According to Voice of the Martyrs Korea and its US partner, China Aid, Elder Li Yingqiang (李英强) of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church (成都秋雨圣约教会) and his wife, Zhang Xinyue (张新月), left the video for their two children before they were arrested in Chengdu, Sichuan Province on January 6. The two were part of a group of eight elders, deacons, and church leaders who were arrested in this latest crackdown by authorities on Early Rain Covenant Church.

“Sadly, this was the second video like this that Elder Li has had to leave for his children,” says Voice of the Martyrs Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley. She says that on December 9, 2018, more than one hundred members of Early Rain Covenant Church, including the church’s founding pastor Wang Yi, were arrested by authorities. At that time, Elder Li went into temporary hiding as part of a pre-arranged plan by the church to ensure that at least some church leaders would remain free and able to lead the remaining congregation.

“The night before the December 9, 2018 crackdown, Elder Li recorded a video for his daughter, Carson, who was then 7 years old, and his son, who was then 4. In the video, Elder Li said, ‘God may be sending Dad on a long journey. You both must listen to Mom.’ Elder Li was then captured by authorities days later.”

Representative Foley says that Elder Li was ultimately detained for eight months at that time, but his wife, Zhang Xinyue, was able to remain with the children. However this time, says Representative Foley, both parents have been arrested, and the children, now aged 14 and 11, are staying with their grandmother.

“In the video left by the parents earlier this month before their arrest, Elder Li and his wife tell the children, ‘Carson and little brother, if one day you do not see Mom and Dad anymore, remember the hymn we sang together today’,” says Representative Foley. “Then they sing the hymn, ‘As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem’, with the lyrics: ‘As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people.’”

According to Representative Foley, authorities initially took the whole family to the police station on January 6. “The children spent the entire night at the police station before being released to their grandmother,” Representative Foley said.

As of now, Representative Foley says, a number of individuals arrested in the January 6 raid, including Elder Li and his wife, remain detained. Elder Li, along with Preacher Dai Zhichao, Deputy Deacon Jia Xuewei, and Brother Ye Fenghua are being accused of the crime of “inciting subversion of state power.”

As a result, authorities are currently denying them access to legal counsel.But as Representative Foley notes, the church remains operational, and she expects that other leaders will continue in Elder Li’s place until his release.

“Back on December 10, 2018, when Early Rain Covenant Church was first raided by authorities and Elder Li was on the run, he published an open letter to all church members on Facebook, calling on them to prepare for the impending persecution. He wrote, ‘Thanks be to the Lord! At the end of 2018, he granted us this great 12.9 persecution as a reward.’  He exhorted the elders who were still free to take responsibility for shepherding the entire church, writing, ‘Small group gatherings are the church’s final bottom line. If there is still any possibility for the whole church to worship together, we will not retreat to small groups. If even worship in small groups or in individual Christian homes is to be interfered with, we are willing to pay a greater price… Even if two hundred, three hundred, or five hundred people are arrested and imprisoned, let the whole world know that we are willing to endure such persecution for our faith.’”

Representative Foley says that when Elder Li was released from prison after his first eight-month sentence, he and his wife, immediately returned to Chengdu to lead the church, despite the likelihood of continued persecution. “Ever since they returned, they have repeatedly faced police summonses, threats, water, electricity, and gas cutoffs, forced relocation, detention, and even being driven by police in a car out of Chengdu,” says Representative Foley. She says there is concern that Elder Li’s wife, Zhang Xinyue, who has long suffered from depression, may face serious risks to her physical and mental well-being as a result of her current detention, ongoing police interrogations, and her separation from her children.

Individuals interested in learning about or supporting Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s work in partnership with persecuted Christians in China can visit https://vomkorea.com/en/project/china/ .