Religion Communicators Council Sets October Meeting

The Religion Communicators Council meets each month to hear about a topic of interest. This coming month, the Nashville Chapter is bringing back the Tennessee Department of Health Director of Faith-Based Initiatives.

In 2012, the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) had special guest Dr. Michele Gourley, Director of the Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, talk about her position and what it means to faith groups in the state.  RCC will have her back to speak to its members for the October meeting.

“Religion Communicators are welcomed and invited to this meeting with Dr. Gourley,” says president of the Nashville RCC Chapter, Rev. Brian Fesler. “Much has happened since she initially took on this role [at the Department of Health], and many more members have joined the RCC, so the time is ideal to bring her back.”

Prior to serving in this role, Gourley worked for the state of Tennessee in the Division of Health Planning, where she helped write and oversee the 2010 and 2011 State Health Plans. She obtained her medical degree and Masters of Public Health degree from East Tennessee State University with an emphasis on rural primary care and community health.  Gourley has also completed studies in wellness coaching, trauma and resilience and health impact assessments.

Gourley has spent the majority of her life as a part of faith communities in Middle and East Tennessee, has served as part of faith-based medical and public health projects in Central America and has participated in ecumenical faith communities in the Middle East and Europe.  In 2010, she was selected as a participant in Duke Divinity School’s Center for Reconciliation’s Summer Institute, where she focused on the role of food as it pertains to faith and reconciliation.

The meeting will take place on Oct 21^st over lunch. The RCC is open to members from all denominations, and the Nashville group includes those with Baha’i Faith, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Scientology, and more.

For more information about the RCC or their next meeting, visit www.religioncommunicators.org. 

Church of Scientology Hosts Art Gilliam for ‘One America’ Book Signing

Art Gilliam shared his experience of growing up in the Deep South during the 1950s in his new book ‘One America.’ He will be delivering a talk and book signing on Feb 21 at the Church of Scientology in Nashville.

The recently published book “One America” by radio station owner Art Gilliam reflects his personal story of growing up in the segregated South of the 1950s. Gilliam will be coming to Nashville to deliver a talk and book signing during Black History Month in 2015.

According to thehistorymakers.com, Art Gilliam became the first African-American radio station owner in Memphis when he bought WLOK Radio in 1977. He started his work in the media writing a regular weekly op-ed column for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper as the first African-American to write for the paper before he became the first African-American television newscaster in Memphis as news anchor at WMC-TV (the NBC affiliate) in Memphis. He left Memphis for a time to serve in the Washington congressional office of Congressman Harold Ford, Sr., the first African-American to be elected to Congress from Tennessee.

In “One America,” Gilliam shares his experiences as a young black child growing up in the segregated South in the 1950s, a time when racism was overt and pervasive. His story takes a turn when his education at a New England prep school and then Yale University as a young teenager led to a compelling change in his perspective.

Gilliam has been a front row witness to a dramatic change in race relations in the United States but knows that we have not yet healed the wounds of the past. “I believe that the future greatness of our nation depends on our ability to move beyond our racial history and truly become One America,” says Gilliam. “This book reflects my hope and vision for America.”

Art Gilliam’s talk and book signing at the Church of Scientology will take place Feb 21, 2015 at 1pm and is free and open to the public. For more information, call the church at 615-687-4600. 

Artlightenment 2014 to Showcase Screenwriter Annie Kananack

The annual Artlightenment festival coming in November to the Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville will feature a workshop by  screenwriter Annie Kananack.

Annie Kananack has been screenwriting since 1991 and says, “I am most alive and fulfilled when I’m writing.” Kananack has been selected as a featured artist for the 2014 Artlightenment film festival and art show. She will be delivering a workshop titled “From Screenplay to Big Screen,” on Saturday, Nov 15.

Artlightenment is an art show and film festival that has occurred each year since 2009. It takes place at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville with the mission to uplift artists, and thereby elevate the culture.

