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TIANJIN - On May 16, 2009, the Office for
Religious Affairs in Jinghai county, Tianjin issued a
notice abolishing Immanuel Church and banning Pastor Han
Changxu, an ethnic Korean, from serving in the church.
Pastor Han Changxu, a native of Heilongjiang province,
was ordained as a pastor by the Presbyterian Church in
2008. He has been serving in Immanuel Church in Jinghai
county, Tianjin since 2004. During the 2008 Olympics,
authorities in Tianjin placed Pastor Han on surveillance
when they discovered he had contacts with missionaries
from South Korea.
Authorities in Jinghai County of Tianjin have tried to
prevent Pastor Han Changxu from having contact with
churches in South Korea. In March of this year a
Christian brother from South Korea attended a Sunday
service at Immanuel Church, was detained by the PSB
officers and subsequently expelled from China.
Afterwards, authorities began to persecute the church
and the pastors from both China and South Korea.
China Aid strongly denounces the relevant authorities in
Jinghai County of Tianjin for their illegal action of
persecuting freedom of belief. ChinaAid urges
authorities in Jinghai County of Tianjin to restore
Immanuel Church and restore freedom to Pastor Han
Changxu to serve the church and to the believers to
worship God.
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