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China

• Elder Zhang's Lawyer Forbidden Visitation

  

  On the morning of March 16th, 2021, public security officers raided the Renai Reformed Church in Guiyang, taking more than ten Christians into custody. After hearing about the raid, the church's leader, Elder Zhang Chunlei, went to the police station to negotiate but was detained by the authorities. (For additional information, see this page.)

• ''Gospel Warrior'' Grateful for Detention

  

  Chen Wensheng has been referred to as a "Gospel Warrior" for his unwavering passion to spread the Good News of Jesus by testifying of the fact that Christ's life-transforming power is available to all who believe. This faithful believer has been arrested multiple times by the Chinese Communist Party, but each time he returns to the streets in order to continue boldly declaring the Gospel message (read more).

• Imprisoned Church Members Released; Others Remain in Custody

  

  In January 2020, an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party hosted a conference in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Five Chinese Christians who attended the event were charged in July 2021 and convicted on January 7th, 2022, of "illegally crossing the national border." These Christians were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to eight months. For more details, see our previously posted report.

• Christian Teachers Formally Charged; Others Released

  

  In August 2021, four house church leaders were arrested for allegedly carrying out "illegal business operations." The charges relate to their work at the Jordan River Learning Center, a house church school affiliated with the Mount Carmel Church in Wuhu, Anhui State. At the time, six other teachers at the school were arrested but then released on bail.

• Detained for Attempting to Share the Gospel with the President

  

  A Christian woman in China was detained on February 20th after repeated attempts to share the Good News with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan. In her latest attempt, the Christian woman, Zhou Jinxia, waited at Beijing's Zhongnanhai Xinhua Gate for the couple to pass by so she could personally share the Gospel message with them. According to ChinaAid, she has visited the gate with evangelistic signs over 50 times in recent years and, as a result, was detained several times.

• Pastor Hao Zhiwei Sentenced to Eight Years

  

  In July 2019, Pastor Hao Zhiwei was arrested for allegedly swindling money by collecting church offerings. Two other Christian women were also arrested at that time. The authorities alleged that the house church, located in China's Hubei province, was illegal. Therefore, any money collected to support it was considered to have been done unlawfully (read more).

• Church Members Sentenced to Prison

  

  The Xuncheng Reformed Church in Taiyuan, China, has faced numerous raids over the past year. On December 30th, 2020, while Pastor An Yankui was hosting a Bible study in his home, security officers raided the house and forcefully restrained him (view this page). During his detainment, the pastor served a 15-day administrative detention.

• Church Leaders Arrested

  

  The Early Rain Qingcaodi Church, a church plant previously established by the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC), is located in the city of Deyang, which is part of the Chinese province of Sichuan. Shortly after the police initially raided the ERCC in December 2018 (for more details on this incident, see this report), they also broke into the Qingcaodi church, expelling the Christians and posting a notice on the gate of the building in their efforts to ban the believers from meeting. In March 2021, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs published a list of illegal organizations, including both the ERCC and the Qingcaodi church.

• Church in Exile Faces Repatriation

  

  After enduring years of persecution in China, most members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, led by Pastor Pan Yongguang, fled the country in 2019 and sought refuge on JeJu Island in South Korea. These 60 Christians (consisting of 28 adults and 32 children) have been supporting themselves by doing menial labour during the asylum process. Human rights advocates have dubbed this group of believers as the "Mayflower Church" for their similarity to the pilgrims who fled England in 1620 due to persecution.

• Ongoing Persecution of the Early Rain Covenant Church

  

  Since the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) was raided in December 2018, leading to dozens of arrests, the opposition of government agents has been relentless. (For previous reports revealing the ongoing difficulties experienced by the members of this prominent church in Chengdu, click here.) While the church as a whole is no longer able to meet together, ERCCmembers continue to gather in small groups.