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

An Introduction to Scientology (DVD) - Dianetics & Scientology :: Bridge Publications, Inc.

An Introduction to Scientology (DVD)

^{A few years ago, David Miscavige released the newly restored film--An Introduction to Scientology--a filmed interview of L. Ron Hubbard. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology or Dianetics.}

^{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}

Harlem Scientologists

The Scientology site has a list of upcoming locations where new Ideal Scientology Churches will be opened in the near future.

The program was launched by Mr. David Miscavige in 2003, and the number of new orgs opening has greatly accelerated this year.

The list is:


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
New Haven, Connecticut
Orange County, California
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
Sacramento, California
San Diego, California
San Fernando Valley, California
St. Louis, Missouri
Twin Cities, Minnesota

CANADA

Toronto, Ontario
Montreal, Quebec

LATIN AMERICA

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

EUROPE

Budapest, Hungary
Copenhagen, Denmark
Milan, Italy
Padova, Italy
Pordenone, Italy
Torino, Italy
Verona, Italy

UNITED KINGDOM

Birmingham
Manchester
Sunderland

MIDDLE EAST

Tel Aviv, Israel

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

^{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}

David Miscavige at the Helm of the Scientology Religion

There is a good description of what is an Ideal Scientology Church and why all Scientology Churches are striving to accomplish that status. This is in the new Scientology Newsroom.

To meet the skyrocketing demand for Dianetics and Scientology services and social betterment programs throughout the world, and utilizing the technological advances of the 21st century, Mr. Miscavige launched the Ideal Org (short for “organization”) strategy to transform all Scientology Churches into Ideal Churches and accomplish the goal L. Ron Hubbard set for Scientologists—to one day create Churches that were the physical embodiment of Scientology technology to help all beings attain spiritual freedom.

^{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}

New Scientology Churches Revive Historic Buildings

_{Foyer inside the Church of Scientology on Victoria Street, London.}

When the new Church of Scientology of Pasadena opens its doors in the city’s historical core this summer, it will not only enable the Church to expand its service to the community, it will give back some of its cultural history. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the character of what was once a turn-of-the-century bicycle factory has been transformed into a unique blend of old and new, its four-story atrium and original façade still intact. With attention also given to 21st century detail, the restored building will also be LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

The Church of Scientology International has been working for the past six years on a program to acquire new buildings for its regional Churches around the world. Launched in 2004 by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, the aim of the program is to establish each Church in premises ideally suited for its many and varied religious services as well as its community outreach activities. So far, 19 such ideal Churches have opened, eight of them in unique historic buildings, with more on the horizon.

_{The Brussels branch of the Churches of Scientology for the European Communities situation at Boulevard de Waterloo 100-103, is an early-20th-century structure fully renovated to serve the congregation and the community. It was dedicated 23 January 2010.}

“These Churches have already been in their cities for many years and their buildings need to be large enough to accommodate all their activities including a chapel, rooms for the study of our theology and introductory courses for new people and individual spiritual counseling rooms,” said Church of Scientology International spokesman, Tommy Davis.

Far from a Sunday-only meeting place, Churches of Scientology hum with activity seven days a week. In addition to common congregational services such as weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies for newborn children and Sunday service, parishioners can study days and evenings as well as receive the religion’s unique form of one-on-one religious counseling, participate in the Scientology Purification Program (a precise and closely supervised religious regimen that addresses barriers to spiritual gain) and take part in community betterment planning and activities, sponsored and initiated by the Church.

In May the Nashville, Tennessee Church of Scientology historic building took top honors in the city’s 35th Annual Preservation Awards for meeting all safety standards while preserving the beauty and grace of the 1898 building, which opened last year. Built just two years after the famous Grand Ole Opry in a similar style, its features include red brick walls, original doors and hardwood floors, 14-foot ceilings and an unusual three-floor atrium crowned with a glass cupola.

Last January, the Church opened the Belgium branch of the Churches of Scientology of Europe, an 88,000 square-foot early 20th century historic structure in the heart of Brussels. In October 2009, the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington, DC completed renovation of its seven-story, 49,000-square-foot historic building by architect Appleton P. Clark, Jr., half a mile from the White House. And another historic Church property fully restored in 2009 is the 1926 Mediterranean Revival-style Fort Harrison building in Clearwater, Florida.

_{The first floor hallway of the Brussels branch of the Churches of Scientology for Europe with study rooms, offices and the a Documentation Center which holds the written and recorded works of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard.}

Other cities with historic buildings now home to Scientology Churches include: San Francisco, California; London, England; Tampa, Florida; and Buffalo, New York. The Church has also acquired historic buildings that are in pre-construction stages in Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; Montreal, Canada; and Manchester, England.

“We take a lot of pride and care in adapting and rehabilitating our historic buildings,” said Davis. “The result is truly unique as these new Churches exemplify our religion and are dynamically practical and aesthetic, and enable us to practice the full range of Scientology services as laid out by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard.”

^{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}

Scientology Los Angeles--a whole new era began on Saturday April 24th

Saturday was a 20 on a scale of 1 to 10. That was the grand opening of the newly renovated Church of Scientology of Los Angeles.

The event was spectacular. The speeches were so inspiring especially hearing David Miscavige describe that we are going to be opening new Ideal Scientology churches like this all the time, and I can believe it! Look how many we've opened just this year! Rome, Quebec, Brussels, Las Vegas and now Los Angeles!

