Premier
By Hannah Tooley
■ A house church in China is continuing to meet, despite being ordered to leave their building, according to China Aid.
The Christian charity has reported that the group, central Henan province, was told to leave their premises by 25th September and destroy any “illegal structures.”
The church is still meeting each day, despite the threat of arrest by authorities.
China Aid has reported that government departments have told members of Emmanuel Church that they did not have the right documents to meet legally.
Zhao, the woman in charge of the church, said that the local religious affairs bureau had given the Christians a three day warning to leave.
She said: “If we don’t move they said they will throw away our materials, seats, and quite a lot of our other things.”
The Communist government said Emmanuel Church, which is unregistered, could join the Three-Self Patriotic Movement instead, which is part of an officially recognised network of churches governed by the Communist Party.
Emmanuel Church members said no.
However despite the threats Zhao has confirmed the church is still meeting each day, either gathering at night or going outside to study the Bible and pray as a group.
About the Author
Hannah Tooley
Hannah works as a multimedia journalist at Premier.
ChinaAid Media Team
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