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| 北京锡安教会崇拜聚会 （图：锡安教会） |
（北京-2018年5月20日）北京錫安教会就持续受到逼迁等干扰，5月19日发出公开呼吁书。指责警方通过物业管理中心、居委会等不同部门，骚扰该教会信徒，甚至恐吓。5月17日，该教会租用的聚会场所，接到物业管理中心通知，称8月份以后，不再续租。该教会信徒称，根据租赁合同，租期尚有五年。另外，有地方政府想出一套驱赶教会的说辞，给基层官员参考。
一个月前，北京锡安教会被地方当局要求在聚会场所所内外，强装按照监控探讨，遭到抵制，其后该教会信徒接连受到公安盘查及威胁。上周六（5月19日），北京锡安教会发出公开呼吁书，谴责当局逼迫基督徒。该呼吁书引起中国各地的信徒关注。北京顺义一家庭教会的信徒称，除了锡安教会聚会场所，其他教会也受到类似逼迫。这位要求匿名的信徒称：
“最近，錫安教会遇到的情况，我们这里也有。警察干扰使得聚会人数越来越少。比如以前每次有四、五十人聚会。现在下降到二十多人，有时仅十多个人。另外，我们还要经常换地方聚会，为的是避开警察的注意”。
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| 北京锡安教会呼吁书 （2018年5月20日） |
北京锡安教会的呼吁书称，最近，中国各地的基督教会越来越受到来自政府的冲击、打压、逼迫，教案频发，政教关系再度趋于全面紧张。2018年3月，北京市市政物业管理中心（租方）以消防安全为由，无理要求在礼拜场所安装监控设备，遭到了教会拒绝。之后，教会的不少会众陆续受到来自房东、居委会、派出所、单位等不同层面压力和骚扰，甚至恐吓。包括教会被诋毁为“非法聚会”，政治不正确，甚至是“邪教”。
据该教会一位不愿具名的信徒称，5月17日，物业管理中心向他们发出通知，指教会租用的场地将在8月底收回：“8月份以后，不再续租。可是原先签订的租赁合同还有五年才届满。就因为他们这份通知，我们无法继续租房。这明显是不让我们聚会。最近，全国各地家庭教会都遇到这种情况，北京地区最近才开始”。
该教会信徒披露，多年来，由教会合法经营的书店、咖啡店也被工商部门强行注销商业登记。据信徒介绍，北京錫安教会成立于2007年5月，信徒超过一千五百人。秉承福音主义传承，是稳健的正统基督教会。
该教会的呼吁书称：我们呼吁相关部门: 1. 立即停止破坏政教关系的一切行动,减少社会不安定因素。2. 通过沟通、对话协商解决相关宗教信仰群体的公共事务。3. 出台更加宽松的宗教政策，任命尊重宗教信仰群体的官员，创建更加宽容的社会环境，保障信仰群体的健康成长，促进敬天守约的共融社会。
另外，有信徒披露一份地方政府要求基层官员驱赶家庭教会的方法，其中包括“根据私聚点实际情况，按一点一分析一策略，找准问题切实口，通过部门联动、社会 协同、公众参与形成强大合力。从活动点噪音扰民、房屋结构隐患、消防安全隐患、用电安全隐患、大型聚会活动安全等入手，要求停止宗教活动；如是出租房可约谈房东等”。
该份名为“处置对策”的通知还传授驱赶信徒的办法。要求基层官员“通过告知其出租他人用于经营非法活动的法律责任，倒逼房东退租；还可发动周边不信教居民，以群众治群众，倒逼活动点停止活动等等。通过综合施策最终将其取缔”。不过，该份通知未注明出处。
对华援助协会特约记者乔农报道
附：北京锡安教会呼吁书
The landlord forcibly cancelled the lease; The Beijing Zion Church posted a petition
(Beijing-2018-5-20)
The Beijing Zion Church posted a petition letter on May 19th after being constantly harassed and coerced to move out by the government. The petition letter accused the police of threatening and molesting church members through pressuring the property management center and the neighborhood committee. On May 17th, the church received a letter from the property management center that the lease would terminate in August. According to the contract, however, the church could stay for another five years. Meanwhile, the local governments came up with a system of new excuses for the officials to evict the Christian churches.
