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| Officials often crackdown on house churches, such as this one in Guangzhou, Guangdong. (Photo: China Aid) |
China Aid
Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song.
(Dongguan, Guangdong—Dec. 22, 2016) A church’s landlord has been recently pressuring the congregation to relocate after it faced official harassment in China’s southern Guangdong province.
On Dec. 16, a house church leader in Dongguan said he received repeated calls from the church’s landlord, who has been persecuted by the government, asking the church to relocate. The leader, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, claims local authorities ordered the move and promised to publicize the story and travel to Beijing to petition if he continues to receive calls.
The church is hoping to keep renting the building through the Spring Festival, and the landlord has promised to help them achieve this.
In May, the local public security bureau, fire department, industrial and commercial sectors of government, and state-run cultural departments claimed the church didn’t follow safety regulations and required the owners to terminate their 6-year lease with the church. They also approached church leaders and asked them to join the Three-Self Church, but they refused. Additionally, officials investigated the church’s funding sources and performed background checks on its members.
China Aid reports abuses, such as those experienced by house churches in Guangdong, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom.
ChinaAid Media Team
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