03/07/2022 China (International Christian Concern) – A street preacher from Hengyang City, Hunan province, who has been repeatedly detained for his evangelism, was arrested by Hunan’s police as he was sharing the gospel with an ethnic minority group in Yunnan province.
Chen Wensheng is known for his passion for sharing good news with anyone he encounters. Despite being repeatedly detained, harassed, and threatened, he continues to travel around China so people can hear about God’s love.
At the end of Feb., Chen embarked on a trip to Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province to conduct his outreach to De’ang ethnic minority group. There are roughly 6,000 De’ang people living in the western part of Yunnan province. Most of them are still under Buddhist influence and animism. There is no known Christian among the De’ang in China.
On March 5, Chen shared a message on his social media account early in the morning, asking people to participate in the ministry to China’s ethnic minority groups. He said, “The Lord teaches us clearly in the Bible that the gospel needs to be preached to all creation. The official Chinese account is that there are only 56 ethnicities in China, yet according to scholars, there are more than 500 ethnic groups, mostly belonging to the ‘unreached people groups’; may God help us win their souls in this new year!”
He then headed out and put out signs with gospel messages on the side of a road before handing out masks with Christian messages and talking with two pedestrians about Jesus. One woman learned how to pray with him.
At 10:49 a.m., Chen sent a message to say that the police officer had found him again. They went through his backpack and took pictures of his gospel pamphlets. At 11:02 a.m., his last message indicated that the police from Hunan had reached him as well. That was the last message before he was taken away by the police.
According to China Aid, Chen was detained six times last year alone. The local authorities threatened his wife that if he did not stop his activities, his daughter-in-law could lose her job at her school, whereas his granddaughter would be banned from becoming a civil servant or teacher in the future.
Yet, Chen continues to bear witness for the Lord. He even brought his 84-year-old mother along during his outreach last month. He once shared that he used to be a gangster who did many evil deeds. He also was a drug addict who would hack anyone deemed impolite to him. But after he became a Christ follower, he learned to be gentle, patient, and meticulous. He is no longer the same.
For interviews, please contact press@persecution.org.
