Shawn Black to speak at Heritage Village Church
– On Sunday, Oct. 11, Heritage Village Church will host a special speaker, Shawn Black. The event will take place at Heritage senior center, located at 4880 Heritage Road, in Heritage Ranch at 10 a.m.
Shawn Black
Shawn Black is a former special agent with the Federal Air Marshal Service and one of the first Department of Homeland Security chaplains.
Black was discharged from service after serving honorably with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He moved to Paso Robles during the late 1980’s and became a police cadet and later, a volunteer reserve officer. “We had a great time in Paso,” said Black. “I shared a rented house full of other Paso cops. I lived and worked with Lt. Jerry Hunter, officer’s Chris Schillings, Doug Mansker, Greg Delfous and worked alongside a very young former Chief Lisa Solomon.”
Black was later promoted to an investigator with the State of California for ten years. He became a SWAT officer and after 9/11, served as an undercover agent with the Federal Air Marshal Service. During his time with the Air Marshal Service, he became an international supervisor and worked with the joint terrorism task force aviation missions to London and Paris.
Black then moved on and served the government as a security supervisor with the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Iraq. “From 2009, I served as a celebrity protection agent, protecting George Clooney, Halle Berry and many others,” said Black. “I’m semi-retired today from government service and I serve as a Calvary Chapel non denominational pastor.
Black was also the founder of the military non-profit organization, Project Prayer Flag.
Shawn Black and his wife meet former president Bush. Courtesy photo.
Black shared how he started the nonprofit: “During those years after 9/11, I sent a letter and a small cloth American Flag to a friend of mine serving in Afghanistan. He indicated that he carried the flag in his pocket and that he would like 100 more of those ‘pocket flags’ for his troops to carry. And right there, Project Prayer Flag was born.” The nationwide nonprofit served over 800,000 U.S. Troops and served with the Bush white house military support programs. “From our living room floor, my wife and I assembled the first 1,000 flags by hand. Each pack had a printed message card of thanks from the American people, with an encouraging bible verse and a phone card to call home. Soon, we had entire Army and Marine divisions asking us to send them 20,000 of these packs! The project exploded and went nationwide. We enlisted the help of churches, social clubs, democrats and republicans and it even became a official White House Military support organization under both President’s Bush and Obama. After one million ‘Patriot packs’ were completed and with Iraq conflict winding down, we announced the completion of the organization in 2012.”
On Sunday, Black will present, “The Patient in Spirit,” a one hour speech message with encouragement for those wishing to learn how to start their new nonprofit and how they can contribute to their community through faith based programs, with their neighborhood family or church.
A meet and greet will follow with coffee and donuts. The event is free and open to the public.
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