Source: US FBI
Pitcock eventually hired Black at his car lot, first with odd jobs and later sales, where he flourished. Pitcock invited him to his church, First Church of the Nazarene in Bethany, where Black would later share a testimonial about his life, his time in prison, and his spiritual awakening there. That’s where Pitcock’s friend and fellow congregant Rick Raines heard Black’s story. The tale’s contours sounded unbelievably familiar to Raines, a now-retired FBI special agent who had worked with Gray on the Thaddeus Black investigation more than two decades ago.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’ve got to be kidding,’” said Raines. “The next time I was at church I came up behind him and said, ‘Thaddeus, you’re not going to believe this. I was on the surveillance team that followed you around for months in Guthrie. Can you believe that?’”
“It was such a blessing behind it, though,” said Black. “I just knew that my life today was not like my life yesterday.”
Raines and Black became friends in and out of church. The retired agent later nominated Black—who had earned a pastor’s license—to become an ordained minister in his church. Two other special agents on Raines’ surveillance team attended Black’s ordination ceremony.
Today, Pastor Black leads Tulakes Neighborhood Ministries, which includes the church, a food pantry, and a free clinic. A bus with a basketball hoop attached is often seen at its community events.
Two years ago, when Raines learned that Edward Gray would return to Oklahoma City as special agent in charge, he saw a full-circle moment at hand. He contacted Gray to let him know Black was now a pillar of the community just a few miles from where he’d been arrested long ago.
“I was like, ‘Can you believe this? This is amazing,’” Raines said. “Then Ed was like, ‘We need to get Thaddeus hooked up with our community outreach program so we can do some things together.’”
Last August, FBI Oklahoma City’s Community Outreach Program was invited to set up a booth at the Tulakes Bash, a community event sponsored by Black’s ministry. SAC Gray said Pastor Black provides a valuable connection to the community.
Members of Thaddeus Black’s congregation cheered when the pastor received news during a youth night event at his church in February that he was a recipient of the 2023 Director’s Community Leadership Award.
“He’s been able to help us get into communities we had a hard time getting into,” Gray said. “If I needed someone to kind of vouch for the FBI, having him as a friend, I think he would do that.”
FBI Community Outreach Specialist Veronica Magrath played a role in nominating Black for the Director’s Community Leadership Award. She said hundreds of people attended last summer’s outreach event and met with FBI staff up close and personal. A little girl told her mom that “the police lady” Magrath was her friend now.
“I realized the impact the relationship between Pastor Black and the FBI has on that community,” Magrath said. “There is no way to measure in numbers, but I can tell you had Pastor Black not been the one to open his arms and partner with us, the community would not have had the same response as they have had following his lead.”
Retired Special Agent Raines echoed those remarks. He said the community where Black has his ministry is poor and underserved. But he’s always out helping and setting an example for kids who may be running the streets like he did.
“He just has a trust that he built and can tell them—with his background and what he did—it’s not the way to go,” Raines said. “And they see him there working alongside law enforcement, and the FBI in particular, and it shows them that that’s not something for them to fear if they make the right choices in their life.”