Translated by China Aid Association
Announcement of Beijing Shouwang Church regarding the May 29 Outdoor Worship Service
May 30, 2011
Dear brothers and sisters,
Peace in Christ! May 29 marks the 8th Sunday for the outdoor worship service of Shouwang Church. Quite a few brothers and sisters continued to make appointments with each other in going to the location designated by the church to worship and to seek our Lord.
It was a sunny day on May 29. Most brothers and sisters who wanted to attend the outdoor worship began to be restricted at home on Friday evening just as before and they could not go out. Therefore, the number of people who could go out on last Sunday to this location designated by the church was several dozens of people. On this Lord’s Day, the police heightened their alert. Some groups held their Sunday worship separately at places near that designated location. Those brothers and sisters who intended to enter the platform or who went to places near the platform were taken away by the police there. According to our statistics, at least 22 brothers and sisters who held an outdoor worship on the Sunday morning were taken away. They were respectively sent to the 14 police stations that have jurisdictions over their localities. Though most brothers and sisters were relatively gently treated by the police, a few police officers in the stations were vicious in their manners, such as those in Haidian Police Station where they robbed the brothers and sisters of their cell phones and conducted body searches and other things. The father and brother of a sister of ours were called to come to Beijing. The authorities attempt to let the father and brother talk the sister into backing away from the outdoor worship. Another sister was directly sent to the residential compound where she lives and they ordered her to move out immediately. One new development in this incident is after the police brought a sister of ours directly from her home to the police station (Xibeiwang Police Station), they asked a sister in charge of the gathering site subordinate to a TSPM church to try to persuade her from going to the outdoor worship. The sister in charge of that site criticized this sister of ours and demanded that she join the TSPM church. She also advised the sister of ours not to join such an “underground church” as Shouwang Church. The 21 brothers and sisters were not released to go home until 12 midnight. The last sister was not released until noon on May 30.
We know that many of our brothers and sisters who tried to attend the outdoor worship service began to make preparations since Friday. During this period of time, many people went through the hardship or struggles that only God and they themselves know and they have truly realized how weak they themselves are. Thank God that by respectfully seeking guidance from the faithful Creator, many brothers and sisters triumphed over their weakness. It is just like what He has told us that if the faith does not meet challenges, we may never know ourselves. Without tests, one’s faith can hardly grow. May the faith in everyone of us “be more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:7)
We also must admit that man is weak. After eight outdoor worship services, we may feel tired and may sometimes unconsciously become lax in our spirits and actions. Therefore, in this continuing fight, we need all the more pray for our alertness, support each other, encourage each other and press forward with the extra strength and power given by the Lord.
May we continue to respectfully seek guidance and actions of our God and wait with confidence and expectation for Him to lead us out of this hard period. Since we know it is God who let us continue in this spiritual fight, we should do as the Lord says: “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. (Hebrew 10: 35-36)
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love and mercy of our heavenly Father, the fellowship and unity of the Comforter the Holy Spirit be with every brother and sister of Shouwang Church and brothers and sisters who are concerned for Shouwang Church and who are praying for Shouwang Church. Amen!
Beijing Shouwang Church
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org
