Source: Direct Reports from China
Date: May 15, 2018
Henan is a province with a large Christian population in China. In 2018, it suffered the most severe religious persecution by the Chinese Communist Party: churches seized, crosses removed, minors banned from going to church — these events have been a common occurrence.
Recently, informed sources told Bitter Winter that on April 20, 2018, local authorities destroyed the cross of Bo’ai Church, a Christian church located in Wangyoufang, Huangkou township, Yongcheng city, Henan province.
At around 10 a.m., officials from Huangkou township government and Yongcheng city government came to Bo’ai Church to oversee the removal of the cross. Without the permission of the church director, the government workers instructed a 10-ton crane driver to remove the horizontal beam of the cross, leaving only the vertical beam to serve as a lightning rod. Later, they went into the building and smashed the church cross sign.
The church manager questioned the government workers: “What’s wrong with our belief in God? Why are we not allowed to believe in God?” One of the workers replied rudely, “There is nothing wrong at all, but you are just not allowed to believe in God or attend meetings. You have such great faith in Jesus, why don’t you have faith in the Communist Party? Demolishing your church and cracking down on Christianity is the Central Committee’s spirit.”
A worker from the township government revealed, “The township government stops at nothing to crack down on religious beliefs. It spent nearly 30,000 RMB on its removal of the cross of Bo’ai Church. ”
Bo’ai Church, built in June 2014, boasts an area of approximately 4,000 square meters and was regarded as Asia’s largest village church by the local government. After the destruction of the cross, Bo’ai Church stopped hosting religious meetings.
