Pastor Huang Yizi, a well-known house church leader in East China’s Zhejiang Province, was taken into police custody outside his home on June 26.
Within half an hour of his detention, local authority officers had searched his residence. According to his wife, who was present during the search, they confiscated several items without providing a seizure inventory and prohibited her from taking photographs or recording video footage.
The following day, police informed Pastor Huang’s wife that he had been placed under criminal detention on charges of “illegal business operations.” According to her account, four other Christian believers from different parts of Zhejiang Province were also detained around the same time.
Pastor Huang has faced government scrutiny for years. Ten years ago, he was sentenced to one year in prison for “gathering a crowd to disrupt social order” after organizing a Christian opposition against the government-led demolition of church crosses. Less than a month after his release, he was accused of “stealing, prying into, purchasing, or illegally providing state secrets or intelligence for overseas entities” and placed under designated residential surveillance for nearly five months. In the years that followed, he continued to face official monitoring and pressure.
In a heartfelt message shared online by Pastor Huang’s wife, she requested for prayers for her husband regarding the recent incident:
“Please continue to pray for Huang Yizi and the other detained brothers and sisters. May the Lord grant them peace and strength.”
Pray
- Please pray that the Lord would bring deep comfort to Pastor Huang and the four other detained believers, filling them with divine peace and unwavering hope amid this difficult time. Pray that their faith and physical well-being be preserved by God’s grace.
- May the Lord also strengthen and comfort the families, sustaining them with God’s grace. Pray that the church community would surround the families with love, offering practical help and spiritual support in abundance.
- Please pray for all local pastors and believers—that the Lord would grant them wisdom and courage, that they would not shrink back in the storm, but walk in unity and steadfastness in Christ. Also ask God to use this season to stir a deeper hope, revival, and spiritual awakening—not only among those directly involved, but across the nation.
- Pray for justice and integrity in legal proceedings. Ask God’s sovereignty would be manifest in the process of government enforcement, revealing His righteousness and holiness.
