Church Leaders Under Siege

This week the Voice of the Martyrs received a number of reports demonstrating the Chinese government's continued campaign against Christian who refuse to compromise with their Communist ideology.


House Church Leaders Confirmed in Custody or Prosecuted

On February 18, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported the arrest of Xu Yongling (also known as Deborah Xu) on January 25. It is now confirmed that she is being held by the Henan National Security Bureau. On March 5, she was allowed to finally contact her relatives and expressed concern that false promises may be used by police to trap her nephew. She warned her relatives, "Please be very careful of your decision." The home of her nephew was raided by Nanyang police the next day.

 Xu Yonghai Lui Fenggang

 Xu Yonghai

 Lui Fenggang

Three Christian leaders recently detained have now been formally prosecuted, facing trial for "providing intelligence to overseas organizations." Liu Fenngang, Xu Yonghai and Zhang Shengqi were arrested late 2003. Liu's wife received official notification of the charges in late February. Referring to the charges they face, Bob Fu from China Aid Association said, "There are no state secrets in this story. These men were arrested for telling the truth about how their government treats Christians. The government does not want that truth to be known."

Please pray for these and many other Christians in China imprisoned for their faith. Pray for spiritual strength for churches left without their pastoral leadership. Pray for provision for the families of those arrested.


Church Leader Re-Arrested; Another in Hiding

On March 1, Zeng Guangbo tried to cross the border from China to Russia to minister in a house church there. Instead, he was detained in customs and then taken into custody by the Nanyang Public Security Bureau. Zeng was originally arrested on January 25, but managed to escape and went into hiding. For more details, click here. Apparently Zeng's passport number had been entered into the national custom's computer system, resulting in his recent arrest.

Bob Fu, president of China Aid Association, expressed deep concern for Zeng. "The police in Nanyang are notorious for their brutality towards house church Christians. Because Zeng has been closely working with the 'Born-again' Movement leader Ms. Xu Yongling, the police may use whatever means necessary including torture to get information from him."

Pray for endurance and courage for Zeng during his continuing ordeal. Pray that he will know the presence of Christ's Spirit with him each day.

When Public Security Bureau officers raided his house church on February 9, Chu Wei and his wife, Yin Yan-ling, were interrogated for a day, along then ten other church members, before they were released. The next day, Yin was again taken to the police station where she was ordered to not speak about God, even in the privacy of her home. She also overheard police talking about sending her husband to a camp for "re-education through labour." She immediately warned her husband and they went into hiding. Their two oldest children (14 and 15) remained in the family home, while the youngest (11) stayed with relatives. Yin has since returned to be with her children, but Chu remains in hiding from the police.

Pray that Chu will not be arrested, but will be able to resume his ministry to the Chinese Church. Pray for his protection for his family.


Catholic Bishop Arrested

According to Zenit. Bishop Wei Jingyi of the underground Catholic Church was arrested on March 5 in Heilogjiang in northeast China. Wei was returning from meeting friends at the Harbin airport when he was arrested at a toll booth. Wei (45) has been arrested twice and served time labour camps from 1987-1989 and 1990-1992.

For current in-depth analysis of the situation facing Christians in China, you may want to purchase the following resources available online from the Voice of the Martyrs: "Jesus in Beijing" by David Aikman and "The Cross: Jesus in China," a four-DVD set of interviews and reports recently filmed in China. Visit our online catalog.

For more information on persecution facing Christians in China, click here.

  • 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

  • House Church Bible Study Gathering Raided
    Three police officers are browsing through a phone as a church member looks on.
    One of the church members being interrogated by police.
    Photo: ChinaAid

    Several Christians were gathered on the morning of August 22nd for a Bible study at the Beijing Holy Love Fellowship church when multiple police officers suddenly entered the facility. After demanding to see the believers' identification cards, the authorities recorded the personal details of all those who were present. At the time of publishing this report, no official statement or charges have been issued by the Beijing police.

  • Pastor Arrested for "Illegal Business Operations"
    Huang Yizi is speaking on the phone while in prison.
    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.

  • Detained Pastor's Family Faces Harassment
    Chang Shun is holding his little boy. Both are smiling.
    Pastor Chang Shun with one of his children.
    Photo: ChinaAid

    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.

  • Christian Lawyer Remains Missing After Eight Years
    Gao Zhisheng is standing in front of a building dressed in a dark blue jacket.
    Gao Zhisheng
    Photo: ChinaAid

    For many years, Gao Zhisheng was a bold advocate for persecuted religious communities in China. While serving as a lawyer representing various faith groups, he himself was frequently harassed and arrested. In 2005, Gao's law practice was shut down by the government after he publicly condemned the human rights violations that were being committed against practitioners of a religious movement known as Falun Gong.