Los Angeles for Beijing’s Zion Church: I Was There

Pastor Jin Mingri, freed in July, preached at the October 9 vigil. Eight of his co-workers remain in detention in Guangxi. A participant’s report.

by Feng Reng

On the evening of October 9, 2026, the Harvest Chinese Christian Church in Ontario, California, hosted a  Day of Fasting and Prayer for the Persecuted Church in China.” The event marked the first anniversary of the “October 9 Case” against Beijing’s Zion Church. The theme was “Showing Forth the Word of God with Our Lives.” Pastors, preachers, relatives of persecuted church members, and Christians from several congregations joined in person and online. They prayed for the pastors and church workers still imprisoned in China and called for continued attention to the situation of Chinese house churches.

This was the tenth such gathering since January 9, 2026. On that date, an initiative began to hold a day of fasting and prayer for the persecuted church in China on the ninth of every month. Since then, similar events have taken place in Los Angeles, Chicago, Vancouver, Seoul, Taipei, Washington, Osaka, and Dallas. Together they have gradually grown into a joint vigil that crosses geographical and denominational lines.

Zion Church Los Angeles organized the gathering. Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Zhang Boli, and others preached and led prayers. I attended in person and took part in the worship as a member of the Harvest Chinese Christian Church choir.

On October 9 and 10, 2025, Chinese police carried out arrests targeting Beijing Zion Church in several cities across the country. They took away Senior Pastor Jin Mingri along with several other pastors and church co-workers. Pastor Jin was released on July 3, 2026, after nearly nine months in detention, and later arrived in the United States to rejoin his family.

At the time of the prayer meeting, however, eight co-workers were still detained in Beihai, Guangxi. They are Wang Lin, Yin Huibin, Lin Shucheng, Gao Yingjia, Liu Zhenbin, Wang Cong, Wang Zhong, and Wu Qiuyu. They face charges of fraud, illegal business operations, and illegal use of information networks. The case concerns Zion Church’s online services, believers’ offerings, and other religious activities.

Pastor Luo Hua of Zion Church Los Angeles opened the meeting. He thanked Christians in China and abroad who had followed the Zion Church case throughout the year. He also thanked the lawyers who had continued to mount a legal defense despite pressure. Pastor Jin had regained his freedom, he said, but the other eight co-workers had yet to be reunited with their families. He said churches overseas must not let the passing of time make them forget these eight.

Pastor Zhang Boli, senior pastor of the Harvest Chinese Christian Church, then led the opening prayer. He cited Hebrews 13:3, which asks believers to remember those in chains. He reminded Christians overseas that the whole body shares the burden if one member suffers. He prayed in particular for Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, for Pastor Yang Rongli of Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi, and for other preachers still in custody.

The central moment of the evening was the keynote message, “Showing Forth the Word of God with Our Lives.” Pastor Jin Mingri delivered it a little over three months after his release. He began by thanking churches everywhere for praying for Zion Church over the past year. He then recounted his detention and release. He was now free, he said, but eight co-workers remained imprisoned, so he could not stop praying for them.

He drew on the first and second chapters of the Epistle to the Philippians. His message focused on courage in the face of persecution and on unity within the church.

“Do not throw away your courage,” he said. “In spiritual warfare, morale matters most. Courage is the first virtue, because without courage no other virtue can be preserved.”

Pastor Jin observed that fear causes more and more believers to shrink back. In hard times, he said, churches need even more to support one another and stay united. They must resist the temptation to fall silent under pressure. He stressed that faith must go beyond preaching. It must become visible in the lives and conduct of Christians, so that the world may see the Word of God.

Pastor Zhang Boli followed with a message titled “One Body, Sharing in Suffering.” He urged churches overseas to treasure their freedom to worship. He also asked them to speak up for persecuted brothers and sisters in China, without fear of being implicated.

He recalled the church’s first “Fasting and Prayer Meeting for the Persecuted Church in China,” held on January 9 this year. At that time, Pastor Jin was still behind bars, and the congregation prayed earnestly for his safety and release.

“Back then, Pastor Jin Mingri was still in prison,” Pastor Zhang said with emotion. “We prayed for him, asking God to open the prison doors and set Jin Mingri free. And today Jin Mingri is among us. We are truly grateful. The Lord is faithful, and He has heard our prayers.”

Pastor Zhang traced the journey from the urgent intercession of January 9, to Pastor Jin’s release on July 3, to his preaching at the pulpit on October 9. He described it as a testimony of answered prayer, and those present were deeply encouraged. Eight Zion Church co-workers are still detained, however. He called on overseas churches to keep watch until more persecuted brothers and sisters regain their freedom.

