Tags

China

• House church baptism disrupted by raid

  An unregistered church that holds several mass baptisms each year.

  Seventeen believers were detained during a baptism service when officials and police raided a Han Chinese house church in the far west region of Xinjiang. The raid on the Bajiahu house church in Jinghe county occurred early in June during a gathering of more than 20 Christians. The church has also been ordered to stop holding meetings.

  Police officers burst into the meeting, followed by officials overseeing religion and domestic security. The 17 believers were taken into custody and held until that evening, when they were escorted home by police.

  Wang Lili, the leader of the house church, was not on site during the raid. However, the purse she left at the meeting site, which contained her government ID card, keys and more than 3,600 yuan (approximately $580 CAD), was confiscated. At last report, her belongings had not been returned.

  The husband of one of the detainees, who is not himself a Christian, was required to sign a guarantee that his wife will no longer attend the house church's meetings. He reportedly became very angry with his wife.

  Praise God for the baptism of these believers! Pray that these believers will continue to grow in their faith in Jesus. Please pray that Wang's belongings will be returned to her. Please pray that the unbelieving husband will see Christ through his wife's faithfulness (1 Peter 3:1).

  Go to the China Country Report for more on the suffering Church in China.

• Government plans to eradicate house churches

  The Shouwang Church has faced much persecution in the past year. Photo: ChinaAid

  China's government is engaged in a three-phase campaign to eradicate Protestant house churches. The government's strategy was clearly outlined in a document released last September during a training class for "Patriots in the Christian Community" run by the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

• Update: Gao Zhisheng visited by family

  Gao Zhisheng

  The relatives of prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng have finally been allowed to visit him in prison. The visit has put to rest fears that the pioneer in the growing Christian legal defence movement in the country had died during the two-plus years of his forced disappearance into police custody.

  Gao's older brother and his father-in-law were permitted a half-hour meeting with Gao on March 24 at the Shaya prison, in a remote part of Xinjiang in far western China. They were able to see each other through a glass window and converse using a prison phone.

  Gao, who disappeared into police custody several times since 2006, was last seen by his family members in April 2010 when he briefly resurfaced after a previous long period of disappearance (for more, click here). During that time, he gave an extensive interview to the Associated Press in which he gave a detailed account of brutal torture inflicted on him by Chinese police.

  Thank the Lord that Gao was able to visit with his family! Pray that the Lord will continue to sustain him in prison. Pray that, like Paul, Gao's imprisonment will result in the advancement of God's Kingdom (Philippians 1:12-14). Pray that God will comfort Gao's family.

  For more on persecution in China, go to the China Country Report.

• House church raided, believers detained

  This unregistered church holds several mass baptisms each year.

  More than 70 Christians were taken into custody when a house church, which had been meeting for more than two decades, was raided in western China. The church, located in the region of Xinjiang, was stormed by police on March 18. About a dozen policemen and Domestic Security Protection agents burst into Pastor He Enjun's home, and authorities on the scene declared it was an "unapproved, illegal meeting" and ordered an immediate end to the meeting. Each Christian present was photographed by force and was taken for questioning. Some believers were not released for two days. Bibles, hymnals, notebooks, Christian education DVDs and other materials were confiscated without a receipt, even though a receipt is required by law. The pastor and his wife were later called back into the local police station for further questioning. They were threatened and ordered to stop hosting meetings in their home.

  Please pray that the Lord will reward the faithfulness of these believers by using them to lead even more people to the King of Kings. Pray that these believers will echo Peter's sentiment to obey God regardless of what man says (Acts 5:29). Pray that God will work powerfully in the hearts of the authorities in Xinjiang.

  Please visit the China Country Report for more on the persecuted Church in 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.