02/21/2019 China (International Christian Concern) – On February 19, the cross of Chengdong Christian Church, a state-sanctioned church in China’s Jiangsu province, was forcibly removed in spite of the presence of church members.

In a video shared by China Aid, dozens of church members, mostly women and elderly, could be seen questioning the local authorities who were working on the cross removal with a crane. Some burst into tears as they watched everything unfold, while others called for prayers from fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

The church is a local Three-self church, which obtained registration with permission from the Fu-ning Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau in 2007. Over 3000 worshipers attend their Sunday service every week.

The four-floor church building is used by the local official Christian association as its office. According to a source, given the insufficient space, two years ago, the church even requested local authorities for permission to expand its building. Yet even an official church like this could not escape Christian persecution.

Cross removal is a common method used by the Chinese government to intimidate and threaten Chinese churches. By removing the crosses, they seek to reduce the visibility of churches while telling these Christians they are closely monitored by the government. With President Xi Jinping’s “Sinicization” of religion campaign, Beijing has tightened its grip on religion, especially Islam and Christianity.

For interviews with Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected].