A US pastor has reportedly been kidnapped while preaching at his church in Gqeberha, South Africa. Josh Sullivan was delivering a sermon on Thursday evening at the Fellowship Baptist Church, which he founded with his wife, Megan.
According to reports, four armed men entered the church around 7 PM. A family spokesperson, Jeremy Hall, stated, “They knew [Josh’s] name.” The assailants initially held Megan and pushed her to the ground before taking Josh and fleeing in his vehicle, which was later found a few kilometers away.
The couple’s children were present during the incident but were able to leave unharmed, though shaken. Hall mentioned that the family is praying for Josh’s safe return.
Josh and Megan had been church-planting missionaries in South Africa since 2018, after moving from the United States. Their church serves the Xhosa-speaking community.
Weeks before the kidnapping, Josh wrote about community tensions and accusations against him and the church, expressing feelings of stress and discouragement but stating they surrendered the situation to the Lord.
A case of kidnapping and armed robbery has been opened with Motherwell police. Police spokesperson Capt. Andre Beetge urged anyone with information to assist in the investigation to contact the SAPS AGU’s Det-W/O Dudley Ferreira or Crime Stop.
