Prayer Letter from Preacher Chang Hao in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan (June 3, 2026)

Peace to you, family! Please pray for me. Thank God! Today, three people from our county’s Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau came: Yu Bojun, Chang Lei, and Cheng Shengzong. Yu Bojun and Chang Lei showed me their law-enforcement credentials. Cheng Shengzong said he did not have credentials and that they were being processed (judging from his tone, he should be from the United Front Work Department), and said they wanted to question me and needed me to cooperate by making a statement. Then our town’s deputy secretary of the Party committee, Shi Huihuang, and a village-based cadre came, along with Wang Xing, secretary of the Dayuanzi Village Committee, and village director Wu Changyuan—a total of seven people.

I boiled water and made each of them a cup of coffee; for those who did not drink coffee, I gave each of them a bottle of Wahaha mineral water. I then preached to them the gospel of Jesus Christ, telling them that life is short: even living for 100 years amounts to just over 36,500 days. High official positions, lots of money, luxury homes and luxury cars ultimately cannot be taken away with them. People living in this world must know where they came from, where they are going, and what they are living for. The Lord Jesus loves us; He became flesh for us and shed His blood and gave His life on the cross to bear our sins, dying in our place. After being buried, He rose from the dead on the third day. So that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Why perish? Put your faith in the Lord Jesus! In heaven and on earth, only the Lord Jesus can save us.

They recorded and videotaped the entire process, and I also photographed and recorded them. After listening to me, Cheng Shengzong began questioning me, while Yu Bojun took notes. They produced screenshots of my hosting of “China’s 5 p.m.” and said that I had violated provisions including the Regulations on Religious Affairs. I did not cooperate with them, clearly telling them that faith is not a crime and that my faith does not violate the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China or the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. On the contrary, any law that conflicts with the Constitution and international law is an evil law, and citizens have the right to refuse to comply with it. They read out to me a document issued by Director Luo of the Religious Affairs Bureau and took photographs of me. I then saw them off. They had come in five vehicles in total.

Family, please pray, follow this matter, and share it. Thank you, Emmanuel!

Chang Hao, June 3, 2026

Attached: Chang Hao’s résumé: A native of Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, and a citizen of Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City; a Christian, a person with a level-two disability, a preacher at the Christian Grace Reformed Church in Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City, and a former prisoner of conscience detained in China.

He is a devout believer in Jesus Christ. Because he has long followed social justice and churches facing persecution, and frequently participated in the “China’s 5 p.m.” national prayer meeting, he has repeatedly been summoned by local police. His church’s gatherings for worship and evangelism have also been monitored.

On April 14, 2023, he was suddenly taken away by police in Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, and placed under administrative detention for three days on unspecified charges. That same day, his home was searched, and all the Bibles, spiritual books, Gospel masks, and other items in the home were confiscated. Three days later, his wife received a telephone call from the police saying that his administrative detention had been changed to eight days. By April 20, after making inquiries, his wife and the lawyer entrusted to represent him learned that he had again been criminally detained on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

On May 6, 2023, his lawyer traveled a long distance to the Zhenxiong County Detention Center in Zhaotong City and applied to meet with him in accordance with the law, but the detention center refused, citing the case’s “special nature” and saying that “the higher-ups had given instructions.” Because he remained out of contact, his wife posted a public prayer letter online, asking believers in churches everywhere to pray for his safety and hoping that people concerned with social justice would follow the case and speak out and appeal for his release without charge. His case was later prosecuted by the local procuratorate and transferred to the Zhenxiong County People’s Court. On April 12, 2024, his case was heard by the Zhenxiong County People’s Court in Zhaotong City, and he was ultimately sentenced at first instance to one year and one month in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Dissatisfied with the verdict, he appealed. His second-instance ruling by the Zhaotong Intermediate People’s Court was originally scheduled for August 8 of the same year. On May 14, he was granted release on bail pending trial.

However, since his release, he has continued to be subjected to close, long-term monitoring by the police through various means, such as threatening and harassing church members, forcibly using believers’ phones to block him and remove him from relevant WeChat groups, and uninstalling religious applications such as Bible and hymn apps. They also installed three cameras outside his home. He was previously detained at the Zhenxiong County Detention Center in Zhaotong City.