On June 14, 2026, the communist authorities of the People’s Republic of China conducted a large-scale raid against the Early Rain Covenant Church. Approximately 60 to 70 security forces and other officials entered the conference room of a hotel in the city of Jiangyou (Sichuan Province) where members of the house church had gathered for a service and arrested dozens of them. China Aid, citing church leaders, reported that 33 people were arrested. However, according to the report, all those detained were released later that evening after being questioned.

On Monday morning, however, elders Wu Wuqing and Yan Hong were sentenced to 15 and 14 days of administrative detention, respectively. On the evening of the raid, officials had unsuccessfully attempted to pressure the worshippers into signing a “guarantee statement,” but had not disclosed its contents.

The Early Rain Covenant Church is a well-known, unregistered house church in China. The church’s founding pastor, Wang Yi, was sentenced in December 2019 to nine years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business activity” after refusing to join state-controlled religious organizations.