ChinaAidFebruary 22, 2010
SHANXI–Members of Shuozhou Church have suffered uncertainty since 500 members were detained at a church gathering, and six members were criminally detained in November, 2009. Head pastor Gao Mao’s home was further ransacked and razed to the ground on November 20th, with the officials immediately planting trees on the property to hide the damage. (See the CAA report). In faith members have spoken out, as the case undergoes a review by the court has now been returned to the public security office who first submitted their case for further evidence. Following the church’s poignant Confession of Faith, released on February 8, 2010, one faithful woman in the church speaks on behalf of her fellow persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ:
My Life Experience at Word of Life Church
February 19, 2010
My name is Wei Lude; I am 42. In 1986, the Word of Life Church shared the Gospel with my parents, and since then, they determined to dedicate their lives to the Lord and have opened their house to serve the church members. In 1987, they shared the good news with me. I went through a seminar for a few days, which was about sins, judgment, and the salvation through Christ. After that, I realized that I was a sinner and believed that Jesus Christ is my personal savior. I was certain about my salvation and I tasted peace and joy.
In 1987, police in north Shanxi area massively arrested Christians; many brothers and sisters of the Word of Life Church got arrested. They were caught at home and sentenced to re-education through labor. Hence, many theology training and fellowship places became hidden, but the number of church members kept increasing. In 1989, I joined one of the theology training seminars. Based on the Bible it summarized seven main points: 1) The salvation through the Cross, which used the book “Sheng Ji He Can” as reference and talked about the life of Christ and the works of God Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; 2) The way to the Cross; 3) Recognize the adulteresses, which is to understand the mistakes of the Three-Self churches; 4) Establish churches; 5) Connection of the body; 6) Providing information; 7) Missions. After a few months, I had a systematic understanding of the truth in the Bible.
Praise the Lord, the Word of Life Church nurtured me in spirit and for 20 years I have grown while serving others. In recent years, the church survives under the persecutions from the Chinese government. Despite of the harsh circumstance, the church brothers and sisters spread the seed of the Gospel all around China. On November 18th 2009, five brothers of the church were arrested on the charge of involving cult. Thereby, I earnestly ask brothers and sisters to pray for the five brothers, and also pray for the repentance of the police in Shanxi.
~Wei Lude
Click here for a PDF version of Wei Lude’s Testimony, and for Shuozhou Word of Life Church’s Confession of Faith.
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