A well-known Chinese house church pastor was formally arrested on May 26 for illegally printing and distributing Bibles and other Christian literature. According to China Aid Association, Pastor Wang Zaiqing (43) is being held in the Number One Detention Center of Huainan City on charges of "being involved in illegal business practices." He has been detained since April 28.
Wang became a Christian in 1993 and is a respected church planter and preacher despite suffering the effects of a crippling disease he contracted at the age of five. He has been involved in printing Bibles and literature for free distribution to meet the needs of a rapidly growing Church in China.
Pastor Lui Yuhua was arrested on the same charges on April 26 in Shandong Province (click here for more details). Pastor Cai Zhuohua was arrested in Beijing on similar charges in September 2004 and is presently serving three years in prison.
Pray that Bibles and Christian literature will continue to be delivered throughout China so that lives may be changed through the Word of God (Psalm 119:33-48). Ask the Lord to protect Wang from harm during his incarceration. Pray that God will work in the hearts of the authorities to release him soon (II Corinthians 1:9-11). Pray that he and Pastors Lui Yuhua and Cai Zhuohua will rejoice that they are heirs together with Christ through their sufferings (Romans 8:16, 17).
For more information on the persecution facing Christians in China, see the China Country Profile.
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