The American missionary was invited by a South African masked man while preaching on Thursday evening.
Josh Sullivan, 45, was preaching to Motherwell, a Fellowship Baptist Church in Gkeberja, South Africa. CBS News. Sullivan and his family moved from Tennessee to South Africa in 2018, his individual Website stock.
A US State Department spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he was aware of the reported invitations and emphasized the importance of the safety of American citizens overseas, but he said there was no additional information to provide at this time.
“They knew his name,” said family spokesman Jeremy Hall. Heral Drive As for the masked man, I knew personal details about the pastor. “We pray for his safe return.”
“The man came to church and initially hugged Megan. [Sullivan’s wife] I walked her towards the door before saying, “Josh is your wife,” Hall continued, explaining that the man “pushed her to the ground” before driving with the missionary in his car. “The car was found several kilometers later.”
Police spokesman Captain Andre Bietzge told the publication that the missionary had been accused of four armed masked men. He said the lure and armed robbery cases have been opened by South African Police Service Motherwell and are being investigated by the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit (AGU). “The Silver Toyota Fortuner was retrieved in Motherwell after a while,” he said.
There were no warning signs leading up to the invitation, and there is no evidence that this was done for ransom, Herald Live reported.
Megan Sullivan and Sullivan’s children witnessed abduction, but they fled unharmed, but Hall told the live show on Friday morning. Sullivan moved to Africa with his family in November 2018 and founded a church within the Xhosa speaking community. According to a spokesman, they founded Motherwell, a Fellowship Baptist Church, and are supporting the community.
Worshippers will attend Sunday service at the Dutch Reformed Church in Orania on May 26, 2024. Founded in 1991 after the abolition of the Race Act, Orania is protected under the South African constitution and guarantees the right to self-determination. (Photo: Marco Longari/AFP) (Photo by Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images)
Over the past few years, pastoral invitations have been increasing in Africa. Awarded by the White House He spoke to DCNF to support persecuted Christians and the province’s widows and orphan volunteer CEOs.
“This is an increasingly common occurrence,” Devlin said. “It’s one of the security issues, especially as a pastor of a persecuted church in Nigeria, and I have to worry about it.” (Related: More than 60 Christian dissidents in Thailand were detained in the face of imprisonment, “torture when deported to China”
“That’s true. You might go to Africa and be invited and killed,” he said. Devlin referenced a meeting with the Catholic Bishop of Nigeria. Invitation The past 10 years. “Sadly, it’s six pages long.”
According to CBS, acquiring by criminal gangs, which often target people to demand large ransoms, often demand large ransoms in South Africa.
In November 2024, the US State Department issued a South African travel advisory for “crime, civil unrest, and temptations.” Trump also provided a “rapid route” to US citizenship for South African farmers leaving the country due to violence.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan newswire service that is free to use for legitimate news publishers that can provide large audiences. All republished articles must include logos, reporter signatures and DCNF affiliation. For questions regarding our guidelines or partnerships with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
