Family of Beijing pastor calls for his safe return and requests prayer

VOMC partner ChinaAid recently released a report regarding the recent incarceration of prominent Chinese pastor Hua Huiqi. VOMC staff are planning to report on this story in the next edition of our weekly email news service, The Persecution and Prayer Alert. To subscribe to this service, click here.

September 22, 2009 BEIJING -- ChinaAid received this letter from the Hua Family, urging fellow believers to pray for Pastor Hua Huiqi's release and safe return:

A Prayer Request to Christian Brothers and Sisters All Around the World

September 19, 2009

Dear Christian brothers and sisters, Peace be with you! My name is Wei Ju Mei. My husband Hua Huiqi became a Christian in 1989. Since he converted to Christianity, he has been constantly threatened, oppressed, detained and arrested by the Chinese police. The National Day is coming; on September 17, 2009 my husband was arrested by the Beijing Fengtai police. We haven’t heard anything about him until now.

Since he became a Christian in 1989, Huiqi has dedicated himself to the Lord’s Commandments and served Christian brothers and sisters from all around the nation. In recent years, he took good care of the visitors from the localities, appealing to the authorities in Beijing for help, regardless of their religious beliefs. Through his service, some non-believers accepted Christ; however, the police consider his acts to be disturbing the society. The police exhausted all despicable tricks to stop Huiqi from helping Christian brothers and sisters. Huiqi did not yield; instead, he operated a training seminar with some other Christian coworkers in early 2009. The seminar is also called Tentmaker Fellowship, a Gospel ministry using the method of screen printing to print Bible verses on cloths, paintings, hand bags and etc. The purpose is to let more people see the words of God in daily life. In addition, the ministry has created working opportunities for the disabled and unemployed Christian brothers and sisters.

Unfortunately, less than a year since the ministry started, the rented spot (Daxing area) for the seminar was broken into by the local police. The police told Huiqi and his Christian coworkers that what they did is illegal and that all their belongings should be taken away. They strongly asked the police for legal documentation, but the police said “the neighbors reported that you have disturbed the neighborhood. You must move away in one week,” and left.

On the morning of September 17th 2009, Huiqi came back home from another town; two police named Ge and Ding Xu blocked him at our home. Huiqi told them, “The apartment we rent in Daxing area is not due till December. I will have to ask the landlord to return rent money from October to December”. Police Ge said, “Don’t worry. The officials from Pubic Safety Bureau of Beijing and Taifeng District are discussing this issue.” The police refused to let Huiqi leave home from 10:00 AM to the afternoon. At 6:00 PM, Officer Ge told him, “My boss requests you to dine with him; he will discuss with you the rent money during the meal.” Then the police took him out. A few minutes later, he called me and said, “The police did not take me to meet their boss. I am on Jingshi Highway now, and I don’t know where they will take me.” After a while, I called him again, he said, “They took me to a desert place. I don’t where I am.” At about 8:00pm when I called Huiqi again, his phone was turned off. Since then, I lost contact with him.

One of the police who came to our home is a Vice Director of Fengtai Poice station. On June 5th 2009, he followed Huiqi to Taiyuan Train Station in Shanxi Province and brutally attacked Huiqi. He threatened Huqi, “three months later when I collected enough evidence, I will send both you and your wife to prison. I will see how you can share the Gospel then.” This time, he did what he said.

Christian brothers and sister from all around world, I am very concerned about my husband’s safety. Please pray for his safety and our reunion.

A sister in Christ,

Wei Ju Mei

Please uphold this family on your prayers. Show your solidarity with them by posting a prayer on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.