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"You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry." - Psalm 10:17  The Undeniable Truth"Aren't you glad people don't have to go to jail anymore for believing in Jesus?" That innocent question came from a child after hearing about Paul and Silas, but the sad truth is that many adults are unaware of the number of believers who are currently suffering in prison for their faith. Fact: Today in China, there are 1,225* known Chinese pastors imprisoned for declaring Jesus Christ as Lord. Fact: These pastors in prison have reported enduring merciless beatings, food deprivation, hard labor, tight quarters, and isolation from their families. Fact: On September 8, 1999, the Chinese government entities declared house churches in China to be "illegal cults." The government authorized plans to detain and arrest top leaders of the Christian House Church Movements and stop the growth of Christianity inside China. This remains in effect today. Fact: We can help! These pastors and families of pastors are truly overwhelmed with gratitude because people around the world care enough about them and about the work of the Lord to pray and give. Merciless Abuse One pastor, first arrested in 2004, was held for a year and half. Among his primary prison jobs was feeding the pigs in a farming unit maintained on the site. During the first portion of his prison term, the pastor was abused and treated with contempt. His suffering escalated, becoming much more intense. Why? Midway through his sentence, authorities conducted a search of his home, and there they found a small stash of Bibles. These guards returned to the prison and beat this pastor so badly that he lost use of both legs. However, he was still required to complete his job. He was forced crawl on his hands, dragging his body through pig manure to care for pigs and to complete his work for the prison guards. The authorities eventually decided to relieve themselves of the burden of caring for this man since he had become such a useless prisoner. WorldServe is currently supporting him by paying for surgeries to help him regain the use of his legs. Easing the Burden Another pastor, Jin, had served the Lord for 15 years prior to his arrest in 2004. He endured much beating, torture, and loneliness in prison. One day, some women from his church came to prison to tell him of the death of his precious mother. She was his only living relative on earth, and now he could not even see her, let alone go to her funeral. With no money to bury her, he was heartbroken. Then he learned from his sisters in Christ that WorldServe would meet the financial needs of her burial. |
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Jin said to WorldServe and our donors, "Thank you so much for paying for her burial! That so encouraged me and made me so happy. Thank you so much. Thank you for burying my mother." For Jin's full story, click here. We Can Help! Your donation to WorldServe is so gratefully received by these pastors and their families. Here at WorldServe, we are often given the opportunity to meet with these former prisoners and their loved ones. Their emotion of thankfulness is overwhelming. One tearful prayer from a former prisoner asked that God would bless these givers as much as He has blessed the receivers. He thanked the Lord for giving him the peace to continue to spread the Gospel. He gratefully thanked God for WorldServe and supporting believers who provide security for his family, should he be forced to return to prison. If you would like to partner with WorldServe in providing assistance for the families of prisoners, click here to make a donation of any size. Please remember to support them with your prayers. They are so thankful! *The number 1225 was accurate at press time. The actual number of pastors in prison fluctuates daily depending on arrests and releases. Donate $50 USD/$50 CDN to support one pastor's family for one month. |
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