The most painful part of the evening came with testimonies from the families of the detained Zion Church co-workers.

Su Ziming, wife of Pastor Wang Lin, explained what the case has meant beyond the eight co-workers. It has deprived them of their freedom and has also separated eight families from their loved ones for a long time. These families include twelve minor children.

She shared what some of these children are going through. Pastor Lin Shucheng’s youngest child was born on June 4 this year and has never met their father. Wu Qiuyu’s young child has not seen their mother for a year. Another child saw police handcuff and take away their mother, and has been left traumatized, often waking up crying at night.

Su Ziming was visibly saddened as she spoke about her own children. Her daughter often cries because she misses her father. Once, in the car, the girl sang a song with the line “I want a carefree childhood.” Her young son has gone so long without seeing his father that he has even shown affection toward strangers who resemble him.

The health of the detained co-workers is also a cause for concern. According to information available to the families, the Beihai detention center is damp and stifling. Some co-workers have developed severe eczema, gastrointestinal illnesses, and other health problems. Several need long-term medication. Restrictions have also been placed on the delivery of daily necessities.

Family members also reported that the authorities have pressured some of the defendants’ lawyers. Some lawyers have even been told to withdraw from the case. This has made things even harder for the detainees and their relatives.

For a growing child, a year without a father or mother means many days that can never be recovered. These children may not understand why their parents were taken away. They only know that the person closest to them is missing from home.

The gathering also turned to the cases of four other churches: Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi, Living Stone Church in Guizhou, and the Xi’an Church of Light.

Brother Wang Chengzhong spoke for Early Rain Covenant Church. He explained that its senior pastor, Wang Yi, was arrested in December 2018 and is still serving his sentence. In December 2019, Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations.” His family has long been unable to visit him regularly and is deeply worried about his health. This year, elders, preachers, and believers of Early Rain Covenant Church have continued to face detention.

Gao Pu spoke about his parents, Pastor Gao Quanfu and Pang Yu of the Xi’an Church of Light. Both are close to seventy and have served the church for many years. In 2025 they were detained on suspicion of fraud in a church-related case, and they have now been held for more than a year.

Gao Pu recalled how, in earlier years, his father kept preaching, praying, and serving the church despite hardship. He thanked Christians everywhere for their concern. He hoped more people would continue to pray for his parents.

The prayer meeting also set aside time to pray for persecuted Christian women and for human rights lawyers.

In several house church cases, those detained include women as well as men. Among them are women preachers, pastors’ wives, and female church workers. Some of these women had young children at home at the time of their arrest. They have lost their freedom, and they also suffer from being unable to watch their children grow up.

Songs and texts dedicated to the detained women co-workers were played. The congregation knelt together to pray for their health, their families, and their early release.

Pastor Zhang Boli then led the congregation in prayer for lawyers who defend house church cases. Speakers noted that some of these lawyers have been pressured, and even told to withdraw, because they represent defendants in religious cases. Participants prayed that these lawyers would be protected and able to carry out their duties under the law. They prayed that the defendants would receive a fair trial.

From Los Angeles, Chicago, and Vancouver to Seoul, Taipei, Washington, Osaka, and Dallas, Chinese Christians have joined this monthly day of fasting and prayer. Participants hope their sustained vigil will draw wider attention to the plight of Chinese house churches. They also want imprisoned pastors and their families to know that they have not been forgotten.

At the end of the gathering, the pastors led everyone in reciting the Lord’s Prayer, which brought the commemoration to a close.

As a Christian from China, I was deeply moved as I stood in the choir singing with my brothers and sisters. On January 9, we were still praying for Pastor Jin Mingri in his prison cell. On October 9, he stood among us and preached in person. The experience made me understand more fully the value of persistent prayer and of keeping watch for one another. It also strengthened my resolve to keep praying for the persecuted church in China.

I lived in China for more than forty years before coming to the United States. Here, we can gather, read the Bible, sing hymns, and worship freely. In China, many Christians still risk losing their freedom because of their faith.

Pastor Jin Mingri has been released. Eight Zion Church co-workers, however, remain in detention, and their families are still waiting for them to come home. I believe the release of one person gives us no reason to stop praying. Still less can we forget the brothers and sisters who continue to suffer. May the day come when Chinese Christians can worship freely. May they no longer be imprisoned for their faith, and may their children no longer endure long separations from their parents.

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