For years you’ve been praying faithfully for the community of Early Rain Church in China. Now, as they face the additional challenges posed by the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re asking you to remember them again. A letter from the church details what life is like for them at this time.

On Easter Sunday, at least six leaders of the church were taken from their homes and their electricity was cut off, after government officials learned they were joining an online church service. And this was just one incident in years of intrusive government surveillance and harassment the church has endured.

Recently a letter has been widely shared on Chinese social media describing the church members’ experience. The letter is by Brother Zhou,¹ a member of Early Rain.

Brother Zhou said:

Three families from our church are under guard. The guards stayed in Brother Guoqing’s home, and he had to keep the bedroom door open when he slept. They meticulously recorded all the details of his life in a small notebook, including how many times he went to the toilet.

We used to study the Bible, pray and worship, and enjoy meals together at Aunt Xu’s house. But after 12.9 [9 December 2018, when many church members were arrested], we couldn't go anymore… [Still] this husband and wife are enthusiastic in preaching the gospel to the police and the authorities.

Sometimes they saw the guards standing by the trash can to eat, bitten by mosquitoes in summer, and almost frozen in winter… The couple felt compassion. Sometimes they give hymns to the guards, sometimes they give food, sometimes they give the Bible...This is the way Christians express their love... 

Our three families have now been under guard for more than 480 days... But gradually, some of the guards showed a little compassion. And one said, ‘Someone has been promoted because of you!’ Another said, ‘Thank you for creating a job for me that pays five thousand a month.’

Jesus was interrogated, convicted, whipped, teased, spurned and mocked, and finally crucified, died and was buried… If it were not for believing in God, we would not have joy, peace, patience, and hope even in all kinds of humiliation, intimidation, and suffering.

In December 2018 Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong were detained, along with over 100 other church members, after he criticised the government’s policy towards independent churches such as his. He received a nine-year prison sentence in December 2019. Jiang Rong and many others have been released on bail, but some remain in detention or under house arrest.

A prayer for the police

‘But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.’ Matthew 5:44-45a 

In a remarkable act of obedience to Jesus’s words in Matthew 5, Brother Zhou wrote a prayer for the police who are in his home.

Lord, we pray for the police [in China]. Lord, you give them the authority and power - let them use it properly. We pray that the Lord will give them an upright and righteous heart and let them work in accordance with the laws and regulations, not just the command of their leaders. We pray that the Lord will give them a brave heart and that they will dare to say no to the darkness! We pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Pray 

Use Brother Zhou’s prayer above to pray for the police who are guarding the homes of members of Early Rain Church.

¹ Name changed for security reasons.