A month before, the local government demanded to install surveillance cameras inside and outside the Beijing Zion Church, which the church members refused. Afterwards, the police began to threaten and harass the church members. On last Saturday (May 19th), the Beijing Zion Church posted a petition letter， protesting against the government’s persecution. According to members of a house church in Shunyi, other local churches also suffered from similar dilemmas. The anonymous Christian said: “Recently, we are facing similar difficulties that the Beijing Zion church has gone through. The police interruption drastically reduced the numbers of the churchgoers. There used to be forty to fifty people gathering, but we only have ten to twenty people now. In addition, we have to constantly change locations to avoid the police.”
According to the petition letter of the Beijing Zion Church, the government persecutions of Christianity in all districts in China have intensified; the number of cases involving house churches skyrocketed. In the March of 2018, the municipal property administration of Beijing (the landlord) demanded to install surveillance cameras in the church with the excuse of preventing fire hazards, which the church members refused. Later, the landlords, the neighborhood committee, the police and the working places began to pressure and threaten the church members. The government deemed the church gatherings illegal and politically incorrect and labeled the church as a “cult”.
According to an anonymous church member, the property management center sent the church a notification on May 17th, terminating the lease in the end of August. “The lease will be nullified after August, but according to the original contrast, there are still five years left. We can’t keep renting the house because of the notice. It’s an obvious attempt to disrupt our regular gatherings. House churches everywhere else in the country have been suffering from government persecutions for a while. It just started in Beijing.”
According to church members, the department for industry and commerce forcibly shut down the bookstore and the coffee shop legally owned by the church. The church members told the reporter that the Beijing Zion Church with more than 1,500 members was established in May, 2007. The church, which is a legitimate Christian church, upholds the doctrines of evangelicalism.
The petition letter of the church indicates: “We ask the relevant government departments to stop disrupting the rapport between the government and the churches in order to prevent social instabilities. 2. The government should handle the public affairs relating to religion and people with religious beliefs through communication and conversation. 3. The government should adopt more lenient policies and appoint officials who respect religions in order to create a more open society and ensure the healthy growth of religious population.”
In addition, a Christian disclosed a local government document that instructed the officials to evict the house churches. The methods include “coming up with specific analysis and strategies based on the actual conditions of every private gathering point, finding solutions for the existing problems, uniting the government department and mobilizing the people in order to form a mighty force, using excuses such as excessive noises, unstable structures, fire hazards, electrical hazards and potential safety issues of large-scale gatherings to eliminate religious activities. If the church activities take place in a rented house, it is suggested to talk to the landlords.”
The government document titled “The Strategies of Disposing the House Churches” also instructed the officials how to evict the church members. The methods include “pressuring the landlords to revoke the lease by telling them the liability of accommodating illegal activities, mobilizing non-religious population nearby and using them to pressure the church members and eventually banning the churches with a combination of strategies.” The sources of the document remain unconfirmed.
China Aid Association Special Correspondent Qiao Nong
附：北京锡安教会呼吁书
北京锡安教会呼吁书最近，中国各地的基督教会越来越受到来自政府的各样冲击、打压、逼迫，教案频发，政教关系再度趋于全面紧张。北京锡安教会系中国家庭教会，信仰上秉承福音主义传承，是稳健的正统基督教会。 2007 年5 月在北京建立，一直稳定成长，现聚会人数超过1500 人。2018 年3 月，北京市市政物业管理中心（出租方）以消防安全为由，无理要求在礼拜场所安装监控设备，遭到了教会拒绝。之后，教会的不少会众陆续受到来自房东、居委会、派出所、单位等不同层面的各样压力和骚扰，甚至恐吓。教会被诋毁为非法聚会，政治不正确，甚至邪教。5 月17 日物业管理中心单方面通知教会8 月份以后不再续租（原先约定还有5年）。教会多年合法经营的书店和咖啡厅也被相关部门强行注销。
我们呼吁弟兄姊妹：
1. 越来越萎缩的公共空间里，更加珍惜信仰和良心的自由，敢于说真实的话，拒绝谎言和假见证。
2. 看重在耶稣基督里的身份，甘心为基督之名承受各样患难，不畏惧强暴和羞辱，不丢弃勇敢的心！
3. 要切实彼此相爱，不要单顾自己，也要顾同受患难的其他群体。主耶稣应许说：“你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了”（圣经·约翰福音13:35）
4. 为逼迫我们的人祷告。圣经教导说；“不要以恶报恶；众人以为美的事要留心去做。若是能行，总要尽力与众人和睦。亲爱的弟兄，不要自己伸冤，宁可让步，听凭主怒；因为经上记着：「主说：‘伸冤在我，我必报应’」”（圣经·罗马书12:17-19）
我们呼吁相关部门：
1. 立即停止破坏政教关系的一切行动，减少社会不安定因素。
2. 通过沟通、对话，协商解决相关宗教信仰群体的公共事务。
3. 出台更加宽松的宗教政策，任命尊重宗教信仰群体的官员，创建更加宽容的社会环境，保障信仰群体的健康成长，促进敬天守约的共融社会。
