On Oct. 29, China Aid Association (CAA) reported that since the end of the Olympics in Beijing, cases of religious persecution have increased.

CAA has received reports of intensified religious persecution in Beijing, Heilongjiang, Yunnan and Shangdong provinces. In Beijing, Pastor “Bike” Zhang Mingxuan and his family members have been evicted from their home, beaten and arrested. In Heliongjiang province, one city called Yichun recently banned all house churches, CAA reported. In Yunnan province, some house church members were attacked right after the Olympics. In Shandong province, Pastor Zhang Zhongxin was sentenced to two years of re-education through labor, and after the Olympics his appeal was denied, according to CAA.

Meanwhile, CAA has learned that 29 house church leaders have been serving time in labor camps and prisons in Henan province since July 2007. They are accused of being “evil cult” members. One leader was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, which is the harshest sentence against a house church leader in recent years, besides Pastor Zhang Rongliang, who was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in 2004, for allegedly “attempting to illegally cross the border and forgery of an official document,” CAA added.

The Voice of the Martyrs stands with and actively supports Christians in China. VOM encourages you to pray for Christians in China who are facing immense challenges. VOM actively supports Christians in China through Christmas Care Packs and with Christian literature like the Gospel storybook, He Lived Among Us. Pray the Holy Spirit encourages and protects believers as persecution increases in China.