On Sunday, June 14, 2026, local authorities halted worship services at Early Rain Covenant Church and arrested church leaders, members and several children in Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province, southwestern China. About 70 government personnel stormed the conference room where members were meeting and forcibly took control of the gathering, detaining 33 believers for hours and pressuring them to sign what was described as a “guarantee letter” to stop them worshiping. Two church elders, Wu Wuqing and Yan Hong, were sentenced to two weeks of administrative detention.
Read MoreIn late April, Pastor John Cao, who served seven years in prison before his release in 2024, was diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer and a spinal tumor. He has remained under heavy surveillance since his release and has been prevented from reuniting with his family abroad. Christians and civil rights groups have called for the Chinese authorities to return his passport on humanitarian grounds so he can be with his family and receive better care. “This is as cruel as you can be,” said Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid.
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As U.S. President Donald Trump flew home from Beijing after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, we recorded this timely VOM Radio conversation with Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid, to provide a current update about our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in China. Chinese Christians are facing a new criminal charge for training up children in God’s Word. Such Christians were recently charged with violating the “administrative management law.” The government alleges these Christians are training children to undermine the government; authorities see teaching the Bible as a national security violation. Bob also provides an update on 18 Zion church members arrested in recent months. The lawyers representing the accused Christians were forced to leave, shutting down their law firm and intimidating other attorneys from defending Christians. Bob will provide updates to help you pray for Pastors John Cao and Wang Yi. He will share current news, including a cancer diagnosis, and how they continue to serve the Lord despite government control and imprisonment. You’ll hear more about China’s social credit system and how it is affecting believers’ ability to travel, spend money, and gather together. China is continuing to export oppressive surveillance technology to places like Iran, Burma, and Vietnam, and we already see Chinese tactics being implemented in other countries. Bob Fu is the author of God’s Double Agent (affiliate link). He says a new edition of the book is in progress, including updates on the situation for Christians in China since Xi Jinping rose to top leadership in the country. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and India, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.
Read MoreDuring an all-night prayer vigil on Dec. 14, 2025, hundreds of police officers who were mobilized from other counties stormed the Yayang Assembly church in the Wenzhou City area. Police forced out about 100 worshipers, sealed the church and began demolishing the church’s belltower with its cross as well as other parts of the building. Two senior church leaders, Lin Enci and Lin Enzhao, and as many as 20 other members were arrested on charges of organizing a criminal syndicate. The church had refused to comply with previous orders to display the national flag and remove the cross.
Read MoreOn Aug. 2, 2025, Li Guiwen, a Christian leader among the Lisu people group, was arrested for opening his home to other Christian villagers for prayer and worship. During the arrest, police confiscated Bibles, books, audio-visual materials and sheet music. Li Guiwen was found guilty of using an unapproved religious venue and conducting illegal religious activities and sentenced to six months in prison.
Read MoreIn the crackdown against Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church that began on Jan. 6, 2026, the children of the affected families have been left especially vulnerable. Elder Li Yingqiang and his wife, Zhang Xinyue, were apprehended by police in an early morning raid on their home and have remained in detention. Li Yingqiang has since been charged with “inciting subversion of state power”; charges against Zhang Xinyue have not been disclosed yet. Their two children, ages 11 and 14, were also taken into police custody in the raid and spent the night alone and frightened before they were released into their grandmother’s care.
Read MoreOn Jan. 6, 2026, members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, were subjected to a large-scale crackdown that involved searches of multiple church sites and homes. According to information released by the church and verified by multiple sources, several church elders, preachers, deacons and their family members were detained. The whereabouts of some individuals has been preliminarily confirmed while others remained unreachable. Among those arrested or detained are elder Li Yingqiang and his wife, Zhang Xinyue; preacher Dai Zhichao; the family of Brother Ye Fenghua; elder Yan Hong; preacher Wu Wuqing; and deacon Zeng Qingtao. Local police officers also appeared at a school operated by the church and ordered the landlord to clear the facility.
Read MoreHouse church leaders in China teach new believers that to be a faithful follower of Christ, one must be willing to suffer for his faith. Bob Fu led a double life in China, making his living as a teacher in a Communist Party school then working after school to lead people to Christ and build up China’s house churches. It wasn’t long before his own willingness to suffer was tested. Today, after fleeing to the West, Dr. Fu is one of the foremost voices for China’s persecuted church. This week he’ll tell us about his work and update us on a new wave of persecution in China, a wave that has extended beyond unregistered house churches and even into the Communist Party sanctioned Three Self Patriotic Movement. After listening to our conversation with Bob Fu, order a copy of his book, God’s Double Agent. Purchase God’s Double Agent at VOM Books: https://secure.persecution.com/p-5341-gods-double-agent.aspx?SOURCE=VOMRADIONT
Read More“Are you willing to go to jail for three years in order to keep working with us on this project?” It is an intimidating question, but those who secretly deliver Bibles to China’s Christians know that it is a very real risk. “Brother Joel” is one of VOM’s Bible distribution partners, helping deliver Bibles into every province of China. Every single year he asks each one of his workers that question: are you ready to go to jail to keep giving away Bibles? Listen in this week to learn about Joel’s work and how his workers answer that question. They aren’t worried about what their government says or does; they worry instead about what the Bible says and about reaching China for Christ. You’ll be encouraged and challenged as you hear what God is doing in China this week on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio.
Read MoreWe hear different things about the church in China. Some say the church is completely free; others will tell you that persecution is real and common. Where does the truth lie? Nick, one of our VOM international workers, recently returned from China and shares an update on the status of the church there and some personal thoughts about what it means to sit down with persecuted Chinese believers and hearing their stories, including the family of a pastor who is in prison right now.
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