China Aid Association
(SICHUAN – August 13, 2009) On August 9, members of Autumn Rain Church of Chengdu city, Sichuan province worshipped outdoors for the ninth Sunday in a row since their house church was abolished by Chinese authorities on June 21. The local government has been dispatching “executors” to supervise and monitor the church activities at all the outdoor meetings. Last Sunday, Elder Wang Yi preached that, “Martin Luther King led 50,000 African Americans in Montgomery to walk to work for 380 days. If the Lord wills, let us worship in the open air for 380 days with the same attitude as the 50,000 African American brothers and sisters. Hallelujah, we worship on a ‘city upon a hill’ beneath the mountain.”
On June 21 authorities abolished Autumn Rain Church as an “unregistered social organization” and blocked the rented building where the house church gathers. Autumn Rain Church filed an application for administrative reconsideration to appeal the abolition of their house church. On July 21, the Bureau of Civil Affairs of Chengdu City called Elder Wang Yi of Autumn Rain Church and told him that the Bureau of Civil Affairs of Qingyang District, Chengdu City had been instructed to correct their mistake in the decision to abolish Autumn Rain Church. However, authorities have continued to prevent church members from holding church services in their legally rented building.
Call the following government authorities on behalf of Autumn Rain Church and ask that authorities end their harassment of the Christians, withdraw the abolition and allow the church to meet freely:
Du Kaizong, Director of Civil Affair Bureau, Chengdu, Sichuan Province Office
Address: 3nd Floor, Blvd 4, 966 North Street of Tianfu Ave.
Office Tel.: +86-28-61881809 or +86-28-61881810
Civil Affairs Bureau of Qing Yang District:
Office Tel.: +86-28-86633643
Chengdu National Bureau of Religious Affairs, Director Zhao Lu
Office Tel: +86-28-61880989; +86-28-86637474; Fax: +86-28-61880988
Chengdu People’s Government: +86-28-86636113
Chengdu, People’s Chief of Staff: +86-28-86646533
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong
3505 International Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 495-2000
Fax: (202) 588-9760
NOTE: If you are a citizen of another country, please click here to find the contact information of the Chinese embassy in your own nation http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/2490/.
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org
