A U.S. pastor who was allegedly kidnapped by multiple armed men during a service at his church in South Africa has been rescued, according to local police. Missionary Josh Sullivan, 45, was found in a vehicle at a safe house in the city of Gqeberha on Tuesday, April 15. PEOPLE previously reported he was believed to have been abducted on the evening of April 10 at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, outside of Gqeberha. In a statement released on April 16, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said the...

Authorities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa rescued a kidnapped American pastor during a deadly shootout on Tuesday at a house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) released a statement announcing that an operation led by the agency "resulted in the successful rescue" of an American pastor who was kidnapped. Though the news release did not name the pastor, 34-year-old Josh Sullivan, of Tennessee, was kidnapped by several armed, masked men last week at his church in the Eastern Cape. Police said they received...

The search continued Tuesday for an American pastor from Tennessee who was kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa last week while serving there as a missionary. Josh Sullivan, 35, had been living in South Africa with his wife Meagan and their children since 2018, The Associated Press reported, citing the Fellowship Baptist Church blog. But on Thursday evening, a group of armed men raided Sullivan's small congregation, a branch of the Fellowship Baptist Church in the southern town of Motherwell, as he was leading a prayer service, South African local...