According to Voice of the Martyrs Korea and its China ministry partner, US-based China Aid, Elder Zhang Chunlei of the Renai Reformed Church in Guiyang, Guizhou Province sent the letter from prison to his family last month.  

“The letter is filled with ordinary thoughts written right next to extraordinary insights into his situation from a Christian perspective,” says Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley. “He tells his family how much he misses them and that they don’t need to worry about him because ‘everything is fine in prison, the environment is good, and there are fruits and milk’. And then right next to those ordinary thoughts he extraordinary insights that come from his time in prayer in prison.” 

According to Representative Foley, one of the insights he shares is how reflecting on Jesus’ helplessness in the Garden of Gethsemane has helped him overcome the “uncontrollable sense of injustice” that he feels when he thinks about the reason for his imprisonment. 

“Elder Zhang writes that he spends time in silent prayer reflecting on Jesus’ suffering on the cross, and this causes him to see his own suffering as, in his words, ‘trivial’, and this helps him feel ‘ashamed and healed’”, says Representative Foley. “He quotes the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 11:29, ‘Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led astray, and I am not indignant?’, which causes him to be amazed at how God’s grace is made perfect in weakness.” 

Elder Zhang is the founder of the Renai Reformed Church in Guiyang. Local authorities put him under close surveillance in 2018 for signing the “Pastors’ Joint Statement: A Declaration for Christian Faith” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. 

In September 2018, the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Nanming District, Guiyang City, dissolved the Renai Reformed Church on the grounds of “unauthorized establishment of a religious venue, organizing and conducting religious activities, and accepting religious donations.”  

In March 2021, authorities raided the Renai Reformed Church during a worship service. Several church members were arrested and their homes raided. Elder Zhang went to the police station to inquire about the situation and was immediately detained and later subjected to administrative detention and criminal detention. He was later formally arrested on charges of “fraud.”   

On January 27, 2022, Elder Zhang Chunlei was indicted on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” and “fraud”, two charges which Representative Foley says have often been used by Chinese authorities to prosecute and imprison pastors leading churches which are not registered with the Chinese government through the government’s “Three Self Patriotic Association”. 

On November 29, 2022, Elder Zhang’s trial was held at the Intermediate People’s Court of Guiyang City.  

“The trial was closed to the public, and no witnesses were permitted to appear,” says Representative Foley. “Elder Zhang told the court that while he had different opinions than the government on certain religious policies, he had no motive to incite subversion of state power. Regarding the charge of ‘fraud,’ he pointed out that in this case, none of the so-called ‘victims’ reported the incident to the police or appeared in court, and no one requested the return of offerings from the church or himself. So this shows that the fraud charge was inappropriate.” 

On July 24, 2024, the court sentenced Elder Zhang to five years in prison, to be served until March 16, 2026. 

Representative Foley says that even though Elder Zhang has had to endure unfair circumstances in his trial and imprisonment, he writes in his letter about wanting to contribute more to his country. 

“Elder Zhang writes in his letter about how Christians in China have helped the nation in education, healthcare, culture, and charity,” says Representative Foley. He writes that during his time in prison, he has been thinking about ‘how to do more after being released,’ and he asked his family to pray about this, while emphasizing that the church will always remain his focus.” 

Representative Foley says the letter details the three key words Elder Zhang has been reflecting on in prison. 

“He writes, ‘The cross is the focus, the golden lampstand’—the church—‘is the priority, and the Messiah is everything.’” 

Individuals interested in learning about or supporting Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s work in partnership with persecuted Christians in China can visit www.vomkorea.com/en/china or give via electronic transfer to: 

KB Bank: 463501-01-243303 

Account Holder: (사)순교자의소리 

Please note “China” on the transfer.