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China

• Church Closure in Shanghai

  

  Government agents raided the Wheat Church in Shanghai during their Sunday worship service on December 1st. They accused those present of conducting religious activities in an illegal place and banned any future activities. In response to the government ban, church members gathered on the street outside their building the following week. While asking not to be identified, they have released a short video of them in worship (watch now).

  According to Eric Foley, CEO of VOM Korea, Christians in China are responding to the increased persecution by seeking alternative ways to gather for worship. Rather than adhering to the modern "megachurch" model, they are returning to former ways of worshipping God -- a time when believers would meet wherever they could -- in homes, parks, even while walking. Eric Foley points to the need for resources to equip the leadership of these smaller group gatherings. For more information on the persecution facing Christians in China, and to review previously posted reports, go to our country report.

• Hostility Towards Foreign Missionaries

  

  After President Xi Jinping was granted a tenure of life in power, he suddenly increased his efforts to suppress religion. Missionaries serving within the country are frequently perceived as foreign spies. Todd Nettleton from VOM USA reports that a number of foreign workers in China have found their visas rejected at the time of renewal.

  Two leaders of an American organization that supplies workers to teach English in China were arrested in September, based on claims that they had illegally moved people across borders. These accusations are similar to those facing Pastor John Cao, an American missionary who was sentenced to seven years in prison for allegedly smuggling people across the China/Myanmar border. For more information on Pastor Cao, read this report. To write him an encouraging letter, visit his profile on PrisonerAlert.com.

• Church Stands Firm Despite Hostility

  

  Only a few years ago, many churches in China featured crosses atop their large buildings and multi-campus congregations. Even though these churches were not officially recognized by the government, there was a measure of leniency. However, with the officials' recently implemented strategy to close every non-registered church -- resulting in the arrests of numerous Christians and the destruction of their buildings -- the realization has become clear that the true church is comprised of God's people.

• Imprisoned with Serious Health Concerns

  

  Health concerns are a major issue for two Chinese Christians who have been imprisoned for their faith. Although Hu Shigen was taken into custody in July 2015, he was convicted of "subversion of state power" the following year. A photo of his baptismal ceremony was used as evidence against him, resulting in a sentence consisting of seven-and-a-half years.

• Upcoming Trial for Pastor Wang

  

  Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church, was arrested in December 2018 as part of coordinated raids against his church. Facing charges that could lead up to 15 years in prison, he has been patiently awaiting trial. On November 6th, Pastor Wang's lawyer, Zhang Peihong, received notification from the prosecutor that he would not be allowed to represent his client in court. The prosecutor claims that Zhang has too many ties with the pastor and his church.

• Christians Interrogated for Online Book Purchases

  

  After having arrested the owner of an online Christian bookstore, Zhang Xiaomai, Chinese authorities are now conducting nationwide investigations relating to purchased books from the company. The Wheat Bookstore has been distributing Christian literature, including Bibles, to people across China.

• New Regulations Bring Added Restrictions

  

  Authorities in Zhejiang province have instituted a series of new restrictions on churches, including regulations forbidding the practice of baptismal services and the use of offering collection boxes. The monitoring of attendees, types of activities, service times and locations has been given to appointed government officials to ensure all the restrictions are followed.

• Six Uyghur Christians Arrested

  

  Six Christians of Uyghur descent were recently imprisoned in China's northwestern province of Xinjiang. All were charged with illegal preaching, gathering, and spreading harmful books. They were each sentenced to at least five years in prison. Detained were Mehmet Abdulla, Huji Abdurehim, Maimaiti Yimingjiang, Adil Jan, a Christian doctor with the last name of Rakhman, and a man identified only as "Brother Adil." Some of these believers are new converts to Christ.

• Christian Orphanage Shut Down

  

  Authorities in China's Shanxi province forcibly removed all the children from a Christian-founded orphanage on August 26th and placed them in state care instead. The Bethany Home for Children with Disabilities was founded in 1997 and, over the years, has taken in and provided for more than 100 special needs children. Most of them were abandoned by their parents because of their disabilities.

• Human Rights Lawyer Still Missing After Two Years

  

  Gao Zhisheng, a prominent human rights lawyer, has personally experienced persecution for many years. The Voice of the Martyrs Canada has been reporting on Gao's case since his initial arrest in 2006. Since then, he has been released and re-arrested numerous times, often disappearing to undisclosed locations at the hands of the authorities.

  When Gao had gone missing on August 13th, 2017, family and friends had assumed he had been apprehended by the authorities again. Yet, in reality, two of his supporters had smuggled him out of the province in an attempt to free him from house arrest and keep him safe. After three weeks of intensive searching, the authorities managed to locate him, and Gao has not been seen nor heard from since. There have been rumours of his location, but no one was able to verify them.