Two years after Chinese security force raided the Early Rain Covenant Church and arrested its outspoken pastor, the church’s members continue to live under surveillance from the authorities.

Apart from pastor Wang Yi, over 100 church members were rounded up on Dec. 9, 2018. After one year of detention, Wang was sentenced to nine years in prison for inciting subversion of state power.

Wang, the church’s founder and a former human rights lawyer, was one of the very few Chinese pastors who did not shy away from political issues.

The church has been a thorn in the government’s side for bringing attention to sensitive topics, including commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and assisting families of political prisoners.

It has been two years since the overnight mass arrests and church members still find themselves living under state surveillance.

A member named Yang Zheng said they have been followed and monitored by police officers and some unknown persons. He recalled being tailed and watched closely by 10 officers when he hung out with another family of the church.

Some members chose to flee with their families. Ren Ruiting, a 24-year-old who moved to Taiwan with her family last year, said police officers would even send undercovers to the Early Rain church and report their activities. Even after she left the country, her relatives in Sichuan were warned not to provide shelter for the church’s elder Li Yingqiang.

But the church community has remained resilient, said Ren. It has transformed itself into a family-scale church, turning to small-group gatherings and online prayer meetings.

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