==china======
Christians from 45 Countries Call for Zion Church Pastor’s Release
More than 500 church leaders and members in 45 countries with close ties to China signed an online prayer petition in solidarity with the arrested leaders of China’s Zion Church, including senior pastor Jin “Ezra” Mingri. The countries represented—including Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, and India—are part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s strategy to invest in infrastructure around the world, or BRICS, a bloc of emerging economies that includes China. This the first time Christians around the world have jointly spoken out for the persecuted church in China based on their countries’ relationships, said Bill Drexel, a Hudson Institute fellow and son-in-law of Jin.
(Christianity Today 11/14/25) READMORE>>>>
More than 500 church leaders and members in 45 countries with close ties to China signed an online prayer petition in solidarity with the arrested leaders of China’s Zion Church, including senior pastor Jin “Ezra” Mingri. The countries represented—including Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, and India—are part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s strategy to invest in infrastructure around the world, or BRICS, a bloc of emerging economies that includes China. This the first time Christians around the world have jointly spoken out for the persecuted church in China based on their countries’ relationships, said Bill Drexel, a Hudson Institute fellow and son-in-law of Jin.
(Christianity Today 11/14/25) READMORE>>>>
Pastors and staff from underground church are arrested in China
A Christian pastor and father of U.S. citizens along with dozens of church staff and members have been arrested in China amid a crackdown, his daughter and the church say. Ezra Jin, founder and pastor of Zion Church, a large "underground house church" with congregations across China, was arrested Friday while at his home Beihai in the country's Guangxi region, his daughter Grace Jin Drexel told NPR. "It's been extremely shocking and … very scary for our family," Jin Drexel said. "But we also have faith in the Lord and we know that he [Ezra Jin] is doing God's work." (NPR 10/12/25) READMORE>>>>
A Christian pastor and father of U.S. citizens along with dozens of church staff and members have been arrested in China amid a crackdown, his daughter and the church say. Ezra Jin, founder and pastor of Zion Church, a large "underground house church" with congregations across China, was arrested Friday while at his home Beihai in the country's Guangxi region, his daughter Grace Jin Drexel told NPR. "It's been extremely shocking and … very scary for our family," Jin Drexel said. "But we also have faith in the Lord and we know that he [Ezra Jin] is doing God's work." (NPR 10/12/25) READMORE>>>>
Pastor Lorenzo Rosales, released from prison in Cuba
Cuban Protestant pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo was released from Mar Verde prison on 17 January as part of a mass amnesty following the US announcement that it would remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, reports the religious freedom advocacy group CSW in a statement. The information has also been confirmed by Diario de Cuba, which includes the pastor's name on the list of the first people released by the Cuban regime. Pastor Rosales Fajardo was violently arrested along with hundreds of others after participating in peaceful protests that took place across Cuba on 11 July 2021. (Evangelical Focus 1/21/25) READ MORE>>>>>
Cuban Protestant pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo was released from Mar Verde prison on 17 January as part of a mass amnesty following the US announcement that it would remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, reports the religious freedom advocacy group CSW in a statement. The information has also been confirmed by Diario de Cuba, which includes the pastor's name on the list of the first people released by the Cuban regime. Pastor Rosales Fajardo was violently arrested along with hundreds of others after participating in peaceful protests that took place across Cuba on 11 July 2021. (Evangelical Focus 1/21/25) READ MORE>>>>>
Feb 28, 2022: Christian Headlines: Chinese Court Sentences Female Pastor to 8 Years in Prison for Preaching the Gospel
A female pastor in China's Hubei province has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of "fraud for preaching the Gospel" after her house church refused to join the state-run church, which monitors and regulates Protestant churches.
A female pastor in China's Hubei province has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of "fraud for preaching the Gospel" after her house church refused to join the state-run church, which monitors and regulates Protestant churches.