(Beijing – June 28, 2024) According to the “China at 5 PM” Kingdom Prayer Meeting, house churches across China have recently faced crackdowns. The latest news is that eight male believers from a house church in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, were administratively detained for “continuing activities in the name of a banned organization.” Four were detained for three days, three for five days, and one for ten days.

In late May, 16 local pastors from Yunnan province and three from Shandong province were taken away by police while meeting in Kunming. They were administratively detained for 10-15 days and have since been gradually released. A house church led by an elderly Christian surnamed Bai in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, has also faced a crackdown.

It is reported that Pastor Lian Changnian of Xi’an Church of Abundance has recently shown some recovery. When his lawyer met with Pastor Lian on April 28, they found that the pastor’s hair had turned completely white from being partially gray before imprisonment. His face was deeply wrinkled; he appeared mentally depressed and highly nervous, with abnormal expressions and behaviors. He would either support his head with his hand in changing directions or keep his head down. He spoke in a very low voice, answering only one out of ten questions, unable to express himself clearly. During the meeting, Pastor Lian suddenly stood up several times, appearing very fearful and uneasy. His lawyer and family were thus very concerned about his health.

However, in a recent lawyer visit, his physical condition was found to have improved. At the end of May, he even fasted and prayed for five days in the detention center. He told his lawyer that he was not on a hunger strike but fasting and praying because as a pastor he would not commit suicide. When the lawyer confused the names of Paul and Peter, Pastor Lian was able to correctly point it out, appearing mentally clear.