On June 16, 2024, the “China at 5 PM” kingdom prayer meeting specifically prayed for 76-year-old Pastor Du Mingliang of a house church in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province. It was recently learned that Pastor Du Mingliang was criminally detained on March 15, 2021, charged with organizing others to illegally cross the national border, and sentenced to five years.

Du Mingliang’s wife, Wei Xiuping, now 73 years old, suffered a stroke after Pastor Du’s arrest. She is unable to take care of herself and has been visibly emotionally impacted. For years, church members have been taking turns to accompany and care for her day and night. Wei Xiuping recently visited the prison where Pastor Du said he was doing fine inside and urged Wei Xiuping to exercise more and take care of herself.

With the introduction of the gospel to Xinzhou over a hundred years ago, persecution of Christians has never ceased here. In 1883, British Baptist missionary Timothy Richard first preached in Xinzhou, and the gospel gradually spread to other villages and towns in Xinzhou. Missionaries established schools and hospitals in Xinzhou, bringing significant benefits to local people’s lives.

However, during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, the famous “Xinzhou Church Massacre” occurred where eight British missionaries and over forty Chinese Christians were killed inside the east gate of Xinzhou. They were buried in Nanguan, and later a monument was erected in their memory. Over the next hundred years, the missionary tombstones were destroyed multiple times and repaired by local Christians.

The century-old “Gospel Hall” built by Timothy Richard once served as a shelter for local residents during the Anti-Japanese War with the church providing free accommodation and food to refugees. In May 2011, the century-old Gospel Hall narrowly escaped demolition and conversion into a Buddhist retreat but was spared after protests.

Today, Pastor Du Mingliang is imprisoned for his faith.