China: House Church Leader Freed
Oct 02 2007
Postings >> China

A Beijing house church leader has been freed after spending three years behind bars for distributing Bibles -- and warned not to practise his faith.

Soon after Pastor Cai Zhuohua's release from Qianjin prison in Tianjin on September 10, Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers visited and took him to their offices. 'They warned him to be careful -- not to be interviewed, to obey the law and not attend religious activities,' said Bob Fu of China Aid. Cai now has to report to the PSB monthly.

Pastor Cai was jailed in 2004 after officials discovered more than 230,000 pieces of Christian literature in a storeroom that he managed. He was sentenced to three years in prison in November 2005 and fined about £9,000: his wife Xiao Yunfei was also heavily fined and jailed for two years. Her brother was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Only the government-sanctioned church is allowed to print and distribute Bibles in China.

Compass Direct reports that Cai is now at home in Beijing with his wife and his mother. His mother reported that Cai was well and in good spirits, despite having spent up to 12 hours a day in jail making footballs for the Beijing Olympics. She also said he was not allowed to have or read a Bible for his entire prison term.

7x7 reported on September 18 that church leader Zhou Heng was seized in August when he went to pick up a delivery of Bibles at a bus station in Xinjiang. Like Pastor Cai, he claims that the literature was intended for free distribution not for 'profit-making ventures' as the authorities insist. And like Pastor Cai, he has reportedly been beaten in jail.

Meanwhile, RI sources report that the health of a third imprisoned church leader is fading fast. Pastor Zhang Rongliang, serving seven-and-a-half years for 'illegal border crossing' and having an 'illegal' passport, is said to be so ill that, if he is not released on medical parole, he is likely to die behind bars. RI sources says that he can no longer walk unaided.

• Thank God for Pastor Cai's release. Pray that he and his family can continue their work unhampered. Pray for the immediate release of Pastor Zhou Heng.
• Pray that the Chinese authorities will grant medical parole to Pastor Zhang Rongliang. And ask God to heal him completely.