Shandong House Church Raided, Hymnals and Cross Confiscated

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

SHANDONG PROVINCE, CHINA (ANS) — China Aid Association (CAA) reports that on September 20, 2008 at 9:30 a.m., about 20 plainclothes officers raided City Glory Gospel Church in Yantai, Shandong province.

According to CAA, officers forced members of the house church to register their names and leave the meeting site. Authorities also confiscated the property of the Christians, including the collection box, a large cross, Bibles and hymnals. Officials told the church members they had been tipped off about the meeting.

CAA says Pastor Liu and his wife, who were visiting from Taiwan, were speaking on prayer and parent-child relationships to the approximately 60-member congregation when the meeting was raided. Section Chief Sun Jing from Yantai Municipal Bureau of Religion and Director Sun Liping from Zhifu District Bureau of Religion showed their identification. Other officials were present, including the Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau of Religion and authorities from the Public Security Bureau and Bureau of Security. Four of the officials were holding camcorders and cameras.

Pastor Liu, his wife and one church member were each taken to different rooms for more than two hours of interrogation. Afterwards, police demanded Pastor Liu and his wife no longer have contact with the church, CAA said.

CAA explains that law enforcement officials took the hard disk from one church member’s computer and copied all the content. They also seized the collection box, a large cross, 15 Bibles and 42 hymnals.