US pastor Josh Sullivan kidnapped during sermon in Motherwell church

A missionary from the US has been kidnapped in Gqeberha.

Josh Sullivan was abducted on Thursday evening while delivering a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist Church Motherwell in Mambalaza Street, NU10, at about 7pm.

The family’s spokesperson Jeremy Hall said on Friday his wife and their children were also at the church when the incident took place but escaped unharmed.

“They knew his name,” Hall said.

“The men came into the church and initially held Meagan and walked her towards the door before saying, ‘Josh, is this your wife?’ They then pushed her to the ground and took Josh before driving off in his vehicle.

“The car was found a few kilometres away shortly afterwards.”

He said the family were still shocked by the incident as there had been no warning signs before Thursday night’s incident and no ransom demand had been made since.

“We are praying for his safe return,” he said. 

Police spokesperson Capt Andre Beetge said the 45-year-old pastor was abducted by four armed and masked men.

“They stole two cellphones and took the pastor with them and fled the scene in the pastor’s vehicle. The silver Toyota Fortuner was recovered a short while later in Motherwell,” he said. 

He said a kidnapping and armed robbery case was opened by SAPS Motherwell and was being investigated by the SAPS anti-gang unit (AGU).

“Any person with information that could assist police with this investigation can contact the SAPS AGU’s Det-W/O Dudley Ferreira at 082-387-5957 or Crime Stop at 08600-10111 to remain anonymous,” Beetge said.

Sullivan is a church planter missionary — a missionary who specialises in establishing new churches or planting new congregations in areas where there are few or no existing Christian communities — for the Fellowship Baptist Church.

He has been missionary to South Africa for almost seven years, having moved with his family in November 2018 to establish a church in the Xhosa-speaking community.

With his wife Meagan, they established the Fellowship Baptist Church Motherwell and have been working in the community to assist families in a variety of ways.

The Herald