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• More police raids in China

  

  ChinaAid has reported a police raid against Shouwang Church in Beijing. On Sunday, August 11, 2013, police burst into the church and arrested at least thirty-eight parishioners.

  Most of the detainees were released before evening. Approximately one third were discharged immediately after filing a police report. None of them are still in custody.

  One woman from Shouwang Church claims she was abused during the ordeal. A deputy director allegedly grabbed her throat and pulled her hair.

• The Legacy of Samuel Lamb (1924 – 2013)

  Christian Today has reported that Samuel Lamb, a long-time leader of China’s house church movement, passed away on Saturday, August 3, at age 88. Lamb famously shared the precept “more persecution, more growth.” He urged Christians to be prepared to suffer for their faith, even advising them to pack a bag for prison.

• Christian Bookstore Raid Leads to Arrests and Imprisonment

  Wenxi Li

  A Christian bookstore employee, Wenxi Li, and another man associated with the bookstore, Lacheng Ren, were arrested and sentenced to prison terms for their role in assisting with the opening of a new bookstore. On June 17th, 2013, Wenxi was sentenced to two years in prison by the court of Xiaodian district of Taiyuan in central China.

  In 2012, Wenxi travelled from Beijing to Shanxi province to help local Christians there open a new bookstore in the capital city of Taiyuan. While he was working at the Enyu Bookstore, police raided the new business and confiscated hundreds of books that he had brought with him. According to the "South China Morning Post," one security worker allegedly shouted at Wenxi and his colleagues, "Don't you dare bring Christian culture here. This is our turf."

  On December 19th, 2012, Wenxi was asked to come to a police station to retrieve the $6,000 worth of books that had been seized. But when he arrived at the police station, he was immediately arrested and sent to prison. Police were quoted as saying Wenxi was denied bail because of the seriousness of his "crime." (Other alerts of persecution in China can be found at the China Country Report.)

  Since Wenxi's arrest, his wife Cai Hong and their two children have received harassment from anonymous sources. She has expressed concern for the children's safety. But despite the harassment, the family is proceeding to appeal his case. The good news is that Wenxi has already led three people to Christ while in prison awaiting trial.

  It is encouraging to know that God is greater in us than "he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The Lord is clearly working in and through the lives of His servants...even in the most challenging of circumstances. We rejoice with the angels in heaven over the salvation of these three newly converted prisoners! May the Lord continue the good work that He has begun in each of their lives. We also want to lift up Wenxi and his precious family, as well as his colleague Lacheng. Pray that these believers will be granted divine protection, favour and even greater opportunities to testify of their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Bible study raided

  Xingjiang Christian Zhu Jinfeng was holding her monthly Bible study with her elderly neighbors when local police stormed into her home in Urumqi reports ChinaAid Association. The group was dismissed and 60-year-old Zhu was briefly detained before being charged with conducting "illegal" activity and fined 200 yuan (about CAN$34).

  Zhu says she plans to appeal her case believing the police’s actions infringed upon her rights.

• Government Shuts Down Numerous House Churches

  Photo: ChinaAid

  The Chinese government has ordered the closure of more than a dozen house churches in the southern province of Hainan in recent weeks and many others have been threatened. On May 26th, while the Sanya Hosanna Church was holding a morning worship service, several people from the Religious Affairs Bureau and the neighbourhood committee came to deliver a document with the title, "Announcement by the Hongqi Street Community of the Voluntary Dissolution of Irregular and Illegal Religious Meeting Sites." They told the believers that if they met again the next week, then the officials would take measures, holding them accountable for the consequences.

  The local neighbourhood committee also exerted pressure on the landlord to stop renting the meeting site to the church, which was given 15 days' notice to move out. The leader of the church was also restricted from going to Hong Kong to attend a special conference; the reason given was that it might jeopardize national security and national interests.

  Also on May 26th, three other Sanya house churches (Elim Church, Bethel Church and Xinju Church) faced the same kind of persecution. Two weeks earlier, Sanya's Mengai Church, Hexing Church, and three other house churches were shut down. A church in Haikou has experienced similar treatment, and several other churches have been forcibly closed. In addition, some churches in the Baoting county have been shut down.

  "Closing a dozen churches in Hainan is an alarming sign that little has changed with Xi Jinping as president," said ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu. "The government is carrying out its plans to 'eradicate' the independent house church movement, a crackdown that would affect up to 100 million people. China must end this repression if it wants global respect as a rising power."

  Pray that these believers will be greatly encouraged spiritually, cultivating a deeper relationship with the Lord as they embrace the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:7-10). Ask that His faithful servants be granted mercy and favour with the officials of the Religious Affairs Bureau and members of the neighbourhood committee. May their oppressors discover the joy and peace of personally knowing Jesus, as witnessed in the lives of these Christians...even in the midst of life's challenges.

• Christian Leaders Detained After Church Raids

  Pray for the safety and release of church leaders in China. Photo: Beijing Shouwang Church

  A house church in southwest China's Sichuan province was raided by police and security agents on two separate occasions recently.

  The first raid took place on April 25th during a music practice. As a result, the pastor and 15 other leaders of Langzhong house church were taken into custody and the brass instruments that were used at the practice have been confiscated. Ten of the 16 were released the next day, with the exception of six church leaders (including Pastor Li Min) who were all sentenced to between three and 15 days' administrative detention.

