A massive raid on the Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan Province, China, resulted in the detention of almost three dozen members on Sunday, June 14. According to a statement from the church, around 11:00 a.m., 60 to 70 government agents disrupted their in-person worship gathering. The agents, including SWAT teams, police, local officials, and bureaucrats, stormed the venue and forcibly took control of the gathering.
The communist officials began hauling away Christians in groups two hours after the raid started, with a total of 33 believers detained. Most of them were transferred to Jiangyou City's centralized registration center and detention facility. Before releasing anyone, including elderly people and children, police made them agree to sign a "guarantee letter."
Some attendees agreed to sign the letter, but officials refused to disclose its contents until individuals agreed to sign it. As a result, most believers refused to sign and were not shown the document. The congregation chose to remain peacefully and steadfastly in the hall, facing pressure to sign an unknown statement.
By the end of the day, between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., most of the Christians were released from the Jiangyou detention center one at a time. However, Elder Yan Hong and Elder Wu Wuqing remained in custody. The released believers gathered together, offering prayers of thanksgiving and entrusting one another to God's care.
The church expressed gratitude for the opportunity to bear witness to the Christian faith, stating that such experiences are considered an honor and a privilege, despite being viewed as shameful by the world. This incident is part of a larger crackdown on unauthorized Christian practice in China, with authorities increasingly targeting groups that operate outside of official control.
The Early Rain Covenant Church, a Reformed Presbyterian congregation, has previously made international headlines due to the detention of their pastor, Wang Yi, in 2018. He was forced to endure a secret trial in 2019 and remains in prison, serving a nine-year sentence. China's official Protestant and Roman Catholic churches are required to affirm certain communist principles, and the government tightly controls religious organizations.
