Church of Scientology Opens National Office in Washington, D.C., Landmark

On Wednesday, September 12, national dignitaries joined more than a thousand Scientologists and guests to celebrate the grand opening of the Church of Scientology’s National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C.

Located in the historic Fraser Mansion at Dupont Circle, the new National Affairs Office stands as the central point from which the Church coordinates its many social and humanitarian initiatives on a national and international level.

The establishment of the National Affairs Office is necessitated by the Church of Scientology’s unprecedented worldwide growth and commensurate demand for Church-sponsored programs. In the past several years, dozens of new Ideal Churches of Scientology (Ideal Orgs) have opened in major cities across the world. In the United States, new Churches now stand in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Seattle, Denver and Phoenix, to name but a few. While internationally, they also now stand in Rome, London, Madrid, Brussels, Berlin, Hamburg, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Melbourne, Moscow and Tel Aviv. Ideal Orgs are designed to both serve the needs of parishioners as well as the community at large, while the National Affairs Office serves to facilitate implementation of the Church-sponsored programs both nationally and internationally.

These programs include a worldwide human rights initiative; equally far-ranging drug education, prevention and rehabilitation programs; a wide-reaching criminal reform program; a global network of literacy and learning centers; a moral education movement restoring the brotherhood of Man; and the Scientology Volunteer Ministers, the world’s largest independent relief force providing emergency response at major disaster sites for more than a decade.

Underscoring the importance of the new National Affairs Office to the Church’s greater social and humanitarian mission, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, led the dedication. In honoring the occasion, he said: “Here is an Office designed to give back to a United States government that steadfastly guaranteed our religious rights—the very freedom that allows us to do what we are doing today. And with that, we extend our reach by invoking what we hold to be the greatest of all rights, the one right which must be invoked if one is to fight for the freedom of others—the right to help. And yes, that’s what we pledge today with the inauguration of this new Church of Scientology National Affairs Office.”

Dignitaries joining in the opening ceremony included Members of U.S. Congress Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Danny Davis (D-IL); as well as Liz Gibson, Senior Program Manager, Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Honorable Dan Burton spoke to the Church’s signal contributions in the protection of children from psychotropic drugging and preservation of the rights of families: “I applaud you for taking the time to pursue this issue, and for helping make the Child Safety and Medication Act the law of the land. Working together we have been part of a course of correction to safeguard America’s youth while promoting and protecting liberty.”

Acknowledging the Church for its abiding commitment to human rights, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, Member of U.S. Congress, said: “I want to thank L. Ron Hubbard for recognizing that courage is not rewarded but it is valued. And to be able to have the wonderment of people coming together and ensuring that people come together for peace. That’s what I see in the Church, that you have come together for peace. I welcome and support that.”

The Honorable Danny Davis thanked the Church for its commitment to improving one of today’s most pressing social problems—criminal reform: “Since 2004, the Church has been part of the broad coalition that has tirelessly worked with us in Congress to get the Second Chance Act passed into law, which is a monumental first step in reforming our criminal justice system nationwide. I am extremely grateful for the work you do to help those individuals who are most in need.”

Ms. Liz Gibson, Senior Program Manager, Federal Emergency Management Agency, highlighted the effectiveness of Church volunteers in all forms of disaster response and community need: “You have consistently come to the aid of major and many minor disasters around the country. You arrive, help, then help some more and stay on after others have gone home. All our work from the policy level down to the local level depends on groups like the Churches of Scientology Disaster Response—these partnerships are and will be in the future the strength of our work here in this country.”

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The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office houses an array of facilities for meetings, conferences, seminars, workshops and events to promote collaboration on solutions to society’s greatest challenges. In particular, its Chestnut Hall is configured to host a wide range of functions, from human rights symposiums and drug education workshops to panel discussions, press conferences and awards ceremonies.

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The Church of Scientology acquired Fraser Mansion in 1994 to serve as home to the Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C., now located in expanded quarters on 16^th Street Northwest’s historic Church Row. The mansion, dating from 1890, is a nationally registered historic landmark. Under the Church’s custodianship, the combination Beaux-Arts, Renaissance and Romanesque building has been meticulously restored to its original glory. Fraser Mansion also stands just two blocks from the historic Founding Church of Scientology at 1812 19^th Street NW, established in 1955 by Founder L. Ron Hubbard.

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The dedication of the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office follows the opening of a series of Ideal Churches of Scientology (Ideal Orgs) in 2012, including the new Center of Scientology in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, August 21; the Churches of Scientology of Los Gatos, California, July 28; Buffalo, New York, June 30; Phoenix, Arizona, June 23; Denver, Colorado, June 16; Stevens Creek in San Jose, California, June 9; Orange County, California, June 2; Greater Cincinnati, February 25; Sacramento, California, January 28; and Hamburg, Germany, January 21.

For a complete list of new Churches of Scientology, visit Scientology.org.

In total, the Scientology religion today comprises more than 10,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 nations.

