CHINA | MAR. 18, 2026 — Children at Risk as Parents Detained
Elder Li Yingqiang, Zhang Xinyue, and their children are shown in a file photo. The children are now 14 and 11.
In the crackdown against Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church that began on Jan. 6, 2026, the children of the affected families have been left especially vulnerable.
Elder Li Yingqiang and his wife, Zhang Xinyue, were apprehended by police in an early morning raid on their home. Li Yingqiang remains in detention and has since been charged with “inciting subversion of state power”; Zhang Xinyue was released on bail on February 6th, but her specific charges have not been disclosed yet. Their two children, ages 11 and 14, were also taken into police custody during the raid and spent the night alone and frightened before they were released into their grandmother’s care.
Pray for the Lord’s comforting presence and protection for these children and other Early Rain families who are uncertain and fearful as they await news of arrested family members.