Hubei pastor hospitalized after conflict with TSPM church

China Aid Association

(Wuhan, Hubei—May 16, 2014) A dispute over a church building between a house church and a government-sanctioned church in Jiangxia District, Wuhan, the provincial capital of central China’s Hubei province, turned violent on Sunday.

“Pastor Wu Qixi of the house church in the Zhifang neighborhood of Wuhan, along with seven or eight people, was injured yesterday,” said Pastor Zhang Mingxun, president of the Chinese House Church Alliance. “Pastor Wu is blind in both eyes, and he was beaten so [severely], he went into shock. He is still in the hospital. Brother Zhang and Sister Guo were also beaten. Brother Zhang was detained by police for a few hours, and he was just released.”

“Pastor Wu was robbed…of Enguang Hall in 2009,” an anonymous believer said. “The director of the local Bureau of Religion said he would send Pastor Wu back to Enguang Hall in three years. Now, five years have passed, and that director still hasn’t kept his promise. The worshippers said that since the director of the Bureau of Religion didn’t want Wu to go back, the worshippers themselves would send him back.”

“We talked to the person in charge of Enguang Hall,” another Christian said. “We asked him to let Pastor Wu deliver a sermon to clear the man’s guilt. After that, [we said] we would go away. However, the person in charge, Luo Siyong, refused to let Pastor Wu deliver the sermon so we didn’t go away.

“That afternoon, Cai Guanghong, director of the Jiangxia District Bureau of Religion came and said he would solve the problem on Monday.”

“We began gathering on the second floor of Enguang Hall,” a third believer told China Aid. “There were more than 20 people. Luo Siyong and his group ended their gathering ahead of schedule. Luo led 40-50 people and stormed the second floor. They wanted Pastor Wu to leave. They became physically violent.”

The believer told China Aid that the 20 house church Christians’ ages ranged from 50-80 years old.

Yet another house church member told China Aid that Luo personally beat Wu. The man also said that Wu suffers from high blood pressure.

“We are very angry. Pastor Wu is now in the hospital and he hasn’t come to consciousness yet. He still can’t talk,” another believer said. “We just want justice. The local police station is handling the case, but I don’t know what the result will be.”

The believer also said that no one was arrested for the conflict: “These government officials protect each other.”

Pastor Wu and his congregation began construction of Enguang Hall in 1999. “The construction was completed on June 23, 2000,” a church member said. “The funds for the building were raised by Pastor Wu who got the fund through many channels such as foreign aid and donations from the worshippers. The certificate of land use is also in the hand of Pastor Wu and the name on the certificate is his wife. Now, the government is using the people from the government-sanctioned church to occupy the church.”


China Aid Contacts

Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Website: www.chinaaid.org
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Hubei pastor hospitalized after conflict with TSPM church

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