Earlier this year six Chinese police officers and officials from the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA) ordered minister Cui Quan of Wanbang Missionary Church to cancel the fourth Seminar of Chinese Urban House Church Pastors Fellowship. “Quan argued and claimed that the church has its rights,” said minister Liu Tongsu, “but the visiting officials threatened that the government would terminate the conference with coercive measures.” Not wanting to cause problems, the delegates decided to move their conference to another location. Later, however, they learned the police had ordered the landlord of Wanbang Church to terminate their rental agreement within 30 days. “At this time, the congregation of Wanbang Missionary Church faces losing their site of gathering and are deprived of their right to Sunday worship,” said Tongsu. Tongsu urges people from all walks of life to “appeal to Shanghai government to stop its persecution and ask the Shanghai government to end all improper and unconstitutional acts.”
