Replies

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07030032.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Thirty-Four Chinese House Church Leaders and Three Church Leaders from South Korea Arrested in Chinese Province of Henan

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

MIDLAND, TEXAS / HENAN PROVINCE, CHINA (ANS) -- Local police raided a house church Bible study in Wancheng District, Nanyang city, Henan province on March 6, 2007. Thirty-four Chinese Christian leaders and three church leaders from South Korea were taken to the police station for interrogation.
According to eyewitnesses, the raid happened around 2:00 p.m. (local time) when these Christian leaders from Chinese House Church Alliance were having their Bible study with three pastors from South Korea.

Pastor Dong Quanyu was one of those arretsed in the police raid.
Policemen from the Public Security Bureau (PSB) of Nanyang city broke into the house of worship, which is the home of pastor Dong Quanyu who is the vice-President of Chinese House Church Alliance.

Background on Chinese House Church Alliance

According to information posted on the CAA website, the vision of the China House Church Alliance is "to serve the multitude of house churches that are in need in the name of Jesus Christ."

The site states: "The work they are involved in includes: Biblical training, building up of churches, establishment of orphanages, adopting street urchins, caring for the elderly, literary services, kindergartens, mission to the minority nationalities, serving refugees from North Korea, providing legal counseling and assistance to the persecuted brothers and sisters. "

The CAA website also stresses: "We know that the Alliance cannot fully satisfy the variety of needs listed above. But we would humbly come before God and beseech that He fulfill these jobs with His almighty hand. We ask all our brothers and sisters and coworkers to pray for the work of the Alliance, and invite brothers, sisters, and churches sharing the same mission to join in our ranks."

The site explains that the biggest need emerging from churches everywhere is that their leaders and younger believers need some training and education. The majority of them have started service after they accepted Jesus as their Savior. They lack the opportunity of receiving systematic and comprehensive theological education, and thus face significant challenges in their service. Right now the Alliance has four schools for Biblical education.

"In cities throughout China," the site says, "you can easily come across quite a few street urchins in train stations and bus stations. The street urchin service of the Alliance is to provide a warm home for these children so they won’t wander in the street, and to feed and clothe them and let them hear the Gospel. At present there are 18 children living in such homes of God's love."

Every pastor of the Alliance is actively involved in the eternal work of building up churches. The aim of the Alliance was to establish 1,000 churches in the year 2006.

Currently about 15 percent of China's population is around the age of 60, while the average life-span of the Chinese is 70, the site says.

"Therefore the majority of these elderly people will not have the opportunity of receiving the Gospel. Moreover, the majority of the younger generation has discarded their responsibility of supporting and caring for their elder parents due to deterioration of morality. Some elderly people simply live on without being cared for as if they never had any children, while China has not set up the social security system for the service of these millions of elderly people. The Alliance thus has established a Home for the Elderly to help such old folks. In the Home, the oldest resident is 103 years of age, and the majority of the rest are around 80 years old. Ninety percent of the old people have accepted Jesus Christ after they were admitted to the Home for the Elderly."

Access to spiritual books is very constructive to Chinese Christians, the Alliance says. The Alliance is engaged in distributing books it has collected to the people who need them.

The Alliance also says Chinese law prohibits preaching the Gospel to anybody under the age of 18.

"There are 300 million children in China. In a good number of home churches there is no worship oriented toward the youth since we do not know how to influence the children. The believers' children refuse to come to the church or participate in worship and service. So we are facing two challenges: extend our hands to help the 300 million children and to educate the believers' children. Please come and help us."

The Alliance also has a Mission in the Minority Nationalities Regions of China.

"There are more than 100 million people living in the minority nationalities regions of China. It is not easy to preach the Gospel to them since they live mainly in remote and mountainous localities, or they are Moslem. This presents substantial challenge. Now the Alliance is serving 12 of the dozens of minority nationalities."

It is also involved in working with North Korean Refugees.

"About 2 million North Koreans have fled their country to seek refuge in China. They cannot return for fear of facing severe punishment or even death if they do so. They cannot understand Chinese. The Chinese government does not honor U.N. conventions to treat them as refugees and often repatriate these North Koreans. The Alliance is now doing something to help these refugees."

Furthermore, the Alliance provides a Legal Counseling and Assistance Service.

"The multitudes of China House Churches are often being persecuted due to their faith and courageous preaching of the Gospel. This issue is no longer a secret. The Alliance will provide legal counseling and assistance to those believers who are under persecution."

As part of its mission statement, the Alliance says it: "will faithfully accept the vision that God presents to China, that is to spread the Gospel back to Jerusalem. Between China and Jerusalem lie the great Arabic nations. The Alliance has been prepared to herald this holy mission and train workers to do mission work in the Arabic nations. And the Alliance is willing to work with burdened brothers and sisters so we can jointly achieve this sacred mission."

Pastor Bob Fu, the president of China Aid Association has urged the Chinese government "to immediately release these innocent Chinese and Korean church leaders." You may show your concern by contacting the PSB office of Nanyang City:

Police Special Squad Director Mr. Chang Keying: +86-13837767278 (cell phone)
Deputy PSB Director Mr. Lu (on religious affairs): +86-13603778696(cell phone)
PSB office Tel: +86-377-63311110

More information:
China Aid Association, Inc.
Fax: (432)-686-8355
E-mail: info@ChinaAid.org
Website: www.chinaaid.org/
See also: www.monitorchina.org/
Contact: Bob Fu (267) 205-5210

** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.