Scientology Volunteer Ministers Release Numbers of People Helped in Middle Tennessee During Covid-19

 

The Churches of Scientology Disaster Response is always active in times of disaster. This has not changed with the unseen enemy of COVID-19.

 

Jennifer, a Scientology Volunteer Minister in Nashville, is always willing to help people. During times of disaster, she springs into action. With how COVID-19 has utterly changed the ways of life for people as we know it, she took action when called upon to help with food delivery for those unable to leave their homes during this pandemic.

 

Jennifer takes the words of L. Ron Hubbard to heart: “A Volunteer Minister is a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.”

 

“Every little bit helps,” says Jennifer. “Any help is appreciated and everyone can find some way to help. I consider it an honor to give my time and help to ease another’s load in their time of need.”

 

Working with the Nashville General Hospital Foundation, Jennifer has been able to deliver groceries every week since March in the Middle Tennessee region, and there’s not sign of stopping. “I’ll be out every day that I’m needed,” she said, “I get the call, and I’m there.”

 

Recently, she’s even recruited other volunteers to help share the load and get more food to those in need.

 

All told, Jennifer and her team have traveled more than 3,000 miles delivering 500 bags of groceries to 230 households.

 

The Volunteer Ministers (VM) program was launched more than thirty years ago, in response to an appeal by 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, Mr. Hubbard 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.”

 

For more information about the Church of Scientology Disaster Response or Volunteer Ministers, visit volunteerministers.org.

Tennessee Human Rights Day Committee Announces 2020 Award Recipients

 

The Tennessee Celebration of International Human Rights Day will take place on December 10^th at 6pm virtually.

 

Tennesseans typically gather each year on December 10^th to celebrate International Human Rights Day. This year will of course be quite different, and the committee has decided to hold the event virtually.  During the event, leaders are acknowledged, and awards will go to human rights champions in these categories: Outstanding Service and Lifetime Achievement.

 

The Outstanding Service Award will go to Rev. Becca Stevens, who is founder and president of Thistle Farms, has served as the chaplain at St. Augustine Chapel for more than 20 years; and Dr. James Hildreth, the 12th president and chief executive officer of Meharry Medical College, the nation’s largest private, independent historically black academic health sciences center.

 

The Lifetime Achievement Awards are going to Ernest "Rip" Patton Jr., is a civil rights activist and veteran of the Freedom Riders; and Rev. V. H. “Sonnye” Dixon, the lead pastor at Hobson UMC,  is known as a passionate advocate for public education, a champion of human and civil rights for all people, and a person unafraid to speak truth to power in political, social, education and religious communities.

 

The theme for Human Rights Day this year is “Our Shared Humanity: Rooted in Hope,” and will bring people together in an uplifting celebration of the good that has come out of a year filled with chaos. A panel incorporating this theme will be moderated by Beverly Watts of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. Panel members will be former Commission Chair Jocelyn Wurzburg and past Human Rights Rising Advocate Awardee Justin Jones.

 

A committee of human rights organizations, nonprofits, and advocates, including the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, Metro Human Relations Commission, Scarritt Bennett Center, Tennessee United for Human Rights, the Church of Scientology, and others, work together each year to plan the event.

 

“Human Rights Day gives the community a chance to acknowledge advocates and leaders while also learning more about what human rights really mean for all people,” says planning committee chair Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology in Nashville.

 

All information regarding the event can be found on the website www.nashvillehumanrights.org. 

 

 

Church of Scientology Nashville Looks Forward to the Holidays

 

Scientologists believe in spreading the warmth and joy of the holiday season to the community and beyond.

 

More than 10,000 Scientology Churches, missions, related organizations and affiliated groups minister to millions in 165 countries, according to Scientology.org. Because of this worldwide diversity, Scientologists come from a wide variety of faiths and cultural traditions. But no matter their background, they, like most people, gather with loved ones to enjoy the warmth of friends and family and celebrate the joy of the holiday season.

 

This year, the holidays will look different for everyone, but the Nashville Church wants to remind the community that the spirit of the holiday will live on all the same.

 

The Nashville church usually hosts an annual potluck for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as other community events including holiday shows and festivities, the annual Human Rights Day celebration, open houses and other community get-togethers. This year, these events will take place in more of a virtual setting with events shared online and videos on the scientology.tv website with get-togethers being limited.

