Seven House Church Leaders in Shandong Detained for Bible Study; One Pastor from Taiwan Expelled; One House Church Pastor Wounded

China Aid Association

Seven House Church Leaders in Shandong Detained for Bible
Study; One Pastor from Taiwan Expelled;
One House Church Pastor Wounded
Midland, Texas (May. 8, 2008)
China has been intensifying its campaign against the House
Church Chrsitians recently. CAA learned that in the morning of May 8(Beijing
Time), three house church leaders in Shandong province were detained while
organizing a Bible study group. One pastor from Taiwan was expelled from China immediately.
He will not be allowed to come back to China for 5 years. Meanwhile, four other
church leaders from the same province have been detained since the beginning of
May. One pastor from Jilin province was beaten up on May 4 for his independent
church activities.
According to eyewitness reports, at about 11:30am, about 30
church leaders from different provinces of China were raided at a rented house
at Qingzhou City Shandong province while having a three-day Bible study led by
a pastor from Taiwan. Over 20 officers from PSB and Religious Affairs Bureau of
both Weifang and Qingzhou city riding in 6 police viehcles carried the raid. They
declared the meeting is “illegal gathering” because it was not registered. All
of the church leaders were forced to register their ID numbers and home
addresses. 23 of them are students who are studying church worship music in a
school run by the local House Churches.
One local House
Church pastor told CAA after he was
released that 28 years old pastor Zhang Yongliang who is the organizer of both
the music school and the Bible study was detained along with his parents. When Zhang’s
father was beaten by the PSB during the raid, Zhang’s mom tried to talk to the
police, then both of them were detained for
the charge of “obstruction of justice.”
The PSB also confiscated all of the music instruments and
one computer from the church music school.
CAA also learned one House Church pastor in Yanji city, Jilin
province was beaten up and wounded on May 4. Pastor Hao Yuji was arrested by
the PSB of Yanji city while he was preaching in his church that day. He was
told by the PSB officials he should dissolve his church. When pastor Hao asked
why, he was beaten up. Both his head and chest were wounded. Pastor Hao left
the government sanctioned corrupted Three-Self church and eastablished a House
Church a few years ago.
Moreover, in Jiaxiang County Shandong province four House Church Christian leaders have been
detained. 25-yeaqr-old Ms.Qiao Lei and 24-year-old Ms. Wang Qin were arrested
at Yantun village, Wangtun town by the PSB of Jiaxiang Couty for being accused as
‘evil cult members”; on May 3, another two Christians Mr. Cao Guanggen and Mr
Jin Heshui(42-year-old) were also detained. All of the four are still being
held at the PSB office of Jiaxiang county.
Chinese government has been intensifying its crackdown
against House Church Christians recently because of the 2008 Beijing Summer
Olympics. CAA urges the Chinese government to immediately release these detained
innocent House Church pastors and believers.
© Issued by CAA on May 8, 2008.