Dear brothers and sisters:
Peace in the Lord! On August 21st, Shouwang had her twentieth Sunday outdoor worship service. In the past week, many believers were detained at home since Saturday. On Friday night, a sister was taken to a hotel for detention, while a brother was taken to Jingsong Police Station for detention. Besides them, at least seven believers were taken away on Sunday morning for going to the planned location to join the service. They were then sent to at least seven local police stations of their respective area. Till 0:00 on the 22nd, seven believers were released home (including the two who were taken away on Friday night), and the other two believers were still under detention, respectively in Zhongguancun Police Station and Bigbell Temple Police Station. The last two believers were released around 19:00pm on the 22nd (Monday).
Believers detained at home were free to go out after noontime on Sunday, and many of them went to police stations to accompany believers who were detained there. Around 10:00pm on Sunday night, eleven believers were waiting at Zhongguancun Police Station as a brother was detained there; they lived out the love in the body of Christ. We hope to see that more believers will join them to accompany members who were under detention, and thus to suffer together as one body. As the Lord teaches us, by this love we have for one another, it will be clear to all men that we are his disciples.
If we count the time from April till Christmas in this December as the longest journey, we have gone through half of it. Without God’s protection and mercy, we would not be able to persevere in going out to worship until today. We know in our hearts deeply, “not as if we were able by ourselves to do anything for which we might take the credit; but our power comes from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5). If it is God’s will, he is able to end this journey and make us shout in his victory. But if it is his will for us to continue this journey, and to practice and experience the perseverance and hope as pilgrims, then let us pray that he will grant us this kind of perseverance and hope abundantly, so that we will forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, finishing the rest of this journey in victory with him.
May peace and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the mercy and love of Father God, and the console and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, be with each brother and sister of Shouwang Church and all the churches who remember Shouwang Church in prayers, from this time on and forevermore! Amen.
Beijing Shouwang Church
08/23/2011
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
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Website: www.chinaaid.org
