Churches Raided as Shouwang Pastors Remain under House Arrest

Shouwang Church members worshipping outdoors regardless of the weather condition
Photo: ChinaAid

Local police broke up the worship service of a house church and arrested its pastor in China's Xinjiang region for the second time. On August 4th, at least 20 police officers shut down the worship service and arrested Pastor Tan Wen. As with the previous service disruption and arrest, which took place on June 9th, the officers did not properly identify themselves or follow correct procedures.

The worship services of two other house churches in the Xinjiang region were disrupted (June 23rd and July 21st), also resulting in detentions and fines. In all four raids within this region, police not only failed to show identification, they imposed penalties that had no basis in law as such matters are regulated by the Bureau of Religion.

On the eastern side of the country in Hebei Province surrounding Beijing, a priest of an unregistered Catholic church fellowship was arrested on August 7th. Law enforcement officials arrested Rev. Song Wanjun at 4 a.m. as he was driving.

During the most recent arrest, involving 38 believers of the Shouwang Church in Beijing on August 11th, it was reported that one of them was terribly mistreated. "...one sister was manhandled by a deputy director (at the police station) who seized her by the throat and pulled her hair," the source explained. "Our sister calmly faced such rough treatment, and forgave this man by God's grace." For other details of this report, click here.

Meanwhile, two pastors of the Shouwang Church are still under house arrest since the fellowship was forced to worship outdoors more than two years ago. "At the doors of at least two pastors' homes, there are still a couple of plain-clothes police officers on duty 24 hours a day," stated an inside source, who requested anonymity.

The Shouwang Church has been meeting outside since April 10th, 2011, after authorities pressured a landlord to terminate the lease on their building. Officials had also blocked the fellowship from the premises the church had bought in 2009. Members of the church (attended by about 1,000 people) have been routinely arrested at the outdoor services.

While the pressure of opposition mounts for fellow believers in China, we are reminded that God's grace and strength are also available in increased measure (2 Corinthians 12:9). Pray that every setback they experience will become opportunities for the Good News of the Gospel to be spread in a far greater way, reaching multitudes more for Christ. May God's Spirit move so powerfully among these Christians that even their persecutors will recognize the fact that He does indeed exist and, as a result of this revelation, be receptive to His tremendous love for them.

  • 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.

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  • 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.