(Chengdu, Sichuan — February 18, 2026) In the latest round of repression against Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu (成都秋雨圣约教会), Zhang Xinyue (张新月), the wife of elder Li Yingqiang (李英强), was granted bail on February 6 and returned to her home in Deyang. On February 13, she released a prayer letter expressing gratitude to church members and supporters and calling for continued prayers for her two minor children.
According to Zhang Xinyue’s letter and church briefings, on January 6, authorities carried out a large-scale operation against the church. Li Yingqiang was taken away from their home in Deyang, and his wife was subsequently detained. Their two children, a 14-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, witnessed their parents being taken away. That evening, they were watched by individuals of unknown identity and were unable to meet their grandmother immediately. During the police search, all electronic devices in the home were confiscated, including the children’s study computer, mobile phones, and smartwatches; even a small amount of cash was taken.
In her letter, Li Zhang Xinyue stated that the children behaved obediently and did not complain during the subsequent month-long period of surveillance and companionship. She attributed this to faith, believing that “God’s arrangements are always good.” However, as contact with peers has been cut off for an extended period, the children’s sense of loneliness has grown. She repeatedly communicated with relevant departments, requesting the return of the phones and watches that contain friends’ contact information and precious memories, but received no response. She questioned what kind of “criminal evidence” could be hidden in the devices of two minors that would justify investigators’ refusal to return items so crucial to their social and emotional well-being.
Li Yingqiang received a formal arrest notice on February 12 and has been charged with “inciting subversion of state power.” He is currently detained at the Deyang Detention Center. In the same case, church preacher Dai Zhichao (戴志超) was also formally arrested on the same charge. Ye Fenghua (叶丰华) and Jia Xuewei (贾学伟) have left the detention center but were placed under “residential surveillance at a designated location,” likewise on suspicion of the same charge. Liang Zhongyuan (梁中原), Brother Lin (name not yet publicly disclosed), and Zhang Xinyue herself have been released on bail pending trial and remain under legal restrictions.
Early Rain Covenant Church was founded in 2008 by Pastor Wang Yi (王怡), who was sentenced in 2019 to nine years in prison on the same charge. The church has insisted on not joining the government-recognized “Three-Self” Patriotic Church system and has previously faced repeated crackdowns, including mass arrests in 2018 and the closure of church venues. In recent years, authorities have intensified controls over unregistered religious groups, treating refusal to register with authorities as illegal activity, despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of religious belief.
Church supporters and human rights organizations note that such actions reflect escalating pressure on independent religious groups in China, including targeted measures against church leaders and their families. Secret police officer Wang Chao (王超) is believed to have played a key role in recent actions against Early Rain Covenant Church.
Overseas Christian communities are responding through sustained prayer initiatives. An initiative jointly launched by multiple churches in North America and an organization in Australia has designated the 9th of each month as a “Day of Fasting and Prayer for the Persecuted Church in China.” This initiative grew out of major house church cases over the past decade that occurred on the 9th of various months, including the December 9, 2018, incident involving Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu. The prayer movement seeks to intercede for the persecuted church in China and to pray for a new revival amid persecution. It has expanded to many U.S. cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, with both in-person and online prayer meetings drawing thousands of participants.
The initiative calls on Christians to fast and pray on the 9th of each month, in coordination with other global prayer efforts, such as the “International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church” and the “Five O’Clock in China” kingdom prayer meeting initiated by Early Rain Covenant Church, to jointly keep watch over the situation of the church in China.
Early Rain Covenant Church currently holds its gatherings primarily online and calls on believers to pray for those detained, their families, and the church’s overall situation. The church stated that it will continue to monitor developments in the case and seek lawful avenues to protect its rights.
