Pastor Wang Yi has been in detention since December 2018. He was arrested in early December, along with his wife and over 100 members of his church, as part of a crackdown by the Chinese government on Early Rain Church, where he is the lead pastor. 

Following a secret trial on December 26, 2019 Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison, charged with 'inciting subversion' and ‘illegal business operations’. In reality, all he did was peacefully stand up for churches and Christians who were targeted by the Chinese government. Two years on, Wang Yi and one of the church’s elders, Qin Defu, remain in prison serving sentences of nine years and four years respectively. 

Pastor Wang Yi had prepared his church members for the possibility of his arrest and was ready to make a stand for his faith. In a statement to be released if he were to be imprisoned for more than 48 hours, he made a bold declaration of faith:

‘Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family – the authorities are capable of doing all of these things. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith.’

There are three things you can do:

• Write a tweet to Pastor Wang using the hashtag #DearPastorWang and tagging @CSWUSA
• Write a letter or card to Pastor Wang and post a picture of it on social media using the hashtag #DearPastorWang and tagging @CSWUSA
• Pray for the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Wang, and for the protection and comfort of his family and the members of Early Rain Church.