The crackdown on churches in China is ramping up again.

Chinese police in Wenzhou forcibly removed the cross from the top of a local church building.  The members of the church gathered around the fallen cross, weeping and praying for the men who conducted the removal.

The congregants had tried to protect the cross atop Longgang Huai En Church but hundreds of police descended on the building and overwhelmed the church members.  The government said the cross on top violated the city’s ordinance on the height of buildings within the city.

The government workers did make an unusual step in allowing the church members to keep the cross inside their building.

The Chinese government is cracking down on churches in Wenzhou, called the “Jerusalem of China” by local Christians because of the revival of faith in the city.  The International Chrsitian Concern says that the government has not only encouraged local officials to remove crosses from buildings but are offering political promotions to those who succeed in shutting down churches.