Corinne Sullivan, president of the church, says, “Annie is the perfect role model for aspiring screenwriters, and Artlightenment is lucky to have her delivering this workshop.”

Kananack has participated in several screenwriting competitions throughout the years, including the Academy Nicholl Fellowship where she was a semi-finalist in 2000, the Page International Screenwriting Awards, where she became a Quarter-finalist in 2014, the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition where she received an Honorable Mention in 2002, the Script Pipeline Competition in 2014 and the Nashville Film Festival Screenplay Competition where she became a semi-finalist in 2014.

Kananack’s screenplay X-Box Kid was optioned by Happy Madison Studios in 2011, and her screenplay Broken Time, optioned by Broken Time Productions (which changed its name after optioning her screenplay and took on Kananack as a producer), is now in pre-production.

Kananack says her influence comes from the films of the 30s and 40s which are very character driven. She says, “Films like ‘My Man Godfrey’, ‘The Philadelphia Story’, ‘Sabrina’ and so on are about people and their relationships, and for the most part, they were lighter.”  

Kananack wants Nashville to become the community known for character-driven screenplays. She wants the films coming out of Nashville to be as much of a brand on the city as music.

Kananack’s seminar “From Screenplay to Big Screen” will be at 4pm on Sat, Nov 15 in the community room of the Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre Nashville. For more information about the Artlightenment festival, visit artlightenment.com. 

Drug-Free South Plans to Stand at the Cross

Just six miles north of the Lafollette/Carryville, Tennessee exit, the Stand in the Gap Coalition (SIGCO) is planning to plant a 100-foot cross by the roadside.  Stand in the Gap is a Christian-based organizations with the mission: “We seek the eradication of 'Drug Abuse, Alcohol Abuse and Family Violence' in our Tri-State Area through God's help and guidance as promised in II Chronicles 7:14.”

Drug-Free South, the local chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, plans to stand with SIGCO and distribute the Truth About Drugs booklets to those attending the event.

Rev. Brian Fesler, who coordinates the Drug-Free South, says, “we are all working toward the reduction of drug abuse and violence. This is an event for everyone to take a stand and say, ‘no more drugs in Tennessee.’”

The Stand in the Gap Coalition covers 11 counties in East Tennessee including Anderson, Bell, Campbell, Claiborne, Union and others.

Drug-Free South has worked in a total of 30 counties across Tennessee to bring an end to drug addiction by educating youth before dealers reach them.  Fesler says they are reaching out to more. “We plan to make Tennessee a drug-free zone,” he says.

For more information on Drug-Free South, visit drugfreesouth.org. For more information on the Stand in the Gap Coalition, visit standntgap.org.

Drug-Free South Reaches Hispanic Community at El Protector Festival

The Drug-Free South community organization distributed booklets to the multicultural community who attended the El Protector Festival this past weekend.

The El Protector festival was established by the Metro Nashville Police Department in 2008 as a way for the police to connect with the Hispanic community and show that the police are here to protect citizens. The festival has been a hit ever since with thousands of people attending each year.

Community organizations participate in the festival each year, and 2014 was no different. 

Drug-Free South is one organization that loves to participate. Coordinator Rev. Brian Fesler says, “It’s a joy reaching out to people and getting them this information. We know that by getting the truth about drugs out to people we are eradicating the drug problem, one person at a time.”

The organization is reaching out further to the communities in Tennessee to spread a positive message to empower youth and adults alike with the knowledge of how drugs really harm people.

Ann Vallieres volunteers for Drug-Free South. She says that spreading these positive messages is “addicting.” Vallieres, who originally hails from Canada, has been volunteering for Drug-Free South since 2010, “I feel it’s my responsibility to reach everyone in Tennessee – to make sure people get the truth about drugs.”

Volunteers were able to pass out hundreds of booklets at the festival.

For more information on the El Protector festival, visit the Nashville.gov/police-department website and search for El Protector.  For more information on Drug-Free South, visit drugfreesouth.org.

