A Texas pastor who had been missing since Wednesday, Aug. 2, was found dead from a gunshot wound the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 8. Phillip Loveday, pastor of Faith Christian Center (FCC) in Freer, was found by a deputy in a truck near Corpus Christi.
“As you have all seen and heard, law enforcement has found Phillip,” said an update on the Facebook page, Finding Phillip Loveday, Wednesday morning. The page was created by Loveday’s church as part of the effort to locate him. The post continued:
His family and friends are heartbroken by this news. Please be courteous to the family as they mourn. We appreciate all the prayers, help, and suggestions. The outpouring of love and support of the community has been incredible. Please continue to pray for his family and friends.
Texas Pastor Goes Missing
In addition to being the lead pastor of Faith Christian Center, Phillip Loveday, 47, worked for an energy infrastructure company called Kinder Morgan. He had left for work in a company truck the morning of Aug. 2, but did not take his cell phone with him and never showed up for his job.
The Finding Phillip Loveday page administrator noted that Loveday leaving his phone behind might not be significant because “he wasn’t attached to his phone, in fact, he hated having one and did not have social media.”
Loveday’s wife, Meléa, became worried about her husband when she got a call that he had failed to show up for work or church, where he was reportedly supposed to preach that evening. She posted on Aug. 3, saying, “Please pray for my husband and our family.”
Numerous people participated in the attempt to find Loveday. The Finding Phillip Loveday Facebook page helped coordinate search efforts and is full of comments from followers offering information or suggestions about where to find the pastor, as well as prayers for his safe return.
“There have been many, many law enforcement agencies that have come into play,” David Cook, Deputy Chief of Operations for the Nueces County Sheriff’s Office, told KRIS 6 News. “All the adjoining counties have been involved in looking for him. Some of the federal agencies have been involved in looking for him. They’ve scoured LPR license plate readers to determine if his vehicle had been seen anywhere.”
On Aug. 7, Faith Christian Center posted, “Please continue to pray for Pastor Phil Loveday and all of his family. This passed [sic] Sunday at FCC the church prayed together and will continue to do so until he is found! FCC is here for anyone needing prayer.”
