this is from my/our church's (JPC) lil 'newsletter' type things:

The following is based on a report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide:

"Pastor Zhang Rongliang, leader of the 10million strong China for Christ Church was arrested on December 1st 2004, in Xuhai Village, Zhengzhou, Henan province, central eastern China. It is believed that he is being held in the Jinshui area in Zhengzhou.

Pastor Zhang's family have been forced to flee into hiding. Police carried out house raids following the arrest, in an apparent search for the family. They have also carried out raids on churches.

Pastor Zhang, now 53, is no stranger to arrest, imprisonment and torture, having spent a total of 12 years in prison on 5 separate occasions. There is particular concern for his current welfare and safety, especially as he now suffers from serious diabetes, which would affect his ability to withstand the cruelty that can be expected in detention.

Another concern is that Pastor Zhang has significant international profile, having been featured in international media, including TIME magazine and Newsweek. He also wrote the forward to 'The Heavenly Man', and is co-author of the House Churches of China's Confession of Faith and Declaration.

As the leader of a large church network there is a risk that he could be falsely accused of being the leader of a cult. The Chinese authorities fear large networks and arbitrarily classify groups as cults with political objectives.

His arrest comes in the midst of a serious crackdown on the house churches involving several mass arrests. CSW is taking a leading role in the international campaign to see Pastor Zhang released."