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Ministers from Chinese church arrested, detained

Friends, late last week, two ministers, Chunzi Huang and Jiafu Qie, from Beijing Zion Church in China were arrested and detained by police without any warrant or official notification. This is not the church’s first encounter with persecution. In September 2018, the church—which was one of the cities’ largest churches—was banned after refusing city official’s request to install 24 surveillance cameras in their sanctuary for “security reasons.”

On April 30 and May 1, 2021, Pastor Ezra Jin released urgent letters to his congregation asking them to pray for the ministers and stating: “As we know, Chunzi and Jiafu are two examples facing the current storm, and there are many other members who are experiencing it together. We are grateful to be able to stand with such members and facing the difficulties together.”

He goes on to admonish the pastors and ministers: “Be cautious regarding going out alone recently. If you have to do so, please report to each other, and ask other brothers and sisters to pay close attention to you, making sure you stay in touch.”

An Open Doors local partner comments: “We do pray these two ministers would be released soon after 10 days of administrative detention. However, one local source points out that their arrest was intended as a warning to their senior pastor, Ezra Jin, who has remained very active in ministry despite the closedown of his church in Beijing in 2018. He is the one who needs our prayers.”

Join us in praying as Pastor Jin asked his congregation to pray:

“Pray for Minister Chunzi Huang, that the Lord gives her all the strength she needs. May the Lord make way for us, that we may hear information about her current situation as soon as possible.”

“Pray the Lord gives Brother Qie heavenly strength to be his witness in suffering. May the Lord strengthen him as He strengthened apostles of early churches.”

“Pray our country can indeed fill its responsibility of constructing democracy, protect the citizens’ right of freedom of belief as stipulated in the Constitution, abolish administrative regulations that violate the spirit of the Constitution, and bring fairness and justice as soon as possible.”

China ranks No. 17 on the 2021 World Watch List.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.