An American missionary was rescued yesterday, after being kidnapped last week in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, the South African Police Service Anunciado.

Josh Sullivan, 34, was first taken at gunpoint on Thursday while preaching at the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell Township on Thursday evening, according to a Facebook post by Sullivan’s home church.

“We’re overjoyed to share that Missionary Josh Sullivan has been safely rescued,” fellow missionary Mark Coffey shared on medios de comunicación social. “After days of uncertainty and fervent prayer, we rejoice in the faithfulness and protection of our great God.”

A multi-disciplinary law enforcement operation rescued Sullivan unharmed from a safe house in a township in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, police said. Officers said that when they approached the safe house, they discovered several suspects in a vehicle who attempted to open fire on the law enforcement and flee.

“The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded,” police stated.

Police then recovered Sullivan from that same vehicle.

“Thank you to the countless people who prayed, encouraged, and supported us during this time,” Coffey said. “Please continue to lift up the Sullivan family as they recover and pray for the ongoing Gospel work in South Africa.”

En Facebook, Sullivan’s mother, Tonya Rinker, praised God for her son’s rescue.

“He’s home, my baby is free! Joshua was rescued earlier today!!” Rinker said. “He is home with Meagan and the kids. Praise God for his grace and mercy.”

Sullivan kidnapped in front of family, church

The police told the AP News that Sullivan was abducted during a prayer meeting at his church by four armed and masked men. Around 30 people were attending the prayer service, including Sullivan’s wife and children.

The men then allegedly forced Sullivan into a car and fled the scene. The suspects also stole two cellphones while at the church, police noted.

An abandoned truck, a silver Toyota 4Runner, was found under a mile from the scene, police said.

Reverend Jeremy Hall, a pastor in the same city as Sullivan, told Times Live that the armed men knew Sullivan by name.

“They knew his name,” Hall said. “The men came into the church and initially held Meagan and walked her towards the door before saying, ‘Josh, is this your wife?’”

Hall suspects the abduction was “financially related.”

Police made no mention of a ransom demand in their announcement regarding Sullivan’s rescue.  

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told El Informe Roys (TRR) Tuesday that the agency is aware of the situation involving an American citizen in South Africa.

“The U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad,” the Department said in a statement.

De acuerdo a crime statistics from the South African Police Service, kidnappings within the country have increased by 264% in the past decade. Additionally, an average of 50 kidnappings per day are reported to police.

Sullivan is a “big-hearted, gentle giant”

Sullivan, a husband and father of four, has served as a missionary in South Africa since 2018, according to his family’s online Blog.

He first became a preacher in 2010 and then started working at Fellowship Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church in Maryville, Tennessee.

A year later, he said he felt called to become a “church planting missionary” to the Xhosa people in South Africa.

In Sullivan’s most recent prayer letter to his supporters, he shared several praises. He said two women recently started following Christ and that two other people were baptized.

“What makes these baptisms a little more exciting is that both were the first two people baptized who were not directly invited to our church by me or my wife,” Sullivan wrote. “They were invited by some of our church members, heard the gospel, and were saved. This is what we pray to see more of in the coming year. We are so honored to see God work in the lives of our people. What a great God we serve!”

Sullivan also has two non-biological children from South Africa, said Coffey in another Facebook post.

Coffey described Sullivan as a “kind, big-hearted, gentle giant” whose “love for the Xhosa people is evident in everything he does.”

Coffey said Sullivan doesn’t just serve the Xhosa, he walks with them, learns from then and “pours his life into building lasting relationships rooted in the love of Christ.”

“Josh is a man who loves his God, his family, and the people he’s been called to serve,” Coffey said. “His life is a testimony of faithfulness, humility, and genuine love.”

Following the kidnapping, Fellowship Baptist Church said on Facebook that it has received “malicious and hateful” messages about why it deploys missionaries.

“It is this — because God did and He told us to,” the church said. “Those of us who have experienced Christ’s saving grace owe it to others to tell them of the Good News. . . . They need to know that God loves them and that we do too.”

Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.