Church Leader Faces Extremely Harsh Sentence

17 November 2004

^{Pastor Cai Performing a Baptism}

Pastor Cai Zhuohua and his wife face extremely harsh sentences if convicted in an upcoming trial. The 32-year-old pastor was kidnapped on September 11 by plain-clothed officers while he was waiting for a bus in Beijing . On September 27 his wife, Xiao Yunfei was arrested while in hiding. Her brother, Xiao Gaowen, and sister-in-law, Hu Jinyun, were also arrested. According to sources close to the Chinese authorities, the central government has labeled this case the most serious case of overseas religious infiltration since the founding of the People's Republic of China . According to China Aid, Qiang Wei, deputy General Secretary of Politics and Law Commission of Beijing, has issued a handwritten directive "Yan Ban," meaning to deal with this case harshly and severely.

The authorities reported finding 200,000 Bibles and other Christian literature in a storage room managed by Pastor Cai; literature not printed by the officially-sanctioned press which limits the numbers and distribution of Bibles it prints. This literature found by the authorities was intended for internal use by the house churches. Authorities are also reported to be upset about a quarterly magazine for house churches called "Love Feast" (http://www.aiyan.org) with which Pastor Cai has been involved.

According to one source, authorities are considering criminal charges such as tax evasion or illegal business management, rather than religious charges. Such criminal charges could lead to a life sentence. All four arrested are being held at the Qinghe Detention Center , Haidian District, Beijing . None of their relatives have been allowed to visit.

Urgent prayer is urged for these four believers in Jesus Christ. Pray also for Pastor Cai's four-year-old son, Cai Yabo, who is under the care of his grandmother. We encourage all those concerned about religious liberty to contact the Chinese embassy in their country, expressing concern for these and other believers in prison for their faith in China. For contact information, click here. For guidelines on how to write a letter to government officials, click here.

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

China

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

Suspended Sentences Revoked for Two Believers

Elder Xue Shaoqiang and Sister
Wan Chunqin with some friends.
Photo: ChinaAid

In 2023, Elder Xue Shaoqiang and Sister Wan Chunqin of the Bengbu Living Stone Reformed Church were arrested on accusations of "fraud" – a charge frequently used by Chinese authorities to target members of unapproved churches. The believers were sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by a four-year suspended sentence. After their release on January 8th, 2025, both Christians were subjected to strict conditions. However, upon allegedly failing to comply with what they described as "excessively harsh and unreasonable" measures, their suspended sentences were revoked.

Read more...
House Church Bible Study Gathering Raided

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.

Read more...
Pastor Arrested for "Illegal Business Operations"

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.

Read more...
Detained Pastor's Family Faces Harassment

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.

Read more...