On the morning of June 14, 2026, approximately 90 security personnel, including police officers, SWAT team members, Domestic Security Protection Unit officers and religious affairs representatives, raided a hotel conference room in the city of Jiangyou, in Sichuan Province, southwestern China, where Early Rain Covenant Church was holding its Sunday service. The operation resulted in the detention of 33 believers, including two congregational elders, Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing, as well as children who were present.
According to the church's own accounts, officers recorded the names of everyone present and forcibly removed them from the venue using three buses and three vans. Three members were injured during the operation. Most of those detained were released between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. that Sunday, after being questioned at local police stations. Elders Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing, however, received 14 and 15 days of administrative detention respectively. Throughout the day, family members were prevented from approaching the detention sites.
Early Rain Church is one of China's best-known independent Protestant congregations. It has faced systematic government pressure since December 2018, when authorities launched a massive operation that resulted in the arrest of Pastor Wang Yi, who was sentenced to 9 years in prison, and the closure of the church. Since then, the congregation has moved between alternative meeting places, seeking to maintain fellowship among believers under constant state surveillance. The June 2026 raid represents a further escalation in the crackdown on one of the churches that has most firmly resisted pressure from the Chinese Communist Party to submit to state control of religion.
How to pray: Pray for the release of elders Wu Wuqing and Yan Hong. Ask God to strengthen traumatized members, especially the children who witnessed the raid. Cry out for protection and wisdom for Pastor Wang Yi, who remains imprisoned, and for the entire leadership of Early Rain Church. Pray also for spiritual revival in China, where millions of Christians face growing persecution.
