China Aid Association
(Qiaotou town, Anhui – Aug. 14, 2011) A house church summer camp for children in Anhui province was surrounded by 100 local authorities, who detained the pastor and three ministers, ChinaAid has learned.
Officials from the local Religious Affairs Bureau, the Qiaotou Township government, the Public Security bureau and local police stations and traffic police descended upon the camp, at the residence of Pastor Lu Jingxiang, at 6 a.m. Thursday Aug. 11 and surrounded the area.
Qiaotou is in Mingguang city, which is part of the Chuzhou prefecture level city of coastal Anhui province.
Pastor Lu and the three ministers were taken to the local police station for holding an “unregistered, illegal meeting.” The principal of the town elementary and high school recorded the names of all the children in attendance.
Pastor Lu was released the same afternoon, and the three out-of-town ministers were also later released.
The evening before the raid, local officials spread rumors that Pastor Lu had hidden drugs and cult members in his home.
Pastor Lu is a member of the Chinese House Church Alliance and has been pasturing this house church for many years. In early July, the Chuzhou police came to question Pastor Lu and warned him not to invite out-of-town ministers to conduct training or to preach.
ChinaAid expresses its regret over the increasingly difficult hardships suffered by house churches in China and keeps this matter in prayer. At the same time, ChinaAid urges the Chinese government at all levels to realize that the church is bringing to Chinese society true harmony and real cultural progress.
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
