Update on the Shouwang Church

Thank you for keeping the Christian church in China in your prayers.  As you may know, if you read our blog frequently, Shouwang Church has been suffering at the hands of the government now for months.  The Baptist Press and China Aid have posted the following update.

BEIJING (BP)--After a week of harsh restrictions by Chinese authorities, Shouwang Church saw a rise in people who were able to participate in its outdoor meeting July 10, which led to the arrest of at least 26 Chinese Christians.

Of those arrested at the 14th consecutive outdoor meeting were two women who are members of Xinshu Church and had joined the service, which must be held outdoors because Shouwang -- an illegal church -- was evicted from its leased meeting space by the government in April. The church members meet in an open-air plaza in northwest Beijing each Sunday.

All of those arrested were released by 2 a.m. the next day. According to a translated statement from Shouwang on ChinaAid.org, the open arms of fellow Christians met them as they were released from at least 14 police stations.

"We are very thankful that in front of each police station in which believers were detained, there were several believers praying and waiting for them, which greatly comforted believers detained inside," Shouwang said in its statement. "Through this, many believers deeply felt that we are not alone, we are not experiencing this as isolated individuals. We are experiencing this together during this particular period as a church."

The rise in attendance came after more-severe-than-usual restrictions the previous week due to the Chinese Communist Party's 90th anniversary. The July 20 service also included many who were worshiping there for the first time, said a statement from ChinaAid, a group that monitors religious freedom in China.

Shouwang, which is one of the largest house churches in Beijing with nearly 1,000 members, is not a legal church. Only churches that are registered with the government and are members of the Three-Self Patriotic Church are considered legal. However, with registration come regulations that forbid evangelism, Sunday School, and baptizing minors, said Bob Fu, president and founder of ChinaAid.  Full story here.