Contact: Daniel Burton, China Aid Association, Inc., 432-689-6985, 267-205-5210, info@ChinaAid.org; www.chinaaid.org, www.monitorchina.org

SHANDONG, China, Oct. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- On September 20, 2008 at 9:30 a.m., approximately 20 plainclothes officers raided City Glory Gospel Church in Yantai, Shandong province. Officers forced members of the house church to register their names and leave the meeting site. Authorities also confiscated the property of the Christians, including the collection box, a large cross, Bibles and hymnals. Officials told the church members they had been tipped off about the meeting.

Photo: Administrative Penalty

Pastor Liu and his wife, who were visiting from Taiwan, were speaking on prayer and parent-child relationships to the approximately 60-member congregation when the meeting was raided. Section Chief Sun Jing from Yantai Municipal Bureau of Religion and Director Sun Liping from Zhifu District Bureau of Religion showed their identification. Other officials were present, including the Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau of Religion and authorities from the Public Security Bureau and Bureau of Security. Four of the officials were holding camcorders and cameras.

Pastor Liu, his wife and one church member were each taken to different rooms for more than two hours of interrogation. Afterwards, police demanded Pastor Liu and his wife no longer have contact with the church.

Law enforcement officials took the hard disk from one church member's computer and copied all the content. They also seized the collection box, a large cross, 15 Bibles and 42 hymnals. Officials later returned the Bibles, but on September 27 the church received a "Notice of Hearing on Administrative Penalty" and "Notice of Administrative Penalty" from the District Bureau of Religion. The Christians were told that the official charge is "setting up a gathering site without approval."

Read the eyewitness account of one City Glory Gospel Church member.

Send your letters of support for City Glory Gospel Church to:

Director Sun Liping
Zhifu District Bureau of Ethnic Religious Affairs of Yantai Municipality
76, Shifu Street, Zhifu District, Yantai
Tel: 0535-6215520

Director Qu Xiangwen
Yantai Municipal Bureau of Ethnic Religious Affairs
17-3, W. Yuhuangding Road, Yantai
Tel: 0535-6252597 
Fax: 0535-6240140
Section Chief Sun Jing: 0535-6240113

Issued by CAA, October 1, 2008