Drug-Free South Spreads the Message "Make Health Your New High"

The Tennessee Chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World is called Drug-Free South. Members travel to schools to deliver lectures on the Truth About Drugs and pass out booklets to help kids understand the hazards, and tips to avoid peer pressure.

Each year on the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the group goes all out to spread the word. A common theme used by the UN is "May Health Your New High In Life, not Drugs."

This annual day was created in 1987 by the United Nations General Assembly to encourage everyone to work together to tackle drug abuse and addiction. Drug-Free South is celebrating this year because of the enormous strides made across the state to educate young people on this topic. They have educated more than 18,000 people, been to more than thirty counties and have distributed over 60,000 booklets to those in need.

"Our job is not over," says a volunteer for the program. "We still have far to go before the demand for drugs recedes. Our goal is an entirely drug-free state."

The chapter plans to distribute thousands of booklets during a series of upcoming events around the city. For more information, visit drugfreesouth.org.

Religious Communicators Discuss Care for the Environment

The Religion Communicators Council exists to spread the good news to the world. Its members come from all religious groups and work in various public relations arenas.

What does the environment have to do with religion? That is what a group came together to discover in June during the monthly meeting of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) in Nashville, Tennessee.

RCC hears regularly from a variety of organizations and groups which better the community, promote messages of faith or give tips on how to spread the good word. This month, the topic was care for the environment.

Guest speakers discussed the community garden in the Edgehill neighborhood and how young and old alike join forces to create wonderful fruits and vegetables. A horticulturist was happy to share the best practices for planting trees so they aren’t going to grow to be a problem for power lines and so they aren’t planted near water pipes underground. She also discussed the best ways to trim trees so they grow big and healthy while at the same time not growing in such a way that would be dangerous, in the case that they were to fall in a storm for example.

“It’s great to know what we can do to make the city a more beautiful, greener and cleaner place to live,” says president of the Nashville RCC chapter and pastor of the Church of Scientology, Rev. Brian Fesler.

The discussion was all the more appropriate due to the timeliness of the United Nations annual World Environment Day which occurs in the month of June.

RCC is open to members from all denominations, and the Nashville group includes Baha’is, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists, and more.  For more information about the RCC, visit www.religioncommunicators.org.

Church of Scientology Celebrates 30th Anniversary in Music City

This past weekend, the Nashville Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre Nashville celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with an evening soiree.

The Church of Scientology had much to celebrate on Saturday during its thirtieth anniversary soiree. From work its members are doing in the fields of education, human rights, criminal reform and drug abuse education, Nashville Scientologists have been busier than ever.

Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville, opened the anniversary event, “Tonight we are celebrating freedom. We’re celebrating the people who work every day to make freedom a reality in spite of all obstacles.”

Guest speakers from local and state government presented proclamations to honor the occasion. One of these read in part, “The Church of Scientology is celebrating its 30^th anniversary milestone and the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County government is glad the Church has found a home in this beautiful city.”  Another said, “Church leaders have worked tirelessly to bring together people of every race, color and creed in the Church’s mission to forward universal tolerance and understanding... and the Church of Scientology is celebrating its 30^th anniversary milestone while at the same time making plans for the future.”

Wrapping up his portion of the event, Rev. Fesler proclaimed, “I want to re-emphasize our commitment to service. Whether you toil as a faith leader, sweat to meet a non-profit budget, or carry the economic burden of business, whether you manage a youth home, a home for the elderly, or just your own home, whether you prosecute, defend, govern, educate, legislate or advocate, I want you to know these words from L. Ron Hubbard, ‘A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology… our aims are simple, if great. And we will succeed, and are succeeding at each new revolution of the Earth. Your help is acceptable to us. Our help is yours.’”

For more information on the Church of Scientology, its programs or upcoming events, please visit scientology-ccnashville.org.

Church of Scientology Recognized by Government Officials for Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration

The Church of Scientology is celebrating its thirtieth year of serving the people of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, and its accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. Several government officials have crafted proclamations for the church to recognize this achievement. 

During the anniversary celebration, which takes place later this summer, the Reverend Brian Fesler, senior pastor of the Nashville Church of Scientology, will be reminding his parishioners that the best times are ahead. “Our church in Nashville, as well as Scientology internationally, are experiencing exponential expansion,” he says, “We are growing and will continue helping citizens of Nashville and all of Tennessee through our church’s programs.”

The celebration will be a memorable affair with music, fine dining and of course, the recognitions from government leaders which will be presented for the first time.

The Nashville Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre was established in April of 1985, and Fesler says his congregation are celebrating all year long. “The Church of Scientology is all-denominational. A win for us is a win for all the good and decent people of our area, of every faith.  We welcome partnerships with anyone who is working to do the right thing.”

The Church of Scientology is located in the historic Fall School Building. Less than a mile from Music Row, the Church provides for a growing congregation from all walks of life and offers a spiritual haven for Nashville’s artists. “We have a special mission to help artists, and do so in very practical ways,” says Fesler. The Church provides seminars year-round to provide tools to help artists prosper.

To learn more about the Church of Scientology, its programs and courses, visit www.scientology-ccnashville.org. 

Nashville Church of Scientology Wants Artists to Be Successful

Nashville’s reputation as Music City has been consistently proven for over 200 years according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, but now Nashville is making a name for itself through films, earning a spot in the top ten Film Festivals in the United States, according to Brooks Institute.

In light of this, actor Jim Meskimen decided to take a trip to the city to deliver a seminar about how to be successful as an artist. His seminar was geared toward actors, but other artists attending found the tips very useful too.

Meskimen, who can currently be seen on Impress Me on Pop TV, covered how to spot the right projects and people to say “yes” to. Attendees loved how he was incredibly relaxed, fun and lighthearted, yet very wise and able to pass on helpful information that will help them in their artistic careers.

According to IMDB, Meskimen is an accomplished actor, improviser and voice artist whose work is well-known to TV and film audiences. He appeared on the British series Whose Line Is It Anyway? several times, and was a recurring character on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for two seasons. He has appeared on Frost/Nixon, Parks & Recreation and Friends, among others. He has worked with director Ron Howard on five of his films, including The Paper, Apollo 13, Edtv and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

A professional artist, Meskimen exhibits and sells his realist oil paintings. As a designer/cartoonist, he created dozens of characters, weapons and vehicles for the original "Thundercats" animated series. He continues to dazzle audiences with his improvisational skills and appears regularly on L.A. stages. His work in stand-up comedy can be seen at jimpressions.net.

“A Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre is unique,” says President of the Church, Corinne Sullivan, “It’s our mission to uplift artists. They are the ones who bring about change, and whether that change is positive or negative depends entirely upon their spiritual values or lack thereof.”

For more information on the church’s seminars to help artists, scientology-ccnashville.org. To find out more about Jim Meskimen, visit jimmesikimen.com.