(Guangzhou — September 30, 2026) Police in southern China confiscated Gospel materials and forced a long-established house church from its rented meeting space after three Christians distributed fans printed with Gospel messages near a school, according to local Christians.

Guangfu Church is a long-running house church in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province. Founded by Pastor Ma Chao in 2005, the congregation marked its 20th anniversary last year after a decade of repeated pressure from authorities in the city’s Baiyun District.

That pressure has included raids, confiscation of church property and restrictions on Pastor Ma. Last year, church members also reported surveillance cameras installed at the entrance, new fire-safety demands and pressure on believers to leave Guangfu and join the state-sanctioned Three-Self Church.

Gospel fans prompt police response

The latest incident began on the afternoon of Sept. 16, when Pastor Lv, a Guangfu Church pastor, and two female believers distributed fans printed with Gospel messages near a school in Guangzhou.

Police subsequently said they had received a report from the public accusing the three Christians of “promoting a cult.”

The next morning, officers from the Baiyun District Public Security Bureau called Pastor Lv several times without providing their full names or identification information. Police later brought the property owner to Lv’s residence and conducted a search, according to local Christians.

Another believer involved in distributing the fans also reportedly received repeated calls that day. Police ordered the individual to bring the fans to the public security bureau for investigation and verification.

Pastor Lv questioned why police were repeatedly contacting believers and their families based on what he described as a verbal report without supporting evidence. Police responded that handling such reports was “routine work” and instructed him to cooperate with the investigation.

That morning, police officers and local security personnel also went to the home of a believer in her 60s and to Guangfu Church’s regular meeting place. According to church members, authorities confiscated about 100 to 200 Gospel fans and roughly 100 canvas bags without providing documentation or receipts.

Around noon, local police instructed the building’s management office to require Guangfu Church to leave its rented space by 5 p.m. Despite having a valid lease, church members moved their belongings out that afternoon.

Guangfu Church has previously lost access to meeting space under government pressure. In October 2018, Guangzhou police shut down the church and issued a notice describing it as an “unqualified venue,” after officials had pressed the congregation to join the state-run Three-Self Patriotic Movement.

Believers questioned and threatened

On Sept. 18, the believers involved went to Toupi Police Station in Baiyun District for questioning. Two plainclothes officers questioned them at length about their personal backgrounds, church attendance, the congregation’s funding and its promotional materials.

Police accused them of “disturbing public order” and “illegal proselytizing” and warned that they could face administrative detention, according to the believers’ account.

When one believer refused to sign the police record and a written guarantee, an officer surnamed Liao reportedly became agitated and threatened to investigate the believer’s children and the schools they attended.

Police later produced printed copies showing the messages displayed on the fans. The believer signed a statement confirming that the material contained a Christian Gospel message and was then allowed to leave the police station.

As of Sept. 30, Guangfu Church had been forced from its rented meeting space, leaving the congregation facing uncertainty over where it could continue gathering.

Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.