Hubbard Dianetics Seminar Helps Man Re-Discover True Nature

The Hubbard Dianetics Foundation offers a weekly seminar to help people resolve problems, discover the source of unreasonable fears and insecurities, and overcome barriers in life.

What makes men do unthinking and criminal acts toward others? Why do some people feel hatred toward others based on the color of their skin or the way they look? And why do relationships fall apart?

Since 2009, people from Nashville and Middle Tennessee have found answers to these questions and more. And what’s better, they have been trained in highly effective techniques to resolve those conditions. It’s all happened at the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation, a department within the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville.

Dianetics is defined as “what the soul is doing to the body through the mind,” and the subject explains how the mind contains a hidden influence that will cause individuals to perform the most insane acts. The techniques of Dianetics were developed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early part of the last century and presented to the world in 1950 in the bestselling self-help book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

While Dianetics is over sixty years old, this Dianetics seminar is still new. It is based on the book and a video series, How to Use Dianetics, consisting of 18 short films which illustrate specific Dianetics principles and techniques. With these films, people new to the subject can easily learn what to expect from a Dianetics session and how to help another using this technology. “The seminar not only helps people become aware of the cause of their problems, but also the ability to handle it,” says the seminar director.

Following the presentation of the first of these films, those attending the seminar immediately put the materials to use, working with other attendees to apply the techniques right there on the spot.  Supervised by trained Dianetics specialists, the seminar participants gain first-hand experience with just how easy it is to resolve the difficulties and pain that life leaves in its wake. Church pastor Rev. Brian Fesler says, “Many people have finished this seminar, and I want everyone to experience the benefits of Dianetics.  It’s not just for members of my church—anyone can benefit from this.”

The two-day Dianetics seminar is offered every weekend at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville at 1130 8th Avenue South. For more information, visit www.dianetics.org or call the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation at 615-687-4600.

Drug-Free South Travels to Jefferson County

The Truth About Drugs materials provide teachers, law enforcement and community groups with effective drug education tools.

Drug-Free South (DFS) is planning to visit Jefferson Academy Alternative School in Jefferson County this month to continue in its mission to create drug-free zones across Tennessee.  DFS works with youth, educators, parents, community leaders and law enforcement officers to provide drug education to children and teens by working together with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. DFS uses a series of drug education resources that work—a multimedia program that speaks to the youth of today, informing them of the truth about drugs and empowering them to make their own decisions to live drug-free.

The cornerstone of the program is a series of booklets that provide the facts about the most commonly abused drugs: marijuana, alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth, inhalants, heroin, LSD, prescription drugs, painkillers, and Ritalin.

Next is a series of 16 award-winning “They Said, They Lied” public service announcements. They are contemporary, high-impact communications aimed directly at youth.

Finally, the core of the Truth About Drugs educational program is a 100-minute documentary, The Truth About Drugs: Real People, Real Stories. The film is a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred presentation told by former users who themselves survived life-shattering addiction.

To date, Drug-Free South has visited over 30 counties, delivered over 230 seminars on the program, and distributed more than 50,000 booklets to those in need, but Rev. Brian Fesler who coordinates the program says he is not satisfied. “We need to reach every student in Tennessee –all 95 counties.”

This is the first time DFS is visiting Jefferson County.  Drug-Free South is dedicated to handling the drug problem in Tennessee, and wants to encourage all educators to visit drugfreesouth.org to schedule a drug education seminar in their school.

Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville Helps Artists Boost Careers

In April this year, the Church of Scientology hosted the oldest of the Wooten Brothers, Regi, for a seminar about his approach to delivering a great performance. This past weekend he delivered part two on how to become a full-time musician.

For more than five years, the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville has hosted seminars by successful artists for up-and-coming artists to help them in how they approach their career and life. These seminars have been a public service to the community and have helped many artists in Nashville and surrounding areas feel more competent and ready to take off in their careers. 

