Not being able to gather together for worship is painful—we especially felt it on Easter. But at least most of us have been able to gather virtually each Sunday. That hasn’t been the case for our brothers and sisters in China.

Not only have church services been halted there too in the midst of this pandemic, but the Communist Party has continued to jail pastors! And, since February, officials have even banned the live streaming of church services.

One Chinese church pastor described how, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, her church “had to change venues at least five times because of the continuous police harassment.” And after the outbreak, when the church tried gathering virtually, officials blocked that too. In fact, as she put it, “all channels of religious communication have been closed,” including on popular messaging services like WeChat.

So, next time we are able to virtually “gather,” let’s thank God for the freedoms we have, and let’s remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in China.