American missionary kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa

Four armed men abducted Josh Sullivan on Thursday night while he was delivering a sermon at his church in Gqeberha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape region. The gunmen burst into Fellowship Baptist Church, robbed church members of their cellphones, took Sullivan, and fled the scene in his car, according to local news. His wife and their six children were present during the abduction but unharmed.

Police discovered the vehicle abandoned soon after the kidnapping. The South Africa Police anti-gang unit was investigating the incident, a spokesman told local Algoa FM News.

Police were pursuing a lead on a suspect, Sullivan’s friends and fellow missionaries Jeremy and Rebekah Hall told local news. Sullivan’s family was staying with the Halls as of Friday.

Sullivan’s mother in a Thursday Facebook post said her congressman, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and the American embassy in South Africa were also working to help locate Sullivan.

Who is Josh Sullivan? Sullivan moved to South Africa with his family to plant a church for the Xhosa-speaking people in 2018. He previously attended a satellite school of Macedonia Baptist College and served as a staff member at Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tenn.

Do violent incidents often occur in the Gqeberha area? Gqeberha police in March said armed men robbed another local church, stealing cars and cellphones. A carjacking and shooting also occurred that same weekend.