Chinese bookstore owner sentenced

As many of you know, every Wednesday VOMC sends out The Persecution and Prayer Alert, a weekly news digest on the Persecuted Church and how you can respond.

As one of the staff members involved in writing and assembling the P&P Alert, I can tell you that it's not always easy to narrow down the "top" stories from the flood of persecution reports we receive. Another challenge we face, of course, is that stories don't come in according to our schedule. Sometimes we'll receive key news just after signing off on our completed P&P Alert. Such was the case today, when ChinaAid released breaking news about Shi Weihan, a Christian bookstore owner whose story we've been following since he was first arrested in November 2007. But, once again, I'm reminded of how useful the internet can be in getting news out in a remarkably up-to-date manner. Here's the ChinaAid release:

Yesterday, June 10 (Beijing time) the court sentenced Christian Shi Weihan to three years in prison with a 150,000 Yuan fine ($22,000 USD). He was sentenced on the charge of "illegal business operation" for printing and distributing Bibles at no cost. More news coming soon. Please watch for the latest updates.

Please continue to keep Shi Weihan and his family in your prayers at this time. Ask God to equip him to remain steadfast in faith as he suffers for righteousness' sake (Revelation 2:10). Pray too that God will sustain Shi's body, as prior reports mentioned that he was struggling with serious heath issues in prison.