The current crackdown on churches in China, including Early Rain Church, Zion Church and Living Stone Church, has been described as the worst since the Cultural Revolution. Hundreds of Christians have been detained and some have been charged with national security crimes, while others have been ‘disappeared’. When released, they are often under house arrest or surveillance of some kind.

Sunday 7 July
Ask God to watch over the congregation of Early Rain Church in Sichuan, which has been the victim of a harsh crackdown beginning with a spate of arrests in December 2018. At the time of writing over ten church members are still in detention (including Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong), and many of those released are under effective house arrest.

Monday 8 July
Despite the intense pressure and targeting, we are still receiving stories of extraordinary faith from Early Rain Church, such as this update from one church member: ‘While inside, as soon as I thought about my wife and family (everyone in the church is family), I thought about us spreading the gospel in one accord. I couldn’t help but suddenly start praying out loud for them and thanking God for them. I was not afraid of anything. ‘The officer said, “Security is more important than anything.” I responded, “The value of a soul is greater.” Join us in thanking God for the incredible courage and faith of the church congregation at this time.

Tuesday 9 July
Over one million Uyghurs are now estimated to be confined in‘ re-education’ camps, where conditions are dangerously unsanitary and detainees are subject to beatings, sleep deprivation and solitary confinement. Although the mass detentions seem to be mainly driven by ethnicity, they have a clear religious element. Witnesses report detainees being required to renounce Islam and promise not to follow religion. Today, pray for an end to the government’s crackdown on religious minorities in China.

Wednesday 10 July
Pastor Su Tianfu of Living Stone Church was sentenced to one year of prison suspended for two years in April 2018. This means that currently, he is living at home under strict surveillance and with limited political rights – if the government feels that Pastor Su has violated the terms of this sentence after two years have elapsed, he will serve the one year prison sentence. Pray that Pastor Su will not have to serve this additional sentence.

Thursday 11 July
On 26 December human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang was put on trial for ‘subversion of state power’. He had spent over three years in incommunicado detention. His wife, Li Wenzu, was put under house arrest to prevent her from attending the trial. On 28 January 2018 the court found Wang Quanzhang guilty; he has been sentenced to four and a half years’ in prison and five years’ deprivation of his political rights.

Friday 12 July
In 2018, new Regulations on Religious Affairs came into effect that have further restricted freedom of religion or belief, and there has been a ban on minors attending church in some regions. Pray that these unnecessarily harsh restrictions would be lifted.

Saturday 13 July
Lord God, the situation in China seems increasingly bleak, but we know that you are watching over that country and its people, and so we commit them faithfully to you. We ask that you especially watch over those in detention who have been disappeared: that they would know your presence as an unfailing source of comfort and strength. Amen.