Release International

Public Security Bureau officials are keeping up the pressure on the Fushan Church in Linfen city – detaining ten more of its members and blacklisting its leaders.

Last month, officials offered to release ten leaders of Fushan Church in Shanxi province who were arrested on September 25. The Christians were detained after protesting about their church compound being demolished in a violent raid by police and officials (Prayer Alert, October 20, 2009). Dozens of church members were left seriously injured.

But when the detained Christian leaders learned that officials intended to hold one of their number, Pastor Yang Rongli, 'until further notice', they refused to leave jail without her.

Officials retaliated by detaining Pastor Yang's younger sister Yang Linli for six days, ransacking another pastor's home and arresting ten more leaders. Pastor Yang was then formally accused of 'illegal building and disturbing the social order' – as was another leader, Hua Mei. Five other church leaders were sentenced to criminal detention (a penalty for relatively minor offences, served out in a 'detention house' rather than in jail) – though three of them have since been released on parole. Nineteen members of Fushan Church are believed still to be in custody.

Meanwhile, Release has learned that Beijing pastor Hua Huiqi was released on October 10 after being forcibly removed from Beijing for the Communist Party's 60th anniversary celebrations last month (Prayer Alert, October 6, 2009). Pastor Hua, who was arrested on September 17, was warned by police on his release that his 13-year-old daughter would be harmed if he 'caused any trouble'.

Pastor Hua has appealed to Christians worldwide to pray for his ailing mother, Shuang Shuying, who has been persecuted and imprisoned in the past allegedly over her son's ministry. Another of Shuang's sons Hua Huilin, Pastor Hua's brother, is dying of cancer, according to Release partner China Aid.

(Sources: China Aid, Lectlaw.com, The Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

• Pray for the immediate release of all Fushan Church members. Pray that this church will have a powerful ministry in Shanxi.
• Pray for Pastor Hua and the whole of his family, especially his mother Shuang. Ask God to uphold them and surround them with His love amid all their trials.

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