(Chengdu, Sichuan Province – May 3, 2024) On the evening of April 24, 2024, a small group from Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church was studying the Bible at a Christian’s home in Wuhou District when police from Jinyang Police Station raided the gathering and demanded to register the identity information of everyone present. Approximately twenty people, including police officers, auxiliary police, community workers, neighborhood committee members, and property management personnel, surrounded the area and blocked the Christians participating in the Bible study from leaving. After a leader from Jinyang Police Station arrived at the scene, he stated that they had received a report from the public about gambling. The police demanded to register the identity information of every believer present, and even mothers with infants were not allowed to leave without registering. As this type of “so-called” law enforcement entering a home is illegal, the Christians present were unwilling to cooperate. The standoff lasted from around 9:30 p.m. to approximately 11 p.m. Later, information was gradually registered inside the Christian’s home, with some people being identified through facial recognition scans, and everyone gradually left for home.
In response, Early Rain Covenant Church issued a prayer request letter, revealing that the church had not experienced raids on small group Bible study meetings in homes for some time. The most recent persecution prior to this incident occurred on February 25, 2024, the traditional Chinese holiday of the 16th day of the first lunar month, when the church held its first offline Sunday worship service of 2024 in a hotel and conducted baptisms and communion. That day, two people were baptized, and ten believers decided to become members of Early Rain Covenant Church. After the Sunday worship service, Pastor Wu Wuqing was taken away by police from the Dongsheng Police Station of the Shuangliu District Branch of the Chengdu Public Security Bureau. Later that evening, Wu Wuqing’s family received a detention notice stating that Pastor Wu Wuqing had been administratively detained for 14 days by the Shuangliu District Public Security Bureau on suspicion of “organizing an illegal gathering.” Prior to that, on the afternoon of December 9, 2023, Pastor Dai Zhichao was taken away and criminally detained the following day on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” On the evening of January 9, 2024, Pastor Dai Zhichao was released and returned home after completing 30 days of criminal detention. His compulsory measure was changed to bail out pending trial for a period of one year. This means that he will face some “legal” restrictions over the rest of the year.
Early Rain Covenant Church stated that they are still unclear about the reasons behind tonight’s incident and whether there will be further persecution. They request prayers from fellow Christians, especially for the brothers and sisters who were disturbed tonight.
