Shandong Church Member Account of Persecution

China Aid Association
Facts and How the Incident Happened
September 28, 2008
We are members of a house church in Yantai, Shandong province (City Glory Gospel Church) and our church was founded in May 2007. From the beginning of 2008, we began to rent the meeting room on the fourth floor of the guest house of Bureau of Machinery of Yantai. Currently, we have about 60 people on every Sunday. We planned to hold special gatherings on September 20 and September 21, 2008 (Saturday and Sunday) as we would invite Pastor Liu and his wife from Bread of Life Church of Taipei to give us a sermon on how to pray, group training and parent-child relationships, etc.
At 9:30 on the morning of September 20, 2008, about 20 law enforcement officers in plain clothes broke into the meeting room without permission. Section Chief Sun Jing from Yantai Municipal Bureau of Religion and Director Sun Liping from Zhifu District Bureau of Religion showed their identifications. Other people include deputy director of the Municipal Bureau of Religion, people from the Public Security Bureau and Bureau of Security. Four of them were holding camcorders and cameras. They said that they had been tipped that people from outside the area were conducting training here. Without our permission, they took out the hard disk of my notebook computer and copied all the content there. They also registered all the people who were attending the gathering. After the registration, they demanded that we immediately leave the site.
Pastor Liu, his wife and I were taken to a different room for an interrogation that lasted over two hours. The two levels of people from bureaus of religion interrogated us, made a written record and signed the documents. Another person from the Public Security Bureau who never showed his/her identification asked me about matters concerning the invitation of the Taiwanese pastor. The interrogation was also recorded in the written form and signed. They demanded that Pastor Liu and his wife must not have contact with me. They later left Yantai peacefully.
The law enforcement people from the Bureau of Religion demanded that they seize on the temporary basis the collection box, the large cross, 15 Bibles and 42 copies of Hymns. I cooperated with them in an active manner and indicated my willingness to sign on the “Notice of Registered and Stored Objects.” By this time, the people who had gathered in the meeting room were already asked to leave. A little over 10 believers were downstairs where two public security officers were keeping the gate.  The Public Security Bureau told the guest house not to open the door of the meeting room again as it had already been sealed. By this time, we still have not got back our electronic keyboard, two music stands, drinking machine, earphone mics, three basketballs and other objects.
Yesterday, that is, September 27, we received from the District Bureau of Religion: “Notice of Hearing on Administrative Penalty” and “Notice of Administrative Penalty.”
At noon today, the District Bureau of Religion notified me that the charge on us is setting up a gathering site without approval. They also said they would confiscate the collection box, the cross and the hymns. They have returned to me the 15 Bibles.
Lingyi Kong
City Glory Gospel Church
Tel: 13081640219   15865640304
Appendix:
Zhifu District Bureau of Ethnic Religious Affairs of Yantai Municipality
76, Shifu Street, Zhifu District, Yantai
Tel: 0535-6215520
Director Sun Liping
Yantai Municipal Bureau of Ethnic Religious Affairs
17-3, W. Yuhuangding Road, Yantai
Tel: 0535-6252597
Fax: 0535-6240140
Director Qu Xiangwen
Section Chief Sun Jing: 0535-6240113
Zhifu District Bureau of Ethnic Religious Affairs of Yantai Municipality
Yan Zhi Min Zong Han [2008] No. 1
September 28, 2008
Lingyi Kong,
The investigation conducted by our bureau according to law on the case involving the Christian gathering site established without proper approval in the meeting room on the fourth floor of the guest house of Bureau of Machinery of Yantai (26, Hongyuan Lane, Zhifu District, Yantai) is now over.  Based on our study, this bureau has made the following decision on the objects registered as stored (for details, please see ‘Notice of Registered and Stored Objects’) We will confiscate one collection box, one cross (made of wood), 27 copies of “Praising the Lord,” and 15 copies of “Hymns.”  15 Bibles will be returned to you.  The penalty decision statement of confiscating one collection box, one cross (made of wood), 27 copies of “Praising the Lord” and 15 copies of “Hymns” will be issued after the deadline of the application for a hearing.
Zhifu District Bureau of Ethnic Religious Affairs of Yantai.
Notice of Registered and Stored Objects
September 20, 2008
Lingyi Kong,
As for the case involving “holding religious activities at a non-religious site and accepting religious donation,” it is decided to register and store the following objects of your work unit pursuant to Clause 2, Article 37 of the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administrative Penalty.”  Time of storage: seven days from September 10, 2008; location of storage: ____________; manner of storage: _____________.  During this time, the following objects may not be used, sold or moved to another location and they must not be changed from their original status.
1.  One collection box and one cross (made of wood)
2.  Bibles, Praising the Lord, Hymns and other religious promotional materials.
3.  15 Bibles, 27 copies of “Praising the Lord” and 15 copies of “Hymns.”
I have read the above document and I agree with it.
Lingyi Kong
Notice of Administrative Penalty
September 27, 2008
                  Yan Zhi Min Zong Gao Zhi (2008) No. 1
Lingyi Kong,
The investigation conducted by our bureau according to law on the case involving the Christian gathering site established without proper approval in the meeting room on the fourth floor of the guest house of Bureau of Machinery of Yantai (26, Hongyuan Lane, Zhifu District, Yantai) is now over.  Pursuant to Articles 31 and 32 of the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administrative Penalty,” you are hereby notified of the facts, grounds and basis of the administrative penalty imposed by this bureau:
Pursuant to Articles 13 and 15 of the “Regulations on Religious Affairs” of the State Council which provides that people who intend to establish a site for religious activities should apply for review, approval and registration as provided by law.  It is found through investigations that the site for Christian activities you established in the meeting room on the fourth floor of the guest house of the Bureau of Machinery of the city never went the proper procedures of review, approval or registration.  Based on the above facts and pursuant to Article 43 of the “Regulations on Religious Affairs” of the State Council, this site for Christian activities should be abolished according to law and the cross, the collection box, “Praising the Lord” and the “Hymns” shall be confiscated.
You have the right to make a statement and make your arguments on this matter and your punishment will not be increased because you argue your case.  If you demand to make a statement or arguments, you should submit your application within three days of receiving this notice.
Notice of Hearing on Administrative Penalty
                               Yan Zhi Min Zong Gao Zhi (2008) No. 1
September 27, 2008
Lingyi Kong,
Your (your work unit) conduct of establishing a site for religious activities without proper approval in the meeting room on the fourth floor of the guest house of the Bureau of Machinery of Yantai (26, Hongyuan Lane, Zhifu District of Yantai) has violated Articles 13 and 15 of the “Regulations on Religious Affairs” of the State Council.  Pursuant to Article 43 of the “Regulations on Religious Affairs” of the State Council, this bureau is planning to make the following decisions on you (your work unit): 1) abolish the site for religious activities established in the meeting room on the fourth floor of the guest house of the Bureau of Machinery of Yantai (26, Hongyuan Lane, Zhifu District, Yantai); 2) confiscate the cross, collection box, Praising the Lord and Hymns found within this site.
Pursuant to Article 42 of the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administrative Penalty” and the “Implementation Methods of Hearing Procedure on Administrative Penalty of Shandong Province,” you (your work unit) has the right to a hearing.  If you request a hearing, please apply for it at this bureau within three days of receiving this notice.  Failure to apply by the due date shall be regarded as a forfeiture of the right to the hearing.
         Address of this bureau: 76, Shifu Street, Zhifu District, Yantai.
         Tel: 6215520