Dear brothers and sisters:
Peace in the Lord! On Oct 30th, Shouwang had her thirtieth Sunday outdoor worship service. In the past week, many believers were detained at home since Saturday. On Friday night, police from Guangying Police Station took a sister to a hotel for detention. And on Saturday morning, a sister and her baby were detained by force simply because that police suspected that she would join the outdoor service. As far as we know, at least twenty-one believers were taken away on Sunday morning for going to the planned location to join the outdoor service, either at the spot or on their way there (including a believer from another church). Except three believers who were released on the way, the rest of them were sent to eight local police stations of their respective area. Till midnight, twenty-two believers were released home (including the sister who was detained at hotel on Friday night). And the last believer, who was detained at Jingsong Police Station, was not released until 12:00pm on the 31st.
On Saturday morning, as a sister left her parents’ home with her baby, four guards followed her and stopped her at a subway station. Since they suspected that she would join the outdoor service on the next day, with no regard to this sister’s protest, they took her and her baby to a police car in front of many people at the order of the vice chief officer of Guangying Police Station. However, they are just guards and have no authority to do it. The Police Station then, with no legal document or process, detained this sister and her baby for more than twenty-four hours. As Shouwang Church protested against it and asked lawyers of Shouwang to intervene, the vice chief officer of this police station finally apologized to this sister, and promised that he would not allow such a thing happen again. We are angry about the police station’s abusing of power: they sent guards who have no legal authority to violate citizen’s security and freedom. We pray that God will comfort this sister and her baby, remove their tears, and grant them joy and peace.
Although it was cold on this past Sunday, believers have passion and joy in their hearts. We give thanks to God, for he has granted us hope and faith, has restored us from weariness, and has enabled us to trust him alone. We believe that, “He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.”(Jeremiah 31:10) Let us continue to pray to him fervently. May God make a way for his church and gather his flock together, so that we can enter the place prepared by him, worship him together there, and proclaim victory to this world in his name.
May peace and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the mercy and love of Father God, and the console and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, be with each brother and sister of Shouwang Church and all the churches who remember Shouwang Church in prayers, from this time on and forevermore! Amen.
Beijing Shouwang Church
11/01/2011
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
