Beijing Jiaquan Church’s founding pastor, Xianfeng Edward Cui, was formally arrested Oct. 23. Police first detained him during a Sept. 4 raid on the church that involved about 100 officers, his wife, Jin Young Gu, told The Associated Press. Charisma reports the charges are fraud tied to church offerings. The AP says they most likely trace back to the church being unregistered.
Cui started the congregation in 2006. Authorities sealed its worship space in 2019, so the members began meeting in small groups around the city. In 2023 officials broke up a Sunday class and told Cui to lead “only one church with fewer than 100 people.” His wife is a Korean national and says she hasn’t been able to get a visa back into China since 2023.
My take
You can seal a building, but you can’t seal up the Holy Spirit. That’s what the house churches in China keep showing the rest of us. When the doors closed, this church split into small groups and kept going, the same way the early church did in Acts. Pray for Pastor Cui’s release, for his wife while they’re apart, and for boldness and protection over every believer in China still gathering in Jesus’ name.
“Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison” (Hebrews 13:3).
God Bless, and Use the Source!
