A beloved house pastor in China has died in a Beijing hospital on 16 August, 2005. Allen Yuan returned to Beijing after the Japanese surrender in 1945 at the end of the Second World War. He had been a Christian for 13 years at that time. With the help of a Norwegian pastor in 1946, Yuan rented a hall and began a church. Every year, between 20-50 people gave their lives to Jesus at his church.

Yuan continued his mission work despite the Communist regime in China which began in 1949 when Mao Tse Tung came to power. The Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) was born after church leaders met with Premier Zhou En Lai, and spread over the country. TSPM “continues today as a government instrument that seeks to control religious life and inhibit evangelism in China,” commented Voice of the Martyrs (VOM).

According to VOM, there were 11 preachers who refused to join the TSPM in 1950 which included Wang Ming Dao, Watchman Nee and Allen Yuan. Their mission was to win people to Jesus Christ by preaching the Gospel.

All those who refused were arrested and put in prison beginning in 1955. Yuan, 44, received a life sentence with no hope of being released.

A portion of Yuan’s testimony has been reproduced by VOM:

“During those years in prison my wife suffered untold hardships in bringing up the children. I was sent to near the Russian border doing farm work, growing rice. Wang Ming Dao and I thought we would die martyrs there.

“In the labour camp it was very cold, food was bad, and the work was hard, but in 22 years I never once got sick. I was thin and wore glasses, but I came back alive; many did not. I also had no Bible for the 22 years and there were no other Protestant Christians there. I met only four Catholic priests. They were in the same situation I was in; they refused to join the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

“During those long years in jail, two songs continued to encourage me. One was from Psalm 27, and the other was ‘The Old Rugged Cross.’”

After serving 21 years and 8 months in prison, Yuan was released in December 1979. “Until his death on Aug.16, through all kinds of difficulties and threats created by government officials and the police, Allen Yuan kept his favourite Bible verse before him and he remained faithful unto death. This is the passing of one of the great saints of God. We do not mourn his death but celebrate his passing from life to life . . . to life abundant and to receive his crown of life,” reported VOM.

“Allen Yuan asked us to pray,” VOM wrote. Yuan said, “Pray first for the lost millions of China, Secondly pray for the newcomers and new believers, Third, please pray for the leaders of our country.”

VOM commented, “We celebrate the life and work of Brother Allen Yuan. We pray for his widow and children who remain and we rejoice that he has passed from life to life abundant.”