Six believers from the Shenzhen Trinity Harvest Church had been attending baptism classes for several months. On 5th September 2021, these believers, together with Pastor Mao and other church members, drove to a beach in Huizhou to celebrate the church’s anniversary. But the beach was closed by the authorities before they could gather.
To avoid encountering such a situation again, the believers decided to take a 2-hour drive on 16th April 2022 to a remote beach in a different city where they could hold the baptism service. Thankfully, the baptism service was able to proceed uninterrupted. However, pictures and videos of the event was posted on WeChat shortly afterwards and within 30 minutes Pastor Mao received a phone call asking him to verify his identity. Several minutes later, the authorities arrived at the restaurant where Pastor Mao and the church members were having lunch. The authorities checked the Christians’ identities and conducted facial recognition scans.
The Shenzhen Trinity Harvest Church is a relatively young church that has attracted much attention over the past 5 years since its inception. They have been victims of numerous police raids and arrests during the past year. However, Pastor Mao is convinced that God is still in control and they just need to trust and follow Him.
Pray that these newly baptized believers will be strengthened in their faith and encouraged to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. Pray that they will be emboldened to continue following Christ and sharing the Gospel wherever they go.
(Source & Photo : VOMC)
#Persecuted Church)