The building is... well anything I would say to describe it would be less than what it is, and you have to go see it to appreciate it. And now is the best time to come and check it out since there are open houses and tours.



^{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}

Restoration of Lost Scientology Materials Complete

I was surprised and pleased to see an AP wire in the NY Times on Friday that had it pretty right about the completion of the Golden Age of Knowledge -- the complete restoration of Scientology materials announced at the Scientology New Years event by Mr. David Miscavige.

What was completed is called the Advanced Clinical Courses and consists of more than a thousand lectures delivered by L. Ron Hubbard between 1953 and 1962.


I listened to the first lecture in the first American ACC last night and it was a total delight.

Here's a link to a site that described the ACCs

The Church of Scientology's Planetary Social Betterment Campaigns

The global devastation and human misery wrought by drug abuse, human rights violations, moral decay and natural and manmade disasters is unmistakable. They threaten to rip the social fabric to shreds and in many parts of the world these societal ills have already caused seemingly irreparable damage.

What is conspicuously lacking in combating these virtually apocalyptic scenarios are readily available, easily assimilated and rapidly distributable tools—tools to raise awareness, tools to educate and tools to activate.

In recognition of the fact that mass communication in the modern world would hinge largely on audiovisual delivery capability, Mr. David Miscavige moved the Scientology religion into the multimedia age with the establishment of state-of-the-art studio facilities at Golden Era Productions.

Under Mr. Miscavige’s direction, that multimedia capacity has now been brought to bear on the global problems attendant to drug abuse, human rights violations and moral decay.

The Church of Scientology’s revolutionary social betterment programs in the fields of drug education, human rights awareness, moral resurgence and disaster relief now stand in testament of that focus. They are utterly unique, indisputably cutting edge and most importantly—effective.

The pattern is wholly consistent:

• Create aesthetically powerful public service announcements that communicate the core issues in direct terms that anyone can understand so as to raise public awareness.
• Freely distribute these announcements both for broadcast on the Internet and television as well as to like-minded organizations.
• Follow up with longer-form video properties that can be used to educate.
• Create educational material and curriculums that can be used to further enlighten and empower those in need.
• Make all of it freely accessible on the World Wide Web.
• Allow all interested individuals, groups and governments to make the campaign their own.
• And in this way create a global force for common good, uniting all in overcoming societal ills that plague this planet.

This is the fundamental pattern, and it was both conceived and inspired by Mr. Miscavige himself—right down to the finest details of scripting, production, post production, sound mixing and manufacture on DVD for mass distribution. What follows here are the statistics and accomplishments of the global social betterment campaigns of the Scientology religion.

This is what can be done when one man, driven to achieve the vision the religious Founder entrusted to him, with the full support of the religious movement he leads, extends the hand of indiscriminate help to others.

More at: http://www.freedommag.org

New Church for Sunderland

I am so impressed with the renderings for the new Church of Scientology of Sunderland! It's actually in Newcastle in the UK -- not to far from where the Sunderland org is now.

With the inspiration and leadership of David Miscavige, the Scientology religion is really making its presence felt in the 21st Century.

David Miscavige -- the Peacemaker

Great article in the latest Freedom Magazine online.

Called "David Miscavige the Peacemaker."

Here's an excerpt:

“IT IS HUBBARD, AFTER ALL, WHOSE WORDS MISCAVIGE will heed as he tries to improve Scientology's standing in Clearwater and around the world. Ten of them are inscribed on his boardroom wall: 'Ideas and not battles mark the forward progress of mankind.'”

With these words, S.P. Times reporter Tom Tobin closed his October 25, 1998, profile of David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center, the Church body responsible for safeguarding the purity of the Scientology religion.

Read the whole article here.

David Miscavige Briefing at Maiden Voyage

I attended the Maiden Voyage Event last weekend and it was incredible to see how much we've accomplished in the past year.

As usual it was a total treat seeing David Miscavige at the podium. What in incredible speaker. And he certainly has a way of presenting the news that keeps you riveted to every word he says.

I was so excited to see the new ideal org buildings.

And I, for one, am winning so much on studying the Basic Scientology Books and Lectures that it was a treat seeing the success stories of other people who are winning too.

I love the events David Miscavige emcees. I'm sure the rest of the summer of events will be incredible too.

Wins from Scientology and Dianetics Books

I've been watching some of the videos of people who have completed the study of the basic Scientology and Dianetics books of L. Ron Hubbard. These have been so inspiration I've doubled the amount of time I'm putting into studying Scientology, and I'm really glad I made that decision as the wins are incredible.

I can really understand why David Miscavige put so much attention onto getting these materials into the hands of every Scientologist and seeing to it that they are broadly available to everyone.

L. Ron Hubbard in Phoenix

I was just reading about L. Ron Hubbard's house in Phoenix on one of the blogs I subscribe to
-- she's posting a nice article about the restoration of this Scientology landmark.

I thought this was particularly timely with the announcement by David Miscavige a few weeks ago about the release of all the Scientology basic books and lectures, now fully verified and restored and available to anyone to read and listen to.

These are the materials that document L. Ron Hubbard's basic research into the mind and life and I've been reading and listening, following his research path. It is the most fascinating journey and I am learning so much about myself!


^{"Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today, and you make your tomorrow." — Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard}