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China

• Update: Li Ying released early from prison

  Praise God for Li's early release!

  Journalist and Christian activist Li Ying was released from prison in China on December 25, 2011, almost five years before the end of her 15-year sentence. During her time in prison, she was reportedly forced to work 15 hours a day on products for export. Her visits with her family were also strictly limited, and she was not allowed to have a Bible.

  Li was arrested in April 2001 for her work on an underground Christian magazine. In December 2001, Li was one of 17 South China Church leaders who were convicted of "using a cult to undermine enforcement of the law," five of whom were sentenced to death. Li was one of them, but as a result of the ensuing international outcry a higher court revoked the death sentences in September 2002, citing lack of clarity about certain facts and insufficient evidence. The case was retried in October 2002. Instead of the crime of "using a cult," the five who had been condemned to death were convicted instead of "intentional assault" (for more information, click here).

  China Aid Association founder and president, Bob Fu, spoke with Li on February 10. Li is very grateful for the support she received from around the world. She told Fu that she was aware of the many letters she had received but that authorities never let her see the letters.

  Thank the Lord for this wonderful answer to prayer! Ask Him to restore Li physically and emotionally. Pray that she will draw ever closer to Him as she comes to terms with her new life outside prison walls. Pray for the many Christian believers currently in prison for their faith.

  To learn more about the persecuted Church in China, please visit the China Country Report.

• Government persecution worsened in 2011

  The Shouwang Church was suppressed for 38 continuous weeks in 2011. Photo: ChinaAid

  Government persecution of Christians and churches in China worsened significantly in 2011. From 2010 to 2011, the total number of people persecuted, detained, sentenced, or abused jumped 42.5 per cent. Compared with the statistics in past ChinaAid annual reports, the trend of worsening persecution has persisted for the past six years, with an average annual increase of 33.1 per cent.

• Update: House church leader released from prison

  Praise God that Shi Enhao was released early! Photo: ChinaAid Association

  Shi Enhao, a house church pastor and vice president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was unexpectedly released from a labour camp on January 20. At last report, the legal basis for his early release was not yet known.

  Pastor Shi was sentenced to two years of "re-education through labour" in July 2011 for "illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings" (for more, click here). Following his arrest, police ordered Pastor Shi's house church, which has several thousand members and meets in various locations, to stop gathering. They also confiscated instruments, choir robes, a car, and 140,000 Yuan (approximately $20,900 CAD) in donations from the church.

  Praise God for Pastor Shi's release from prison! Pray that the Lord will meet every need of this pastor and his family. Pray that believers in Pastor Shi's church will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25). Pray that the gospel will continue to advance in China.

  Please visit the China Country Report to learn more about China's suffering Christians.

• Update: New year brings renewed efforts to prevent worship at Shouwang Church

  Members of the Shouwang Church were harassed, detained and prevented from worshipping together on New Years Day. Photo: ChinaAid

  Christian believers at Beijing Shouwang Church, who had arranged an outdoor worship service after the government continued to thwart their efforts to rent premises to worship indoors, were harassed, detained and prevented from worshipping together on January 1. The church has long been a target for the oppressive government (to learn more, click here). Believers report that at least 49 Christians were taken into custody either before they were able to depart for the outdoor service or as they made their way there. Most believers were sent to 13 local police stations. Many were released home late that night and all were released by January 3.

  The church had rented three different locations to conduct indoor worship services, but by the evening of December 31, 2011, all three sites notified the church that they could not lease the space to the church and had to tear up the agreement as the result of government interference and pressure. Since then, China's state and domestic security have come out in force setting up guard stations and imposing martial law at the plaza where the outdoor service had been planned. Those who had been to the plaza in the past were confined to their homes by security guards, and pastors have been under house arrest.

  Please pray that our brothers and sisters at Shouwang Church will be granted the freedom to worship indoors without fear of reprisal or harassment. Pray that these believers will continue to spread the gospel despite these trials as a testament to God's sovereign power and for His glory.

  For more information on China's suffering Church, go to the China Country Report.

• Update: Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng remains imprisoned

  Gao with his family in January 2009. Photo: ChinaAid

  For the first time since his most recent forced disappearance 20 months ago, the whereabouts of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been confirmed. Gao Zhisheng's older brother, Gao Zhiyi, received written notification of Gao's incarceration in Shaya Prison in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in far western China. The notification was signed and dated by the prison on December 19.

  Gao Zhisheng has been repeatedly kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Chinese authorities for defending the persecuted (for more, click here). He disappeared into police custody in April 2010, the most recent in a series of forced disappearances since his 2006 conviction on a subversion charge. On December 16, just days before his five-year probation period was to have ended, the Chinese government announced that it was sending him to prison for three years for violating his probation. It was the first word that he was still alive, but no information of his condition was released.

  Thank the Lord that Gao's family has received word on his whereabouts. Pray the Lord will strengthen and sustain him and his family. Pray that Gao will be given the grace to exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute him (Matthew 5:43-48). Pray for his release.

  For more information on China's suffering Church, go to the China Country Report.

• Bible exhibition called 'propaganda' by house church leaders

  Shi Weihan, Liu Zhenying and Bob Fu at the entrance of the Chinese Bible exhibition in Dallas. Photo: ChinaAid

  A deceptive exhibit in the United States that displays Chinese Bibles is causing North Americans to believe there is religious freedom in China, say three former Chinese house church leaders.

  The Christian leaders, who were all imprisoned in China for their beliefs, voiced their disdain for the display while visiting the exhibition "Thy Word is Truth" on the campus of Dallas Theological Seminary. The exhibition has already been viewed in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

  On November 1, a forum regarding the exhibition was held at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas. The participants -- representatives of China's government-controlled church and two professors from Dallas Theological Seminary -- strongly supported the notion that China respects religious freedom and that scriptures are readily available to believers. However, this is simply not the case.

