The Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Intercultural Ministries is highlighting house churches in China for the upcoming International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, scheduled on Sunday, Nov. 3.
A video, seven-day prayer guide and accompanying social media graphics posted to txb.org/weekofprayer highlight the severe persecution faced by Chinese house churches.
In the materials posted on the website, Minister Sue, a church planter presently serving in the Houston area, recounts her story of coming to faith in 2003 and planting her first house church in China in 2005.
Deep sense of calling
She accepted Christ in the United States as an international student and then returned to China with a deep sense of calling to plant churches there. She established four house churches ranging from 50 to 80 members, though it was not allowed in the city where she lived.
On two instances, in 2014 and 2016, authorities interrupted worship services and detained worshippers, including Minister Sue. The Christians were told they needed to worship in the government church and not in house churches.
Minister Sue witnessed the imprisonment of six house church members.
“We don’t know why or what happened. We don’t know. We didn’t know. But we believe in God,” she said in the video testimony.
“I think this is what I can do for our brothers and sisters who are in prison,” she said, fighting back tears. “I also was encouraged by their faith. They are so strong. Their faith was so strong. They didn’t deny their belief. They keep on going, keep on fighting.”
Mark Heavener, director of Intercultural Ministries for Texas Baptists, spoke about the prevalence of persecution internationally and the way those instances connect back to congregations in Texas.
“I wake up some mornings with a text from one of our intercultural pastors with pictures of what happened the night before in their home country. It can be stories of refugees fleeing persecution, villages burning, friends and family killed — all for the same reason, the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Heavener said.
“What is happening around the world is felt deeply here in Texas. My heart weeps, as does Jesus. As I try to comfort our pastors, they always express, in the hope of Jesus, [the] work of the salvation of souls and God’s coming justice.”
Prayer points in guide
Salvation is reflected in the first of seven prayer points in the downloadable prayer guide.
Prayer points call for the spiritually lost in China to repent and accept salvation, for imprisoned believers to preach with confidence and strength, and for persecuted churches to preserve unity amid persecution and “grow in grace and knowledge” during dark times.
Points also call for God to provide “righteous and merciful Christian lawyers” to help persecuted churches through the country’s social justice system and to have mercy on “officers, prosecutors and judges” engaged in persecution.
Through his ministry at the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Heavener connects with and resources approximately 350 intercultural congregations speaking more than 80 languages. Congregants represent countries and regions including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Haiti and Brazil, in addition to Native American and Deaf Culture churches.
Heavener estimates about two-thirds of those he serves through Intercultural Ministries are in the United States as a result of some form of persecution, religious or otherwise. Many of these individuals know loved ones who still face persecution outside of the United States, he said.
In 2023, Heavener oversaw a 30-day prayer emphasis in conjunction with the International Day of Prayer. During that emphasis, Texas Baptists pastors from Houston, Plano and Dallas shared stories of persecution faced by believers in Eritrea, Burma/Myanmar, India and the Congo. Videos and a prayer guide for those countries also are available online here.
The final prayer point, shared by Minister Sue in the video testimony, is that churches in North America would maintain a “kingdom vision” and be inspired by those suffering for their faith to “reclaim their first love, preach the true gospel, save souls and fight for the heavenly King.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Texas Baptists Communications and originally published by Baptist Standard.
