“In his prison, Cai was forced to make soccer 10 to 12 hours a day for the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” said a CAA spokesperson.

Pastor Cai asked CAA to thank all the brothers and sisters who have been praying and helping him and his family members during his imprisonment time.

“The love of the Lord and the prayers by the saints sustained my life in the prison,” he said.

CAA, which is based in Midland, Texas, has been helping for pastor Cai’s legal defense and his family support.

After his release, CAA revealed, Cai was warned not to speak up. He has to report to the Public Security Bureau (PSB) office once a month. He was taken to the PSB office again on September 13 with more warnings and intimidations.

“He feels (after the PSB talked with him) he won’t have any freedom even after his release,” said his mother, who is also a dedicated house church leader.

Pastor Cai (back of picture) conducting a baptism

On November 8, 2005 Pastor Cai was sentenced to three years in jail on charges relating to “illegal business practices” and fined 150,000 Yuan ($19,957.42 USD). His wife Xiao Yunfei was sentenced to two years and fined 120,000 Yuan ($15,965.94 USD). Her brother Xiao Gaowen was given an 18 month sentence and fined 100,000 Yuan ($13,304.95 USD).

Cai was arrested September 11, 2004 at a bus stop, where he was dragged into a van by state security officers. Authorities were shocked to find more than 200,000 pieces of printed Christian literature including Bibles in a storage room managed by Cai. In China, only the Chinese government sanctioned church (The Three-Self Patriotic Movement) is allowed to print and distribute Bibles.

The Qianjin prison in Tianjin where pastor Cai was jailed before his release (Photo China Aid Association)

In recent years, Chinese authorities have tried house church leaders under Article 225 of China's Criminal Law, which makes it a crime for anyone to commit “illegal acts in business operation and thus disrupt market order.” In 1998, the Supreme People's Court issued the Explanation Regarding Certain Questions About the Specific Laws to be Used in Adjudicating Criminal Cases of Illegal Publications, which allows courts to use Article 225 to imprison anyone who “publishes, prints, copies, or distributes illegal publications.”

Another house church leader in Xinjiang Zhou Heng was formally arrested last week for the same charge because he was caught receiving 3 tons of bibles from another city.

“Since Pastor Cai has already served an unjustified three years sentence, to continue to restrict his freedom of movement is a violation of Chinese own law,” said Bob Fu, President of CAA and a former co-worker of Pastor Cai. “We urge the international community to continue to press the worsening situation on religious freedom and human rights in China.”

For more information, contact:
Bob Fu at bobfu@chinaaid.org
Telephone: (267) 205-5210

Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.