4. 认真贯彻宪法36 条赋予人民的宗教信仰自由的权利，尽快出台“宗教信仰自由的保护法”，使宗教信仰领域有法可依。
北京锡安教会主任牧师 金明日
北京锡安教会全体教牧团、长老团
北京锡安教会堂务会及全体信友代表大会
2018 年5 月19 日
The landlord forcibly cancelled the lease; The Beijing Zion Church posted a petition
(Beijing-2018-5-20)
The Beijing Zion Church posted a petition letter on May 19th after being constantly harassed and coerced to move out by the government. The petition letter accused the police of threatening and molesting church members through pressuring the property management center and the neighborhood committee. On May 17th, the church received a letter from the property management center that the lease would terminate in August. According to the contract, however, the church could stay for another five years. Meanwhile, the local governments came up with a system of new excuses for the officials to evict the Christian churches.
A month before, the local government demanded to install surveillance cameras inside and outside the Beijing Zion Church, which the church members refused. Afterwards, the police began to threaten and harass the church members. On last Saturday (May 19th), the Beijing Zion Church posted a petition letter， protesting against the government’s persecution. According to members of a house church in Shunyi, other local churches also suffered from similar dilemmas. The anonymous Christian said: “Recently, we are facing similar difficulties that the Beijing Zion church has gone through. The police interruption drastically reduced the numbers of the churchgoers. There used to be forty to fifty people gathering, but we only have ten to twenty people now. In addition, we have to constantly change locations to avoid the police.”
According to the petition letter of the Beijing Zion Church, the government persecutions of Christianity in all districts in China have intensified; the number of cases involving house churches skyrocketed. In the March of 2018, the municipal property administration of Beijing (the landlord) demanded to install surveillance cameras in the church with the excuse of preventing fire hazards, which the church members refused. Later, the landlords, the neighborhood committee, the police and the working places began to pressure and threaten the church members. The government deemed the church gatherings illegal and politically incorrect and labeled the church as a “cult”.
According to an anonymous church member, the property management center sent the church a notification on May 17th, terminating the lease in the end of August. “The lease will be nullified after August, but according to the original contrast, there are still five years left. We can’t keep renting the house because of the notice. It’s an obvious attempt to disrupt our regular gatherings. House churches everywhere else in the country have been suffering from government persecutions for a while. It just started in Beijing.”
According to church members, the department for industry and commerce forcibly shut down the bookstore and the coffee shop legally owned by the church. The church members told the reporter that the Beijing Zion Church with more than 1,500 members was established in May, 2007. The church, which is a legitimate Christian church, upholds the doctrines of evangelicalism.
The petition letter of the church indicates: “We ask the relevant government departments to stop disrupting the rapport between the government and the churches in order to prevent social instabilities. 2. The government should handle the public affairs relating to religion and people with religious beliefs through communication and conversation. 3. The government should adopt more lenient policies and appoint officials who respect religions in order to create a more open society and ensure the healthy growth of religious population.”
In addition, a Christian disclosed a local government document that instructed the officials to evict the house churches. The methods include “coming up with specific analysis and strategies based on the actual conditions of every private gathering point, finding solutions for the existing problems, uniting the government department and mobilizing the people in order to form a mighty force, using excuses such as excessive noises, unstable structures, fire hazards, electrical hazards and potential safety issues of large-scale gatherings to eliminate religious activities. If the church activities take place in a rented house, it is suggested to talk to the landlords.”
The government document titled “The Strategies of Disposing the House Churches” also instructed the officials how to evict the church members. The methods include “pressuring the landlords to revoke the lease by telling them the liability of accommodating illegal activities, mobilizing non-religious population nearby and using them to pressure the church members and eventually banning the churches with a combination of strategies.” The sources of the document remain unconfirmed.
China Aid Association Special Correspondent Qiao Nong