^{Happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. To hate alone is the road to disaster. To love is the road to strength. To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe.~~L. Ron Hubbard}, founder of the Scientology religion A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

ANNOUNCEMENT: International Volunteer Minister Week! 20-27 August 2011

August 20—27, 2011, has been designated International Volunteer Ministers Week in honor of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers whose work has become synonymous with unconditional help.

What happened over the past 10 years

Over the past 10 years, since 9/11/01, the bright yellow t-shirts and tents of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers have become established symbols of hope in times of need.

While no one could have predicted the violence with which the events of 9/11 would rip our culture from its social veneer, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, saw clearly that it was time for Scientologists to redouble their efforts to aid Mankind in reversing society’s dwindling spiral that the cataclysm so suddenly and dramatically brought into focus.

A now legendary, internationally-issued Wake-Up Call inspired unprecedented response. On September 11, 2001 there were 6,000 Volunteer Ministers internationally. Today there are more than 350,000 trained in the technology and skills of Scientology Volunteer Ministers.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers program was born in 1976 when Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, noting a tremendous downturn in the level of ethics and morality in society, and a consequent increase in drugs and crime, wrote, “If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a VOLUNTEER MINISTER and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance.”

Throughout the last 35 years, Scientology Volunteer Ministers have provided service in their communities and worldwide, volunteered in cavalcades and Goodwill Tours on five continents, and responded to 187 natural and manmade disasters including:

• Earthquakes in the United States, Japan, Greece, Peru, Chile, Russia, Italy, China, Turkey, El Salvador and Indonesia from 1995 to 2011, with major participation in the South Asian earthquake and tsunami of December 2004, the L’Aquila earthquake of 2009, the Haiti earthquake of 2010 and the Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

• Yearly and seasonal hurricane, cyclone and typhoon relief throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean, Indonesia and Thailand. Some 900 volunteers aided victims of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Volunteer Ministers also routinely rescue people and property from floods throughout the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Pakistan and India.

• Crisis zones, including displaced persons camps in Chechnya 1997, the 1999 Moscow theater siege, Zimbabwe during civil unrest in 2000, Ground Zero in New York and the Pentagon after 9/11, London after the bombing of 2005, Mumbai in the wake of terrorist attacks in 2006.

• In Australian bush fires, Southern California brushfires and at the site of the massive 2009 fire on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.

This year Volunteer Minister across 185 nations will honor this year's celebration with events, seminars and tours. Regular updates will be posted on http://blog.volunteerministers.org

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Heroes Come in All Forms and Sizes

It doesn't take a superhero to help someone.

I'm willing to bet you know someone who's going through a rough time right now. Wouldn't you help them if you knew how? Or maybe you've been rebuffed so often in your attempts to help that you figure what's the point. But really, even when they say "no thanks" and even when they bite your head off for trying, they do want a hand. And if you do know how, you can save their life (or at least make it a whole lot better).

There is a whole series of new courses, announced last week by David Miscavige, that are being offered at Scientology Churches and Missions that give you the tools to be able to help.

Check it out for yourself.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

David Miscavige

There has been a lot of interest in David Miscavige over the the past few years. Here's an excerpt from his bio page on the RTC web site:

David Miscavige is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC), a non-profit organization formed in 1982 to preserve, maintain and protect the Scientology religion.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Meeting the Global Demand for the Scientology Religion

OPENING A NEW BREED OF CHURCH IN MAJOR CITIES, SCIENTOLOGY HAS DOUBLED ITS SIZE IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

“You are creating an island of friendliness, decency and succor in the sea of a violent world.... Sometime in the future the islands will become the sea.”
—L. Ron Hubbard

To meet the skyrocketing demand for Dianetics and Scientology throughout the world, and utilizing the technological advances of the 21st century, in 2004 Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, Mr. David Miscavige, launched the Ideal Org strategy to transform all Scientology Churches into Ideal Churches of Scientology.

It was the goal L. Ron Hubbard had set for Scientologists—to one day create Churches that were a physical embodiment of the policy and technology he had provided to help all beings attain spiritual freedom.

An Ideal Org (for “organization”) is a Church configured to provide the full services of the Scientology religion to its parishioners and to the community.

“Ideal” status encompasses both the physical facilities and the quantity and quality of the service to its parishioners and community. Such Churches house extensive public information multimedia displays describing all aspects of Dianetics and Scientology and its Founder, L. Ron Hubbard, as well as the Church’s social betterment and community outreach programs.

Religious services are provided in efficient and aesthetic courserooms and spiritual counseling rooms. There are also libraries, bookstores, film and seminar rooms as well as an expansive Chapel for Sunday Services, weddings, naming ceremonies and other congregational gatherings.

Since 2004, more than a dozen Ideal Churches have arisen, including those in such cultural centers as Madrid, New York, London and Berlin.

Just since April 2009, three more opened—first in Malmö, Sweden; then Dallas, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee. As of this writing, 70 more buildings have been acquired and stand in various stages of design and construction. And so it is, Ideal Churches of Scientology will soon literally encompass the world.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

A Renaissance for Scientology

David Miscavige Recovers Original L. Ron Hubbard
Scriptures and Embarks on the Most Expansive
Publishing Program in History

An article in the new Freedom Magazine, click here.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Building for the Future of the Scientology Religion

Mr. Miscavige is the Driving Force of a Movement Now Spanning This World With Ideal Churches of Scientology.