One such seminar was held this past weekend with guest artist Regi Wooten, the oldest of the Wooten brothers, who delivered a seminar on “Becoming a Full-Time Musician.” The seminar gave insightful information on how to make a career out of one’s passion.

Wooten was glad to return to the Church to deliver his seminar on music. He is known worldwide as “The Teacher,” and was teaching his little brothers Joseph and Victor when he was only 9 years old. 

Corinne Sullivan, president of the Church says, “A Celebrity Centre has a special mission to help artists. When you elevate the artist, you uplift the entire community.” The Church, located at 1130 8^th Avenue South, has also recently booked a series of seminars with celebrity musicians and visual artists to assist the blossoming talent in Nashville over the next few months.

For more information on upcoming events at the Church of Scientology, visit the Church’s website scientology-ccnashville.org or call 615-687-4600.  

Church of Scientology Hosts Sunday Tea to Honor Grandparent’s Day

The Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville hosted a special tea for grandparents on September 7^th.  This is part of a series the church does – tea time with a twist. Guests are able to relax and chat with one another, but also learn something from the scriptures of Scientology to help them in life.

Grandparents’ Day has been celebrated in the United States on each Sunday following Labor Day since 1978 when President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation for this to be a national holiday. The holiday focuses on recognizing the role of the millions of older Americans who are grandparents. 

The founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, stressed the importance of family, and it was this theme that drove the tea. Parishioners and guests heard from the writings of Mr. Hubbard and learned tools that will help them improve their relationships.

“Scientology means ‘knowing how to know,’” according to the church’s website, “Scientology is all about learning to do things to improve conditions in your own life and in particular in the lives of others.  An active Scientologist is not only considered to be someone who attends a Scientology church or studies Scientology, but rather someone who actively uses the insights and knowledge that Scientology gives them to make a real, positive difference in the lives of others.”

“The Church of Scientology is the perfect place to talk about tools for life,” says parishioner Betsy Brubaker who organizes the series of Sunday Teas at the Church. 

President of the Church, Corinne Sullivan was happy to host the tea and excited for the next, “we’ve scheduled the next one for December 14^th at 2:30pm and it will be holiday themed – everyone who attends will be encouraged to bring gifts and we will have a gift exchange.”

For more information about Scientology, visit the website, scientology-ccnashville.org. For more information about events and happenings, call the church at 615-687-4600.   

Artlightenment 2014 to Showcase Underwater Visual Artist Christy Lee Rogers

The annual Artlightenment festival which occurs every November at the Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville is set to have a pre-show seminar by underwater visual artist Christy Lee Rogers.

Christy Lee Rogers, an artist originally from Kailua, Hawaii, has been selected as a featured artist for the 2014 Artlightenment showcase in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to the show, she will deliver a seminar titled “Making a Career as an Artist.”

Writer Duncan Beebe for Eyemazing Magazine described Rogers’ work as, “…undeniably contemporary yet also timeless,” and, “portions appear to be drawn from the Baroque period, where dynamic movement and overt emotion were at their height.  Many have likened her work to the Baroque master Caravaggio, with her emotive dynamism and dramatic use of lighting.”

Adam Jacques of the Independent Newspaper in London says this about her work, “The ethereal payoff is indeed redolent of a mix of Masters – the vivid hues of Titian, the straining bodies of Rubens, the sun-dappling chiaroscuro of Caravaggio, but also the loose brushstrokes and fluid movement of Delacroix; hints, too, of the Tiepolo-esque heavenly ascents adorning many an 18th-century Venetian chapel.”

“Her experience and portfolio are impressive, and we couldn’t ask for a better seminar to kick-off Artlightenment,” says Corinne Sullivan, president of the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville.

Christy Lee Rogers will deliver the pre-show seminar at 5:30pm on Thursday, Nov 13th. For more information about the Artlightenment festival, visit artlightenment.com.  For more information about Christy Lee Rogers, visit christyrogers.com.