training ministry that he is involved in was raided by officials. To learn more about this attack, read the story from ChinaAid.

  Pray that Pastor Hua will be released. Ask God to give comfort and strength to his family in this time.

  To find out more about China's suffering Christians, go to theChina Country Report.

• Church construction site attacked, believers brutally assaulted

  Photos from the Fushan Church

  In the early morning hours of September 13, a mob of approximately 400 people, including Chinese officials, barged into the Good News Cloth Shoes Factory on the site of the Fushan Church building in Linfin City, Shanxi province, according to a September 15 report from ChinaAid. The officials used two construction vehicles to tear at the building's foundation and also attacked church members who were sleeping on the site, beating them with bricks and other blunt objects. They also smashed windows, doors and appliances, looted church members' money, cell phones, clothes and books and stole the factory's business license. At least ten church members were severely injured in the violence. Several were taken to the emergency room for treatment. However, the hospital was told by unidentified authorities to withhold medical treatment, including blood transfusions, from the injured church members. The factory's electricity, water supply and telephone have been terminated and guards have been placed on site to monitor the supply lines.

  Pray that the Lord will strengthen members of the Fushan Church in their hearts, minds and bodies as they face opposition for their faith. Pray that they will demonstrate Christ's love and compassion to their persecutors.

  Learn more about China's suffering Christians at theChina Country Report. To view a video of the destruction and a prayer meeting the next day, click here.

• Church banned, Christians arrested

  Two members of the Laojie Christian Church in the village of Sangdong in China's Henan province were arrested only days after authorities officially banned their church for a second time, according to reports from VOMC partner, ChinaAid.

  Officials announce the decision to ban the Laojie Christian Church Photo from ChinaAid

  On August 6, the Bureau of Religious and Ethnic Affairs in Xiayi County officially banned the Laojie Christian Church, declaring it "an illegal site for religious activities." An earlier statement abolishing the church had been issued on June 27. The church's abolishment follows a recent proposal made to them by the Village Party Committee of Sangdong to exchange their church property for another only half the size. When the Christians asked for a more equitable replacement, the committee threatened to demolish the church building.

  At approximately 8:00 p.m. on August 13, several police officers barged into the church building and arrested two men, Li Guangren and Zheng Xincai. When a member of the church was contacted by a foreign media correspondent from Radio Free Asia to verify the incident, he stated that the violations of privacy and freedom were wrongful and unjust. Officials, who were monitoring the call, used the interview as evidence to further detain and convict the two believers for "unlawful social activities." Guangren and Xincai were sentenced on August 14 to 10 days of administrative detention and fines of 1,000 Yuan (approximately $160 CAD).

  Ask God to protect and sustain Guangren and Xincai during their detention. Pray for courage for Chinese believers as they continue to serve the Lord despite harassment and arrest.

  For more information on how Christians are persecuted in China,click here.