As 100 missionaries were expelled from China, a Christian ministry is preparing for a prayer countdown for the Beijing Olympic with the topic including more freedom for all minorities and house church leaders.
Open Doors USA on Thursday has launched a campaign calling on people from all over the world to join them in bringing 'a blanket of prayer' over China as a spokesperson from Open Doors thinks that house church leaders in the country will be under closer surveillance given the recent government crackdowns.
Jerry Dykstra from the Open Doors ministry says house church leaders usually take the brunt of the government crackdowns. "We don't know for sure, but we think that they're going to be under closer surveillance, and they could face more arrests and harassments. So we really need to cover our brothers and sisters in prayer."
"We're hoping and praying that China will open up and that there will be more freedom for all minorities and that house church leaders and their house churches will not have to register with the government. But how that all plays out, only the Lord knows now. But what we do know is that we need to blanket China with our prayers," said Dykstra.
The China Aid Association, a U.S. monitoring group, had recently reported that about 100 Christians had been expelled from the country as part of a massive government campaign to expel foreign Christians. This was conducted to prevent them from engaging in mission activities before the Game begins in 2008.
The international ministry Open Doors began in 1955 and seeks to support and strengthen persecuted believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community.