The Early Rain Covenant Church is a protestant house church in China that was banned back in 2018 because it was not willing to align itself and join the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Association. Since then, the church did not disappear but continued its work despite the ban and the continuous harassment by the authorities.

The latest atrocity happened on September 1, when dozens of police officers raided the Sunday worship of the church in Wuhou district, the southwestern city of Chengdu. The police officers intruded on the gathering of 50 believers, dispersed the gathering, and detained Pastor Li Yingqiang and three other lay leaders. Hongpailou police station accused the members of the church of

“engaging in religious activities without permission.”

The four detained leaders are under 14-day administrative detention, without a trial. It is a commonly used tactic of the police that serves the purpose of keeping the “bothersome elements” in control and trying to intimidate them.

Source: Radio Free Asia