Religious Liberty Prayer List - No. 223 - Mon 09 Jun 2003

--------------------------------------- CHINA: UPDATE ON PASTOR GONG SHENGLIANG ---------------------------------------

Pastor Gong Shengliang is the founder and senior pastor of the South China Church (SCC), an evangelical house-church fellowship with some 50,000 members across several provinces. In April 2001, the Communist government in China banned the SCC, labeling it an 'evil cult'. In the crackdown that followed, hundreds of church leaders were arrested, more than 500 SCC full-time evangelists had their homes and property confiscated, and thousands of SCC members were persecuted, fined, beaten and harassed. In December 2001, Pastor Gong was sentenced to death in a secret trial for 'using an evil cult to undermine the enforcement of the law'.

An international outcry forced the government's hand and Pastor Gong was not executed. He was retried in October 2002. Female SCC prisoners were tortured until some 'confessed' that Pastor Gong had raped them. Despite the women recanting, saying they were under duress, their 'confessions' were admissible in court. Pastor Gong is now serving a life sentence on charges of multiple rape.

The WEA RL Prayer ministry has followed Pastor Gong's case from the start and receives many requests for updates about him. Mr Xiqiu (Bob) Fu, the president of China Aid Association, reports that Pastor Gong is weak and in poor health due to endless torture. He is being brainwashed in prison with endless political studies, and is not allowed a Bible. Pastor Gong says he is 'walking through the valley of death'.

Please pray for Pastor Gong Shengliang and consider writing to him. His address is: Middle Correction Section, Jingzhou Prison, Jingzhou city, Hubei province, 434100 CHINA. You could send a colourful postcard depicting where you are located.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR

* China's leader - Hu Jintao (Proverbs 21:1) - that he will hear the gospel and be transformed by the Holy Spirit to be used as an instrument of God for good in China.

* the Communist government to relinquish its control of religion so that religious freedom becomes a reality, with Christian evangelistic activity and worship no longer criminalised.

* the emotional, physical and spiritual well-being of all China's religious prisoners, who (like Pastor Gong) are mostly imprisoned on criminal charges; may the ever-present Holy Spirit deal with their shame, heal their injuries and despair, comfort and teach their hearts and increase their faith.

* 'a mighty flood of justice' (Amos 5:24 NLT) in China, so that prisoners like Pastor Gong, Pastor Guoxing (Philip) Xu, and many, many other Chinese Christian prisoners - humble men, women and youths - might be released from their cells and labour camps in a reform of the system.

'Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare ask or even hope.' Ephesians 3:20

--------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: China is a most strategic nation. The day it opens up to full religious freedom will see reform start throughout Communist East Asia, and the world's largest missionary force will begin to mobilise. (Eph 6:12) ---------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE: ------------------------------------------------------------ CHINA AND PASTOR GONG SHENGLIANG

Pastor Gong Shengliang is the founder and senior pastor of the South China Church (SCC), a house-church fellowship with some 50,000 members. Pastor Gong is one of China's many hundreds of imprisoned believers, mostly detained on criminal charges for 'illegal worship'. In his case, rape charges were fabricated on 'evidence' extracted with torture from imprisoned SCC women. Pastor Gong is now very weak and ill due to being severely tortured. He is also being brainwashed and is not allowed a Bible. Please pray for religious freedom to come in China, and for justice, strength and comfort for the imprisoned, suffering believers.

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The WEA Religious Liberty Commission sponsors this RL Prayer List to help individuals and groups pray specifically and regularly for religious liberty issues, and in particular to uphold the Church where it is suffering persecution.

RL Prayer is moderated by Ron Clough, a commissioner of the WEA RLC and convenor of the Australian EA RLC.

Elizabeth Kendal researched and authored this message.

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