• Church Raids Lead to Arrests and Prison Sentences

  Dennis Balcombe Photo: ChinaAid

  On Saturday, April 20th, a well-known U.S. church leader, Dennis Balcombe, was held by police under house arrest following a raid on a house church revival meeting in the Chinese city of Nanyang (Henan province). The raid took place at about 10:00 a.m., after the commencement of what had originally been planned as a three-day revival meeting.

  When the 70 attendees gathered that morning, they all handed over their cell phones to a designated person from the organizing church. This was a security precaution to prevent the phones from becoming tracking devices that would lead authorities to their meeting site. They then boarded a bus to the meeting venue at a retreat centre in the Wolong district of the city.

  Not long after the meeting began, several dozen police, Domestic Security Protection (DSP) agents and Religious Affairs Bureau officials swarmed into the room. Without showing any identification, they began filming and photographing the event. The DSP agents then proceeded to finger print and palm print each person at the meeting. Every one of the attendees was interrogated (while a written record of the questioning was taken) and mandated to sign police documents.

  "This latest wave of religious persecution shows that the situation for religious freedom in China continues to worsen," states ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu. "We urge the Chinese authorities to immediately release Pastor Dennis Balcombe and his two coworkers from Hong Kong. The officers who abused their powers by raiding a peaceful prayer service should be held accountable."

  Another incident of concern took place on April 1st in Pingdingshan (also within the province of Henan), where seven house church leaders were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to 7 1/2 years on cult charges. More information about persecution in China can be found at the China Country Report.

  May these Chinese believers and their church leaders remain steadfastly committed to the Lord who has promised to be "an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). Pray that He will swiftly intervene, revealing His power and might not only to each of the believers personally, but also to their persecutors...so that many more names will be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life."

• Officials Raid Xinjiang Christians

  Sister Xu Photo: ChinaAid

  After a violent armed raid on their house church, Christians in remote Xinjiang province have been interrogated on suspicion of being a religious cult. One of the leaders remains in detention since the day police, armed with guns and electric batons, ransacked her home and seized property.

  On March 15th, a total of 21 Public Security Bureau officials visited Sister Xu's house church located in Qimo County, Kurla City (northwest China), while she was holding a prayer meeting. When the 14 assembled Christians did not answer the door, the officials left without incident. However, later on that evening, after the visiting church members had departed, the police arrived back to the meeting location. In addition to confiscating property, they took fingerprints and blood samples from Xu, her son and husband. All three were taken to the local police station for written statements. Xu's husband, having claimed that he was not a Christian, was released along with their son.

  Another one of the house church leaders, Brother Shen, who happened to be summoned and interrogated separately on March 18th, was released within three hours of suffering a heart-related episode triggered by police interrogation. The third leader, Sister Cao, was able to avoid arrest and detainment by fleeing from the area. To learn more about what Christians are facing in China, go to the China Country Report.

  Pray that God will strengthen and comfort Sister Xu, and all the members of the Qimo County house church. May He fill them with the reassuring presence of His Holy Spirit, granting them the courage to withstand this trial and the empowerment to overcome it. Ask Him to also touch the hearts of the officials conducting the investigation. May every aspect of this situation work out favourably for these believers, including an imminent release of Sister Xu and complete healing of Brother Shen.

• Celebrating God's Grace at Outdoor Worship Service

  Photo: ChinaAid

  December 30, 2012, marked the 53rd outdoor worship service of the year for the Beijing Shouwang Church. Despite the arrests of at least 15 participating believers, thankfully all of them were released by noon that same Sunday.

• Harsh Prison Sentence for Christian Poet

  Li’s assistance in the escape of Liao Yiwu, author of God is Red, may be the cause of his harsh sentence.

  After being illegally detained for more than a year, Christian poet Li Bifeng was sentenced with a fabricated charge of "contract fraud," stemming from a legitimate business deal. As of the November 19th sentence, the dissident poet is now facing 12 more years in prison.

  Interestingly, Li had become a Christian while imprisoned for seven years (due to writing poetry promoting freedom in 1998). Prior to that, he served five years for his participation in the Tiananmen democracy movement in 1989. It is widely believed by international observers that the excessive sentence is meant to exact revenge for his aid in assisting the escape of famous exiled Chinese writer Liao Yiwu. Liao is the author of the book, "God is Red," which was selected in 2011 as the best title by "Christianity Today."

  Last August, the prosecutor in the case wanted Li's 17-year-old son, Jiang, who is studying in North America, brought back to China. Li's business and assets were confiscated, preventing him from providing financial assistance to his son. Organizations such as VOM-Canada have helped to raise support for his son's tuition and living expenses during 2012, so that Jiang would not need to return to China and thus face impending harm.

  Please pray that the Lord would provide the means to appeal the court's decision against Li, bringing him deserved vindication. In addition, pray that Jiang will be able to successfully complete his studies. During these very trying circumstances, may Li and his family experience the Lord's mighty power not only to endure but also to rise triumphantly over them (Ephesians 6:10-19).

  For more information about China's persecuted Church, go to the China Country Report.