Nashville Church of Scientology Holds Mandela Day Tribute

Part of an international movement spanning 192 countries, the Church of  Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville is raising awareness of human rights in commemoration of Mandela Day.

The Nashville Church of Scientology held a special event to introduce young advocates to humanitarian Nelson Mandela during an inaugural event for the day. Children, along with others new to the subject, were shown a visual biography on Nelson Mandela to learn more about who he is and why he is considered a human and civil rights advocate. Attendees were invited to learn more about human rights through interactive visual displays and easy-to-assimilate materials.

This event also signified the conclusion of the Youth for Human Rights Summer Art Contest, with winners announced in four categories and prizes given to each. The winning artists included 11 year olds Norah and Jazzelyn, and 5 year olds Harper and Annalise.

The art contest inspired young people to learn more about human rights in order to create depictions for them, according to contest organizers. “It’s so important for people to learn at a young age what their human rights are,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Nashville Church of Scientology. “We live in a world where rights are being taken away by those seeking to oppress and this is made easier by the fact that people just don’t know what their rights are. Education is vital in this battle against ignorance and oppression.”

Nelson Mandela International Day is an annual international day in honor of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July, Mandela's birthday. The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on 18 July 2010.

The Mandela Day campaign message is: “Nelson Mandela has fought for social justice for 67 years. We're asking you to start with 67 minutes.”

Human rights are an integral part of the Scientology religion. The Creed of the Church of Scientology, written in 1954 by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, begins: "We of the Church believe: That all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights." And the Code of a Scientologist calls on all Scientologists "to support true humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights."

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support United for Human Rights, the world's largest nongovernmental human rights education campaign, active in 192 countries and partnering with 1,500 groups and organizations.  The initiative is inspired by Mr. Hubbard's conviction that "It is vital that all thinking men urge upon their governments sweeping reforms in the field of human rights."

Nashville Church of Scientology To Hold Event Commemorating World Humanitarian Day

The World Humanitarian Day open house at the Nashville Church of Scientology will acknowledge volunteers and inspire others to take action, exemplifying the spirit of the day.

The Nashville Church of Scientology will host an open house on World Humanitarian Day to acknowledge volunteers, while also lifting up others to help people in times of need. “Helping others is an incredible virtue, and one that should be recognized more often,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Nashville Church of Scientology.

Last year, volunteers were recognized for their work over the past year, including those who have shown exemplary volunteer spirit and those who contributed to volunteer work in other ways.

The Church of Scientology’s Volunteer Minister program is a religious social service created in the mid 1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard who said, "The Volunteer Minister helps 'on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.'"

To make this technology broadly available, the Church has a Volunteer Minister tent that is set up at fairs and other community events to offer help freely to anyone. The Church also provides free online training at the Volunteer Ministers website. Anyone of any culture or creed may train as a Volunteer Minister and use these tools to help their families and communities.

The Volunteer Minister program was expressly intended for use by Scientologists and non- Scientologists alike. Transcending all ethnic, cultural and religious boundaries, the Volunteer Ministers program is there for anyone in need of help. Volunteer Minister training is available free of charge through the Scientology Volunteer Minister website to anyone who wishes to help others, at www.volunteerministers.org.

Church of Scientology to Host 5th Annual International Friendship Day Celebration

Friendship Day takes place each year at the Church of Scientology in Nashville.

The Church of Scientology Nashville will host its fifth annual Friendship Day open house at the end of July, with participation from the diverse population that makes up the ever growing city.

The International Day of Friendship was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 in the belief that “friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.”

“The whole point of our open house is to bring a diverse group of people together and demonstrate the power of friendship,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology. “Most of life’s problems come from our basic misunderstanding of each other—a misunderstanding of intentions. Getting along with one another starts with getting to know each other.”

The Church of Scientology will partner in this effort with The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee, which provides a community betterment program based on the book The Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard. The initiative is predicated on the fact that one’s survival depends on the survival of others—and that without the survival of others, neither joy nor happiness is attainable. Several precepts in the book promote dialogue and friendship, among them “Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others,” “Be Worthy of Trust,” and “Try to Treat Others As You Would Want Them to Treat You.”

This year’s Friendship Day theme is “Disagreeing without being disagreeable,” which was the title of a news segment featuring the dialogue leader of the day, Kalinda Fisher, who founded The Great Reset over a year ago. The event is set for July 30^th from 4-6pm in the Church of Scientology’s community hall, 1130 8^th Avenue South, Nashville. 

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

Nashville Religion Communicators Council Tours New Tennessean Offices

The Nashville Chapter of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) meets monthly to talk about topics of interest and hear from professionals in religious communications.  

The world of news is ever-changing.

And with change, comes new surroundings: the Tennessean newspaper has packed up from their mammoth building to move to the upper floors of a high-rise on West End Avenue. On a sunny morning in mid-July, the Religion Reporter, Holly Meyer, hosted the Religion Communicators Council for a tour of the new space and answered questions.

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations.

Duane Gang, Metro News Editor, along with Meyer, spoke to the RCC about the work they do, how they manage and plan stories, and fielded questions. “Religion communicators need to be in touch with the big names in reporting, and for Nashville, the Tennessean is it,” says Julie Brinker, Communications Coordinator for the Nashville RCC and Director of Community Affairs for the Church of Scientology Nashville, “We’re so happy they opened their doors to RCC so we can see what happens right in one of the hottest news rooms in the city.”  

The RCC has members from every faith group and walk of life including Baha’is, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists, Sikhs, Hindus and more. The RCC, founded in 1929, is an association of communications professionals who work for and with a diverse group of faith-based organizations in the areas of communications, public relations, advertising and development.

The RCC provides opportunities for communicators to learn from each other. Together, RCC members promote excellence in the communication of faith and values in the public arena. For more information about the Religion Communicators Council, visit religioncommunicators.org/nashville-chapter.