  Despite the government-run Amity Press' reports that millions of Bibles have been published in China, about two-thirds of them are exported, leaving many Christians without a Bible (for more on the need for Bibles in China, click here).

  Please pray along with ChinaAid's founder and president, Bob Fu: "We hope and pray to our Lord Jesus Christ that China's house churches can soon be legally recognized, that all our brothers and sisters who are in prison for the sake of their faith would be quickly released, and that the Bible in China could be freely printed and transported."

  For more on our suffering brothers and sisters in China, please visit the China Country Report.

• Christian student fellowship banned in Inner Mongolia

  The Sept. 15 ban that was issued by the Religious Affairs Bureau Photo: ChinaAid

  Chinese police and government officials shut down a Christian student fellowship group in Inner Mongolia, China, and detained its leader in September. Authorities cited "illegal evangelism" as the reason for the ban. Mengfu (Blessed) Fellowship was forced to close and its leader, Liang Guangzhong, was put into administrative detention for 15 days as part of China's ongoing persecution of house churches and Christian groups that meet outside government-approved churches. Officials also confiscated cash from the offering collection box as well as electronics and materials used for teaching. The Mengfu Fellowship has hired a Christian lawyer to formally request a review of the orders.

  Please pray that the Mengfu Fellowship would be legally vindicated and their fellowship would be restored. Pray their faithfulness will encourage other believers facing similar challenges in the region. Pray that God will raise up many more young people in China to wholeheartedly follow and serve Him.

  For more on our suffering brothers and sisters in China, please visit the China Country Report.

• Update: Pastor released early from prison

  Pastor Zhang Rongliang Photo: ChinaAid

  Zhang Rongliang, a prominent house church leader sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison in 2004, has been released nine months early. Zhang was charged with "attaining a passport through cheating" and "illegal border crossing" after attending several international mission conferences. Before his 2004 arrest, he had spent 12 years in prison on five different occasions during which he suffered severe torture, including electric shocks.

  While Zhang was in prison there were serious concerns about his health. In 2007, it was reported that he was near death due to diabetes and high blood pressure (for more, click here). However, his family reports that Zhang is now in good health. Zhang and his family members thank all those around the world who advocated on his behalf.

  Thank the Lord for the early release of Zhang! Pray for his continued health and strength. Pray that, like Paul, his imprisonment will result in the advancement of God's kingdom (Philippians 1:12-14). Pray for the release of other imprisoned Christians in China.

  Please visit the China Country Report to learn more about the trials Christians face in China.

• Update: Church leaders released

  Praise God for the ones released! Photo: ChinaAid

  Several church leaders from the Linfen-Fushan house church in Shanxi province, China, have been released from detention. The released Christians were among those arrested following a police raid on their church's grounds in September 2009. More than 30 believers were seriously injured and 17 buildings were destroyed in the attack.

  Three women -- Gao Fuqin, Zhao Guoai and Yang Hongzhen-- were released, along with a Christian man, Li Shuangpin. Yang Caizhen, who was also imprisoned with the women, was released earlier on medical parole (for more information, click here). All five of these leaders suffered physical and mental torture while detained at labour camps.

  The released Christians have shared, "We sincerely urge all brothers and sisters around the world to pray for Linfen church.... At the same time, we also ask brothers and sisters to remember in prayer the Linfen leaders who are still suffering in jail: Brothers Xiao Guang, Yang Xuan and Cui Jiaxing, and sisters Yang Rongli and Zhang Huamei. May the Lord move the police to release them early so that they can be reunited with their families. We who have been released express our most sincere gratitude to the brothers and sisters around the world who have been concerned about us and who have helped us. May God remember your prayers and what you did."

  Praise the Lord for the release of these Christians! Pray that the Lord will heal their hearts and bodies. Pray that the remaining detained believers will soon be released. Pray that those who oppress Christians in China may experience repentance and salvation, just as Paul did (Acts 9:1-19).

  For more on the trials Christians face in China, please visit the China Country Report.

• Investigation requested for missing human rights lawyer

  Gao last seen with his family in January 2009 Photo from ChinaAid

  VOM partner ChinaAid formally requested a special UN investigation into the torture of missing Christian lawyer Gao Zhisheng on August 15, the five-year anniversary of his first kidnapping by police. The request was submitted by ChinaAid's legal counsel and was filed with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.

  Human rights lawyer Gao was taken by police on August 15, 2006, from his sister's home and held incommunicado until the Chinese government announced on September 21 that he was being charged with inciting subversion (for more information, click here).

  In March 2010, a group of human rights specialists filed a petition before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which resulted in the discovery of serious wrongdoing by the Chinese government. However, Chinese authorities failed to even reply to the UN enquiry. Those involved were told that Gao's case is a matter of China's internal affairs, adding that the country is under rule of law.

  ChinaAid founder and president, Bob Fu, and the organization's legal counsel, David E. Taylor, expect that China is likely to respond similarly to this request for a special UN investigation. "Nonetheless, we believe it is important for the international community to see again how the Chinese Communist Party responds with arrogance and recalcitrance to the UN, and to show the world, especially Gao's family and the Chinese government, that Gao has not been forgotten for even one second and never will be," Taylor said.

  Please pray for Gao and his family; may they remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10). Ask the Lord to use this current investigation request for His glory and for the benefit of Gao and other Chinese believers who are currently in prison for their faith.

  To learn more about China's suffering Christians, please visit the China Country Report.