Zhang zhongxin
Pastor Zhang Zhongxin lives in Qingkou Village, Jintun Town, Jiaxiang County, Shandong Province. In 2005, Zhang Zhongxin established the house church “Rainbow Missions Fellowship in Jining of Shandong”, and “Timothy Bible training school”, training pastors in ministry work.
On May 1, 2008, PSB randomly raided a room rented by Pastor Zhang Zhongxin’s church. Then PSB went to his house and seized his books, computer and bankbook without receipt. On June 6, 2008, Pastor Zhang Zhongxin was arrested and then placed under criminal detention for a month. On July 4, 2008 in Jining City in Shandong reeducation-through-labor management committee issued the No.296 Written Decision sentencing Zhang Zhongxin to two years re-education through labor in the name of “Breaking the laws by cult organization”. Authorities accused him of cult participation of ‘the whole scope of the Church’, organizing Sunday school training courses, preaching the Gospel in Tibet and northwest China for missionaries, establishing the house church and the bible training school, and also the offering boxes in the church. The re-education through labor will start the through labor program July 4, 2008 and is scheduled to be released June 5, 2010. The statement also declared that Zhang may appeal within 60 days. On July 6, 2008, Pastor Zhang Zhongxin was transferred to a Shandong Province labor camp to begin his two years re-education through labor.
On the morning of July 14, Wang Guiyun, representing her husband, submitted an appeal to the District of People’s Court of Jining City requesting that the court of Jining City withdraw the labor camp decision. The appeal has been submitted to the District Court and is awaiting review. The appellant brought up that the “Rainbow Missions Fellowship in Jining of Shandong” is a house church, not an official TSPM church, and so it doesn’t need any registration, nor is it an illegal church.
Read more on China Aid Association website
