(Fuyang, Anhui Province – February 20, 2024) According to an anonymous prayer letter, on January 18, at 10:00 AM, Christians Dai Chuanli, Wang Dandan, and Ma Jiahui from the Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church were taken away by police from the Fuyang Economic and Technological Development Zone Sub-bureau while leading the children of the church in singing hymns and prayer. On the noon of the 19th, police searched their homes, and each was given a 15-day administrative detention. This marks the third time Christians from this church were detained on the same grounds since September 2023. Other believers from the church also frequently face harassment from community management office personnel, including forced prying open doors and pressuring landlords to compel them to move.
The administrative penalty decision issued by the Economic and Technological Development Zone Sub-bureau of Fuyang Public Security Bureau states: Upon investigation, it is found that from December 2023 to the present, Dai Chuanli, Wang Dandan, Ma Jiahui, and others have been conducting activities in the name of “Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church” on the 2nd floor of Building 4 in Wanbei Mechanical Equipment Center in Fuyang Economic and Technological Development Zone. It is also found that “Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church” has been banned.
The Fuyang Public Security Bureau Economic and Technological Development Zone Sub-bureau, in accordance with the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security”, has imposed a 15-day administrative detention on these three Christians.
Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church is a Reformed family church in Fuyang, Anhui Province. The leaders of the church adhere to the stance of a family church, openly refusing to join the Three-Self Church. They were previously involved in signing the “A joint statement by Pastors: A Declaration for the sake of the Christian Faith” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi in 2018. As the government intensifies its crackdown on family churches nationwide, Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church continued to gather and persevered despite the challenges until it was eventually banned by the government.
On October 9, 2021, Elder Chang Shun of the church was forcibly taken away and detained for 10 days by the local police while praying and studying with fellow Christians in another believer’s home. Due to his non-vaccination status at that time, the detention was postponed until September 18, 2023. During this period, Chang Shun applied for administrative reconsideration multiple times, all of which were rejected. Just over a month after Chang Shun’s release from detention, on the evening of November 3, 2023, while he was out for errands, he was once again forcibly taken away by the local police station without notifying any family members. His wife, Li Yunyan, and their children anxiously waited at home, searching in vain. The next day, Li Yunyan went to the police station with questions and was informed that Chang Shun had been administratively detained for 15 days and fined ￥500 yuan($69 U.S dollars). At that time, two other co-workers from the church, Han Xuri and Han Meng, were also administratively detained for 10 days and fined ￥500 yuan each.
On the evening of October 21, 2023, when six or seven Christians from the church were studying the Bible in an office building, they were subjected to a joint raid by various departments, including the local police station, community management office, and religious affairs bureau. In this incident, the authorities took away the Christians’ books and computers without providing any seizure list. Several male believers were also taken to the local community management office, where they were detained until after 2 am in the morning before being released.
This anonymous prayer letter earnestly requests fellow Christians to pray for them, seeking God’s strength for them to face the hostility and injustice of the world with trust in God.
