China Releases House Church Leader After 9 Months

Around 10:30 p.m. on July 3, Sean Long saw his phone light up with an incoming call from Anna Liu, wife of Jin "Ezra" Mingri, senior pastor of China's Zion Church. When Long answered, he was surprised to hear the voice of Jin, who had been detained since October 9, on the other end of the line.

Jin told Long, who was acting senior pastor in Jin's absence, that Chinese authorities had unexpectedly released him from prison and he had just arrived in Los Angeles, reuniting with his wife, daughter, and two sons for the first time in years...