Christian Tutor Reported by Her Husband

ChinaAid 26 October 2023

A classroom is full of empty desks, some chalkboards, and a map of Asia.

Liu Cui is a member of the Lishi Christian Church in China, which operates a co-op school group for children, despite ongoing harassment from government agencies that want to restrict the religious education of minors. On October 11th, Liu went to the school to help tutor six students from four different families.

Unfortunately, Liu's husband, who is not a believer, objects to his wife's Christian faith. After following Liu to the school and discovering her work with the students, he issued a report to various governmental agencies. Authorities rushed to the church, confiscated school supplies and Bibles, and recorded the information of parents who were present at the time. Police took Liu into custody and, that evening, members of the church learned that she had been sentenced to ten days of administrative detention.

Leaders of the Chinese government demand total loyalty of the country's citizens and, in their attempts to target truths in the Bible, they have been distorting passages of Scripture to reflect Communist ideologies. During a recent episode of the Closer to the Fire podcast, program host Greg Musselman interviewed Dr. Eric Foley from VOM Korea to discuss the government's latest attempts to promote socialist values. This informative podcast interview is available at VOMCanada.com/video/china-foley. For further information on the restrictions facing followers of Jesus in China, and/or to review previously posted prayer alert reports, visit our country report.

Please prayerfully join us by asking the Lord to watch over the members of the Lishi Christian Church, including Liu Cui, and to provide them peace, direction and wisdom as they endeavour to continue raising their children in the ways of the Lord amid intense opposition. Pray that Liu will not encounter any additional legal problems, but instead would be free to resume her tutoring activities without further interference. Throughout the legal process, may the response of this accused believer be a testimony of Christ's love and grace to her husband, despite his open hostility towards the Gospel, as well as to the others in her community who are opposing her judicially.

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.

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