Chinese Police Detain Eleven Elderly Christians From Early Rain Covenant Church
Chinese police detained eleven elders of Early Rain Covenant Church on September 10 as they met privately at a teahouse to discuss church matters, part of a renewed crackdown on the underground congregation. Most of those detained were in their seventies, including 73 year old He Futao, who has a history of lung cancer surgery and needed emergency medical treatment during his detention. Police told the group they were investigating a cult.
Nine of the eleven were released by the morning of September 14. Two, identified as Elder Wu Wuqing and Brother Shen Xiaoqing, were sentenced to ten days of administrative detention and fined for illegally organizing proselytizing activities. Early Rain has faced nearly a decade of harassment since a 2018 crackdown that saw 160 believers arrested and its founding pastor, Wang Yi, sentenced to nine years in prison. The church, which now numbers over 500 members, was also raided earlier this year in January and June.
