Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
Washington, Sep 18: Christians gathered in Allen within the Dallas area of Texas to hold a dedicated prayer meeting for the pastors, preachers, and family members of China's house churches who have faced detention, sentencing, or strict state surveillance, according to a report by Bitter Winter.
The "Fasting and Prayer Day for the Persecuted Churches in China" was live-streamed on Zoom and YouTube. It was organized by a coalition of faith communities—including Early Rain Covenant Church/Early Rain Ministries, Zion Church, Harvest Chinese Christian Church, and China Aid—and hosted by Trinity Chinese Church and the Everlight Institute. Part of a monthly "9th-day fasting and prayer" initiative launched in January with rotating host cities, the event focused heavily on ongoing religious crackdowns in China.
Reports highlighted the plight of several detained leaders. Last October, police in China arrested pastors and coworkers from Beijing's Zion Church, keeping eight individuals—Gao Yingjia, Yin Huibin, Wang Lin, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng, Wang Zhong, and Wu Qiuy—detained for nearly 11 months. Participants shared the heavy emotional toll on families, noting that Elder Wang Zhong's father fell ill and passed away while the elder was in detention, preventing him from seeing his father for the last time.
In a virtual message, Beijing Zion Church’s acting senior pastor, Long Jiang’en, urged persecuted believers to remain courageous. He emphasized that such courage stems from steadfast faith and conscience rather than hatred or violence, calling on the global church to maintain unity and pray for their persecutors.
Attendees also prayed for Pastor Wang Yi of the Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church, who was arrested on December 9, 2018, and subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison on December 30, 2019, on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" and "illegal business operations." Serving his sentence in Sichuan, Wang Yi's release is scheduled for December 9, 2027. Prayers were additionally offered for Preacher Yang Rongli of the Linfen Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2025.
The event underscores growing international concern over religious freedoms in China. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that authorities across more than 12 Chinese cities introduced measures in the first half of 2026 to incentivize citizens to report religious activities deemed "illegal" by the state. Since President Xi Jinping launched the 'Sinicisation of religion' policy in 2016, Beijing has steadily intensified regulations and surveillance over religious life.