After an American missionary was kidnapped while preaching in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province last week, loved ones are requesting prayers for his safe return. Josh Sullivan, of Maryville, Tennessee, was leading a prayer service in Motherwell Township on April 10 when four masked gunmen stormed into his church.
According to reports, the gunmen knew Sullivan by name and briefly detained his wife, Meagan, before forcing the preacher into his own vehicle and driving away. That Toyota 4Runner was later found abandoned, but Sullivan, 34, has not been located.
About 30 people were at the church at the time of the kidnapping. The gunmen also reportedly stole two cellphones from congregants.
No ransom has yet been issued for Sullivan’s return, South African police said. An Anti-Gang Unit is investigating the case, and if a ransom is issued, a unit specializing in organized crime will take over.
RELATED: Muslim Stabs Wife to Death for Accepting Christ During Ramadan
The U.S. State Department has indicated it is aware of the kidnapping report but has provided no updates as of noon on April 14.
US Missionary Josh Sullivan Abducted While Preaching
Josh Sullivan, who describes himself as a “church planting missionary,” has been in South Africa with his family since November 2018. He and Meagan have four children and have “also taken in two Xhosa children,” according to Mark Coffey, a fellow missionary. Coffey called Sullivan a “kind, big-hearted, gentle giant” whose “love for the Xhosa people is evident in everything he does.”
Through a spokesperson, Meagan Sullivan issued a statement Saturday (April 12), thanking people for their love and prayers for her husband. “We beg you to continue storming the throne room until Josh is safe at home,” she said.
Tonya Rinker, Sullivan’s mother, also is asking people to pray. Her son “has a burden for lost souls and has devoted his life to serving God in South Africa,” she said. On Facebook, Rinker wrote, “I know [Josh is] doing God’s work, and I also know he wouldn’t change that.”
Church: ‘We Thank God for Our Missionaries’
Josh Sullivan has been on the staff of his sending church, Fellowship Baptist in Maryville, Tennessee, since 2012. Tom Hatley, the church’s pastor, has known Sullivan and his wife since they were children, and he mentored Sullivan during his Bible training.
