Well-connected to the MAGA movement’s highest ranks, Thompson, who leads 412 Church Temecula Valley, got to know Kirk through local conferences and events hosted by Kirk’s Turning Point USA. In 2021, Kirk also appeared on Thompson’s “Our Watch” program that’s shared on social media.

Thompson and other Inland Empire conservatives are mourning Kirk, who was shot and killed Wednesday, Sept. 10, while speaking to thousands at a Utah university.

Authorities arrested a 22-year-old man and booked him on suspicion of murder and other charges in the assassination of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who built a media empire focused on recruiting young people to the conservative movement.

Chino Valley school board President Sonja Shaw and Temecula school board member Jen Wiersma, both Christian conservatives, took to Instagram to share photos of themselves with Kirk along with their shock and grief over his violent death.

“Charlie poured his life into equipping the next generation with courage and truth,” Shaw, who spoke with Kirk at events, said via text. “My husband even left work early so we could mourn together as a family, because this feels so personal to us all.”

Shaw, a Republican running for state superintendent of public instruction in 2026, once emailed Kirk asking for advice. He also highlighted her activism in a social media post.

Wiersma’s daughter works at Turning Point.

“Though I was not a personal friend of Charlie Kirk, our family has long supported the mission of the Turning Point organization and their focus on faith, family and freedom while passionately pursuing Gen Z,” Wiersma said in a text message.

“We mourn his passing and celebrate his legacy. Thank you to President Trump for honoring him with the Medal of Freedom. We, as Americans, have lost a national treasure.”

Kirk, 31, was a divisive American political figure. While an inspiration to the Make America Great Again movement, critics denounced him as a bigot who spread misinformation and poisoned political discourse.

Comments that incensed his foes include:

• Calling the 1964 Civil Rights Act “a huge mistake.”
• Criticizing business diversity initiatives by saying “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”
• Referring to the transgender identity as “a mental disease.”
• Describing Islam as incompatible with Western values.

Kirk’s brand involved visiting college campuses, debating students and sharing those exchanges on social media. He visited UC Riverside in May as part of his American Comeback tour.

The visit, staged at UCR’s Bell Tower, drew supporters and protesters. Police shut down a punk rock band attempting to protest Kirk by performing near the tower.

While critics urged UCR students to ignore Kirk, others engaged him, according to a Kirk profile — “Charlie Kirk, pied piper of the American right” — published in July by The Economist magazine.

“(A freshman) said he wanted to debate abortion,” the article states. “When Mr. Kirk, a devout, pro-life evangelical, asked the student to define life, he responded that life began at ‘consciousness and speech.’”

“Mr. Kirk interjected that babies usually don’t start speaking until they are a year old, ‘so if I murdered you at six months, that’s ok?’ Backed into a corner, the flustered student doubled down. ‘Yes,’ he said firmly.”

“The crowd bayed. ‘The fact that he’s a biology student at this university shows the horrifying moral rot happening at higher education,’ said Mr. Kirk, as the student was ushered away. Shortly after, a video was posted to Mr. Kirk’s YouTube channel: ‘UCR Bio Student Justifies Abortion Past Birth.’”

Thompson said that he, along with Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Pastor Jack Hibbs and Rob McCoy, Kirk’s personal pastor, first met Kirk at the 2019 Unite IE Conservative Conference.

Hibbs, a conservative leader like Thompson, paid tribute to Kirk on Instagram.

“Charlie was known as an intellectual giant, a very compassionate young man, and one who was tirelessly devoted to this nation’s welfare and our glorious republic,” Hibbs said in the post, which shows a picture of him hugging Kirk.

Thompson said Kirk was a skilled debater and “a man who walked in the truth and he spoke the truth and he was factual.”

“He was an educated man, a very well-read man, and that came across very clear when he would speak that he knew what he was talking about,” the pastor said. “And I watched people’s minds get changed.”

Kirk also gave courage to other conservatives to stand up for their beliefs, Thompson said.

“When he first started doing the meetings on college campuses and you look at the audience, there were many people there opposing him,” Thompson said. “And what I saw was a change over the last year, whereas you see the people there on the campus when he’s there to speak, we see MAGA hats everywhere.”

While many viewed Kirk as cocky, “when you talk to him on a personal level, he’s a very humble man,” the pastor added. “He was just a man humble and ready to serve, and he really truly loved this nation and wanted the best for it.”

Kirk’s death also affected Thompson on a more personal level.

“This has been a hard time for my family because No. 1, they knew and loved Charlie,” he said. “But (this) brings it home when people are threatening my life and threatening violence against me for speaking truth, now my wife and my kids and my grandkids are concerned.”

“I just want to encourage everybody that’s speaking the truth to continue. Don’t let this stop them. We should be bold and don’t let this silence our voice.”

Despite the “tremendous loss” of Kirk, “the Scriptures say what Satan means for evil, God will turn for good,” Thompson said.

“I believe that trying to stop the movement … I think a hornet’s nest was just swatted at. I don’t believe this is going to stop the movement. I think it’s going to propel it even further.”

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