Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: April 15, 2023
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. (Psalm 36:5)
Let’s remember God’s love and faithfulness as we pray for China this week.
Reports emerge of Alimujiang Yimiti’s release
If you’ve been supporting CSW for a long time, you may remember praying for a Uyghur Christian called Alimujiang Yimiti (known as ‘Alim’).
Last month, US-based organisation China Aid reported that Alim had been released from prison after completing a 15-year sentence. The house church pastor had been detained in 2008 and later sentenced on unfounded charges of ‘revealing state secrets or intelligence to overseas organisations.’
Thank you for your prayers and support over all these years. Please continue to pray:
- That Alim will be able to resume his life with his family and friends with no further harassment from the authorities.
- For accountability and transformation in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where the situation remains extremely concerning.
- Urgent prayer needed for Early Rain Covenant Church, Chengdu (See below)
According to a statement from the church on 26 March, three members of Early Rain have been detained, while many families have been subjected to forced evictions.
In a prayer request dated 19 March, the church described experiencing a ‘crazy wave of repression’, saying all of its preachers had been either detained, forced to leave Chengdu, or placed under surveillance. Many members have been threatened, intimidated and harassed.
In summary, please pray:
- For an end to the persistent crackdown on Early Rain Covenant Church. Pray that its members and leaders will be free to live and practise their faith without fear.
- For the immediate release of all who have been detained on account of their peaceful religious activities, including those from Early Rain Covenant Church, Linfen Golden Lampstand Church and Xi’an Church of Abundance.
- That the international community would hold China to account for its blatant violations of human dignity, freedom of religion or belief and other basic human rights.
P.S. Tomorrow we join Christians across the world in celebrating Orthodox Easter Sunday. Many may be particularly vulnerable at this time.
- Please pray for the safety of Orthodox Christian communities, particularly those in Egypt, Sudan, Turkey, Iraq and Eritrea – including Eritrean refugees living in countries where government agents continue to harass them.