News24 | US missionary abducted at gunpoint during church service in Gqeberha

• An American missionary from Tennessee was abducted in Gqeberha on Thursday night.
• Josh Sullivan was conducting a prayer service at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell when four gunmen abducted him.
• No ransom demand has been made.

What was supposed to be a peaceful prayer service at a church in Gqeberha, soon turned into a nightmare for a US missionary when he was held at gunpoint, robbed and abducted in the middle of a sermon on Thursday night.

Josh Sullivan, 45, has been missing since approximately 19:00, after his abduction from the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell – the largest township in Nelson Mandela Bay. 

READ | Ransom demanded for Chinese national abducted in Gqeberha highway ambush

His wife, Meagan Witt Sullivan, and their young children were unharmed.

No ransom has been demanded as yet.

According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, four armed masked men burst into the church in NU10 during the sermon and started robbing people. 

READ | Kidnapped Gqeberha teacher safely back home after three-day ordeal

"They robbed (sic) two cellphones and then took the male pastor with them and fled the scene in the pastor's vehicle. The silver Toyota Fortuner was recovered a short while later in Motherwell," she said.

Gantana added that the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit and Motherwell detectives were investigating cases of kidnapping and armed robbery.

While the police did not release the victim's name, Sullivan's sister church in Tennessee, under the mentorship of Pastor Tom Hatley, confirmed his abduction.

Meanwhile, Sullivan's family and friends have taken their plight to social media and asked for prayers for his safe return.

His mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, said her "heart was breaking".

"Please continue to pray for my son, daughter-in-law, grandkids, and our family. They found his van abandoned, but [Joshua] is still missing. Our congressman and the American Embassy are working on finding him. I know he's doing God's work, and I also know he wouldn't change that," Rinker wrote on her Facebook page. 

READ | SA's kidnapping crisis sparks new insurance market 

Sullivan's brother-in-law, Zach Witt, described Thursday night as "a tough night for my family".

"Please pray for the safety of my brother as he was abducted and is still missing at this moment. So many emotions at this point but what I do know is there is great faith at work. Let's pray together for his safe return and glorify our saviour for his goodness and mercy in all things," he said.

"I know that's exactly what my sister, Meagan Witt Sullivan, and her kiddos are doing. Josh Sullivan, I love you, brother!"

'Pray for a safe return'

Friends of the Sullivan couple, Jeremy and Rebekah Hall, said the victim's family was staying with them while they waited for news.

"The police have a lead on a suspect that they are pursuing at the moment. They are supposed to contact me when they have more information. Pray for a safe return and special grace and comfort from the Holy Spirit for this dear family," they said.

"We have also heard that our government is aware and working with local authorities. Please continue in prayers."

Hailing from Maryville, Tennessee, Sullivan and his family moved to South Africa in 2018 to become a "church planter": a missionary who focuses on establishing new churches and congregations.

On the Fellowship Baptist Church Motherwell website, Sullivan expressed his desire to work with South Africans and "plant a church to the Xhosa-speaking people", after accepting the call to become a missionary in 2013.

"Nothing that man can do is good, but with Christ at the helm, man can be used to bring Glory to his name," Sullivan said.

News24 contacted the US Embassy for comment and it will be added once received.

Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation can contact SAPS Anti-Gang Unit detective, Warrant Officer Dudley Ferreira, at 082 387 5957 or call the Crime Stop at 08600 10111.

This is the third abduction in Gqeberha in less than three weeks.

On Tuesday, a Chinese national was on his way from a fresh produce market in Gqeberha to his business in Kariega when he was ambushed, shot at, and forced into a vehicle.

Third Gqeberha abduction in three weeks

An undisclosed ransom amount was demanded less than 24 hours after his abduction.

The 38-year-old victim was driving on the M17 at approximately 05:45, but when he approached the M19 turnoff, a white Toyota Quantum minibus was parked across the road.

Three gunmen fired shots at him, forcing his white Toyota Fortuner to a stop.

They took him out of the vehicle, forced him into the minibus, and drove off. 

He is still missing. 

READ | Businessman's son's rescue linked to plot to silence dad ahead of kidnapping syndicate's trial

Late last month, Sumaiya Ali, a teacher at Happydale Special School in Gqeberha, was abducted from the parking lot of the school in Algoa Park.

The 45-year-old teacher had barely parked her grey Toyota Fortuner in the school's parking lot on Monday 24 March, when a white Toyota Corolla followed her onto the premises. 

Three men got out of the vehicle, grabbed her, and forced her into the backseat before speeding away.

She was missing for three days before being safely reunited with her family.

Although the kidnappers demanded a ransom, it is unclear whether Ali's family paid.