Pastor John Cao Released After Seven Years in Prison

Pastor John Cao appears very happy.
Pastor John Cao after his release.
Photo: ChinaAid

Originally from Hunan province, Pastor John Cao is a permanent resident of the United States and also happens to be married to an American citizen. Before his arrest, he served as a missionary in Myanmar's Wa State, building schools and caring for impoverished people in the region. As part of his ministry work, Pastor John frequently crossed the border between China and Myanmar. The Christian leader was able to continue his ministry activities for three years without encountering any problems from the authorities.

However, in March 2017, Chinese officials arrested Pastor John and a colleague of his on charges of illegal border crossings. Although his ministry colleague, Jing Ruxia, served one year in prison, Pastor John was sentenced to seven years. For more details on this case, you can review previously published reports.

After various failed appeals, Pastor John served his full prison term prior to being released on March 4th of this year. Throughout imprisonment, his relationship with the Lord remained strong as expressed in the poetry he regularly wrote. ChinaAid has published a collection of his poems under the title, Living Lyrics: Poems from Prison.

Upon his release, Pastor John was escorted from Yunnan province to Changsha, Hunan. He hopes to soon be reunited with his family in the United States. However, in order to do so, the pastor will need to obtain travel documents which may be purposely delayed by officials. Local police in Changsha have disclosed that they intend to supervise and "educate" him for five years.

ChinaAid recently released the content of an audio testimony Pastor John gave after his release. He started by proclaiming: "I have been separated from you all for seven years, but these seven years have been filled with joy, filled with God's grace, and everyday God's special presence has been with me." To read a transcript of Pastor John's testimony, go to VOMCanada.com/cao-testimony.

Praise God for the joy and peace Pastor John experienced over the past seven years, despite his incarceration. Pray that this faithful Christian leader will receive renewed strength and determination to continue living his life in dedicated service to the Lord. May Pastor John be able to obtain the necessary travel documentation without any delay so he can finally be reunited with his long-suffering family in the United States. Furthermore, pray that God will ensure the continuation of the humanitarian work near the China and Myanmar border, as well as the ministry that took place in the lives of the prisoners and guards who were touched by the love of Christ while Pastor John was in custody.

  • 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

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    Xuan'en Church
    Photo: ChinaAid

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    Chen Wensheng
    Photo: ChinaAid

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    Zhang Chunlei with his wife
    Elder Zhang Chunlei and his wife
    Photo: ChinaAid

    Zhang Chunlei is an elder with the Ren'ai Reformed Church in Guiyang, China. He was detained in March 2021 and remained in detention without charge until his trial in November 2022, when he was accused of "inciting subversion of state power." The trial was held in secret, without any witnesses, and a verdict has never been announced since then. In the meantime, Elder Zhang continues to remain imprisoned. (Review previously published reports about this church leader's case.)