The director of a church-run kindergarten in China’s southern Guangxi was released from prison on 17 February after serving two years for “engaging in illegal business operations.”
Cheng Jie, the director of the Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten, was picked up from the prison by her husband and two sons.
Lizhou authorities detained Cheng from the school on 18 February 2014. Guangxi officials crossed the border into the neighbouring Guangdong province on 24 June 2014, and detained Huang Quirui, the elder of Guangzhou’s Liangren Church, which founded Hualin Kindergarten. Along with Huang, authorities detained Li Jiatao, a Liangren Church member, and Fang Bin, a man contracted to print textbooks for the school.
Officials alleged that all four had engaged in “illegal business operations” by printing character-education textbooks without government approval and then selling the books rather than using them solely for internal use.
The lawyer defending the four detainees countered that the books were sold for an amount that only allowed the kindergarten to break even for printing costs and that authorities were targeting the school because it was founded by a church.
Cheng, Huang, and Li were convicted and sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 5,000 Yuan ($1050 AUD) each. Fang was sentenced to a year and nine months in prison.
Source: China Aid
Prayer Points
• Praise the Lord for Cheng Jie’s release; ask Him to help her and her family overcome this past trial and resume family life.
• Pray the Lord will give Cheng the wisdom to know how to serve Him in ministry in the future.
• Pray God will strengthen Huang and Li; may they be encouraged by Cheng’s release; may their release come soon.
Write a letter of encouragement to Huang and Li.
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Dear brothers Huang and Li,
I pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort you and that his peace will be upon you knowing that all things work together for the good for those who love the Lord. Romans 8:28. Also 1 Peter 2:20-23 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate, when he suffered he made no threats, instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. May God bless you always and strengthen you in these times of great persecution.
Dear brothers Huang and Li,
I pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort you and that his peace will be upon you knowing that all things work together for the good for those who love the Lord. Romans 8:28. Also 1 Peter 2:20-23 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate, when he suffered he made no threats, instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. May God bless you always and strengthen you in these times of great persecution.