To exactly that end, he sets the direction for the acquisition, design and planning of new Churches—quite literally from inception to ribbon cutting. In consequence, the horizons of Scientology are filled with scores of new Churches in the making for 2009 and beyond.

Just since the launch of the Ideal Churches program five years ago, 70 new buildings have been acquired in major population centers around the world. Church premises have increased from 5.6 million square feet in 2004 to over 11 million in 2009, with half a million square feet of renovations completed in 2009.

Meanwhile, another half-million square feet are under construction in Brussels, Rome, Tel Aviv, Quebec, Mexico City, Las Vegas and Washington, DC. These are the Ideal Churches of Scientology and they are designed to present the wisdom of Scientology to many millions planetwide.

NEW IDEAL ORG BUILDINGS

Shown here is just a sampling of newly acquired Church buildings, while the listing below includes all new properties now in planning or construction stage to open within the next 12 months.

UNITED STATES

Albuquerque, New Mexico
Atlanta, Georgia
Battle Creek, Michigan
Boston, Massachusetts
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Detroit, Michigan
Harlem, New York
Inglewood, California
Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, Nevada
New Haven, Connecticut
Orange County, California
Pasadena, California
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
Sacramento, California
San Diego, California
San Fernando Valley, California
St. Louis, Missouri
Seattle, Washington
Twin Cities, Minnesota
Washington, DC

CANADA

Kitchener, Ontario
Montreal, Quebec
Quebec City, Quebec
Winnipeg, Manitoba

LATIN AMERICA

Bogotá, Colombia
Caracas, Venezuela
Valencia, Venezuela
Las Lomas, Mexico
Mexico City, DF

EUROPE

Brussels, Belgium
Budapest, Hungary
Copenhagen, Denmark
Milan, Italy
Padova, Italy
Pordenone, Italy
Rome, Italy
Tel Aviv, Israel
Torino, Italy
Verona, Italy

AFRICA

Cape Town, South Africa
Durban, South Africa
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND/ASIA

Auckland, New Zealand
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Melbourne, Australia

Scientology Web Site Inspires Personal and Social Change

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site provides tools to improve conditions in life.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site took on a new dimension last year with free online courses anyone can do. The result is a virtual nexus, where people from all over the world learn simple tools developed by L. Ron Hubbard and use them to improve conditions in their own lives and those of their friends, families and their communities at large. Scientology leader David Miscavige described the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program: “The final word, as regards our front-line work bringing our help wherever and whenever needed is our corps of Scientology Volunteer Ministers — on call, 24 hours a day in scores of nations.”

A student from Senegal in western Africa, who found the web site through Google, said, ” I think that even just reading the information I can achieve my goal: to avoid violence and create peace in my community.”

“I was thinking—How can we actually make a difference in the world?” wrote an industrial engineer from Bolivia, “and I was worried about the things that were happening. How can we face injustice, crime, and totalitarianism? We have to teach people to live by certain rules that ensure that these things won’t happen. We have to conquer darkness with light and develop social networks that bind people together with common principles of mutual caring, respect for law and respect for our neighbors. My country is going though very difficult times. There is violence and racism and hate. My search for peace and a way to make this world more secure led me to your web site.”

From Kenya, a childcare specialist wrote “Your lessons and strategies of dealing with children has really motivated me to join with your network.”

An engineer from Oman said “My interest was drawn to the real life issue assistance that I may attain from your courses. They seem to be the missing something that we very often overlook in life and forget to pass on to our children and peers.”

“What particularly got my attention,” wrote a manager from the Philippines, “is how your organization focuses its assistance on specific concerns and problems with solutions that can be applied immediately. I have been experiencing a great deal of change in myself and how I view others. And I want to learn more.”

The free Scientology courses provide tools to help with such things as marriage problems, trouble in relationships with others, raising children, difficulties on the job and overcoming stress, anxiety and depression. These are self-guided courses, meaning people move through them at their own pace. Each course includes practical exercises where students get hands-on experience in applying the data. The courses are supervised by trained extension course supervisors who ensure the students can use the material and provide feedback, guidance and help where needed.

To enroll on a free course, visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Scientology Volunteer Ministers

Friends of mine are Scientology Volunteer Ministers heading off for Bihar in India to help flood victims. I am so amazed that there are people who will drop everything to go help total strangers just because they are in need.

And it's not like these people are independently wealthy or have businesses that can float them cash to enable them to go. No. They are just ordinary working people like me and you who know that their going to help in a disaster will save lives.

Here's what David Miscavige has to say about Scientology Volunteer Ministers. I have to admit I completely agree.



A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

March 13th Event

I thoroughly enjoyed the March 13th event (L. Ron Hubbard's birthday). As usualy, it was great to hear about Scientology expansion over the past year.

And hearing David Miscavige recap the year's highlights is my favorite part of every event. No. Actually may FAVORITE part is at the very end when he hits us between the eyes on our responsiblity for the planet.



A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion