Five days after he was kidnapped by armed men from his church in Motherwell, South Africa, Tennessee missionary Josh Sullivan was rescued and “miraculously unharmed” following a “high-intensity shootout” that left three people dead.
A statement from the South African Police Service said the shootout happened at a protected house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha, where the 34-year-old pastor was being held captive.
“As officers approached the home, they observed a vehicle on the premises. The suspects contained in the vehicle upon seeing law enforcement allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team. The officers responded with tactical precision, resulting in a high-intensity shootout through which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded,” the statement said.
“The victim was found contained in the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack. Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in a wonderful condition.”
The statement said the investigation of the kidnapping continues to be underway and asked for “privacy for the victim and his family as they navigate this era of recovery.”
Sullivan, who leads Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, near Gqeberha, formerly referred to as Port Elizabeth, was kidnapped by multiple armed men during a sermon at his church on April 10. The kidnappers had demanded an undisclosed ransom.
The kidnapping triggered a world prayer rally starting with Sullivan’s home church, Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, led by Pastor Tom Hatley.
Hatley celebrated the rescue in a statement on Facebook Wednesday while urging his followers to proceed praying for Sullivan and his family.
“Josh has been released. I just got ‘the go ahead to let or not it’s known,’” he wrote. “Thank you to your support and prayers. Please don’t stop praying for The Sullivans. Praise The Lord Jesus Christ!”
Church secretary Heather Shirley told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday that the one message shared with the church about Pastor Sullivan’s rescue to this point is that he had been rescued. They hadn’t gotten into the small print highlighted by local police just yet. She also noted that the miraculous rescue is strictly what they’d been praying for and praised God.
“He (God) was the one protecting him and taking good care of him. And that is what we were praying for all along, that He would maintain him and produce him home,” Shirley said while noting they’re looking forward to hearing Sullivan’s testimony firsthand.
“We prefer to get it firsthand, . Everything’s more correct for those who’re getting it [firsthand]. We wish to let Josh tell the entire story as he desires to or give us something to provide to our people in order that they understand exactly how he felt,” Shirley added.
“I do not think any of us can understand how he felt in that situation. I mean, there had to only be a hedge of protection around him, provided by God, that is the only explanation for it.”
Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville noted in a previous statement that Sullivan and his wife, Meagan, first travelled to South Africa in 2015 for a six-month internship as a part of their Bible training.
“It was during this time that the Lord began to stir their hearts specifically for the Xhosa people. They returned in 2018 as full-time church planting missionaries, determined to share the Gospel, and see lives modified,” the bio from the church states.
Sullivan spent two years at a language school to turn into fluent in Xhosa “so he could preach, disciple, and minister more effectively.”
“That dedication led to the planting of Fellowship Baptist Church within the township of Motherwell — a community that has turn into home to their hearts,” the church said. The couple have also taken in two Xhosa children to be an element of their household in South Africa.
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