Chinese pastor detained

Pastor Shi Enhao has not been
heard from since his arrest in June.
(Photo: China Aid)

Pastor Shi Enhao, vice-president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was arrested on June 12 and hasn’t been heard from since, reports Release International, VOM’s sister mission in the UK.

Pastor Shi was first arrested on March 4 while he was preaching in Nanyang city. He was taken to Suqian city detention centre where he was reportedly beaten. He was released two days later.

Three days before Pastor Shi’s arrest, another Christian man and two Christian women were taken away from their church meeting in Hanzhen town by agents from the Domestic Security Protection Squad of Xiayi County. Along with Bibles and cash, the agents seized copies of a book entitled A Stormy Life by Pastor ”Bike” Zhang Mingxuan, president of the Chinese House Church Alliance. The Christians were interrogated for three hours, released, and warned not to associate with Pastor Bike.

VOM partner China Aid reports Pastor Shi was again detained on May 31. His house was raided the next day and police took various books and papers. A number of other church leaders were detained along with Pastor Shi, but most were released within 24 hours. Only Pastor Shi and a female leader, Chang Meiling, were given 12-day administrative-detention sentences.

The Sunday following the 12-day detention, Pastor Shi was released from custody but never made it home. Sources report he was immediately rearrested and taken to an unknown location. No word of him has been heard since.

Additional details regarding Pastor Shi’s sentence are available in China Aid’s full report here.

You can help by praying!

• Pray Pastor Shi would, as the apostles, rejoice that he was counted worthy to suffer dishonor for His name (Acts 5:41).
• Pray that those he was preaching to at the time of his initial arrest would be drawn closer to God.
• Pray for Pastor Shi’s safety and release.