 

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard honored the great religious leaders of the past for the wisdom they brought to the world, writing that Scientology shares “the goals set for Man by Christ, which are wisdom, good health and immortality.” It is in this spirit that Scientologists celebrate the holiday season, whether they observe Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other religious or cultural tradition.

 

This past decade has seen explosive expansion for the religion, with over 70 new Churches of Scientology in global cities—from Orlando to Perth, Dublin to Detroit and Kansas City to Johannesburg. More Church openings are planned in the next 12 months for cities across North America, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom. This decade further saw the inauguration of the Church’s global communications headquarters, Scientology Media Productions. The studio subsequently launched its own television channel, broadcasting in 17 languages across 24 time zones: Scientology Network—available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and streaming online at scientology.tv.

 

For more information about Scientology, visit www.scientology.org.

 

Nashville Religion Communicators Council To Hold End of Year Meeting to Recap the Year, Look Ahead

 

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 Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations. The Nashville Chapter meets monthly at rotating locations to learn about other faith traditions, learn from fellow communicators and gain professional development opportunities.

 

The December meeting will take place virtually, as has been the common meeting ground for all events this year. RCC Nashville President, Rev. Brian Fesler, will lead the discussion about 2020 and what RCC members can look forward to in the year ahead.

 

“It’s always good to look back on the year and decide how to best move forward,” says Julie Brinker, Communications Coordinator for the Nashville RCC and Director of Community Affairs for the Church of Scientology Nashville, “and while 2020 has been a year like no other, our end of year meeting style remains the same—except that it won’t be in person.”  

 

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.

 

Tennessee United For Human Rights Reminds Everyone to Spread Peace

 

Tennessee United for Human Rights wants to lift up all people to bring about change and justice in the world.

 

Tennessee United For Human Rights is passionate about helping people learn their basic rights to spread peace and justice into a world racked with confusion and hostility. “During the most difficult of times, we are spreading positive messages to let people know their basic human rights,” says Julie Brinker, a spokesperson for TnUHR. “Human Rights are universal and belong to every human being regardless of religion, race or national origin.”

 

The organization is offering free resources online to educate people on basic human rights using award-winning audio visual messages and downloadable materials.

 

TnUHR was formed as a nonprofit public benefit corporation in 2015 to educate Tennesseans on the basic principles and foundations of human rights. It is the local chapter of United for Human Rights, an international, not-for-profit organization dedicated to implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its membership is comprised of individuals, educators and groups throughout the world who actively forward the knowledge and protection of human rights by and for all mankind.

 

TnUHR regularly holds events on the topics of peace, justice and human rights. During 2020, in-person events are suspended, but virtual events remain as a way to bring people together. The organization is currently co-organizing Human Rights Day to take place in early December online.

 

United for Human Rights was founded on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first such document ever ratified by the community of nations. Then as now, continued worldwide human rights abuses violate the spirit, intent and articles of this charter. United for Human Rights is committed to advancing human rights through education. An understanding of the 30 rights enshrined in the document is the first step to bringing about their broad implementation.

 

For more information on basic human rights, visit TnUHR.org.

 

Nashville Religion Communicators Council Holds Virtual Dialogue About the Election

 

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 Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations. The Nashville Chapter meets monthly to learn about other faith traditions, learn from fellow communicators and gain professional development opportunities. Due to the onset of COVID-19, RCC members have been meeting virtually, for the most part, since March.

 

The November virtual meeting took place one week after election day, and RCC members will gathered to dialogue about it. Questions posed to RCC members by President of the Nashville Chapter, Rev. Brian Fesler, led to an array of meaningful and deep conversations about how faith, belief and one’s work all coincide. Rev. Fesler posed questions in such a way that RCC members did not need to reveal their political party or stance on issues, but rather how they would handle various situations from their position as a person of faith and religious communicator.  Rev. Fesler, who pastors the Nashville Church of Scientology, wanted everyone to feel open about communicating their beliefs in a non-judgmental zone so they could uplift one another.

 

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.

 

Citizens Commission on Human Rights Salutes Veterans, Encourages Education

 

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Nashville (CCHR Nashville) continues to work to spread information on basic rights related to mental health.

 

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights Nashville Chapter (CCHR Nashville) is saluting veterans on Veterans Day and encouraging them along with their friends and family to visit cchrnashville.org to learn another epidemic affecting them.

 

Veterans Day marks the end of World War I, the armistice with Germany that officially began 99 years ago on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Originally known as Armistice Day, the name was changed in 1954. It is a day to honor American veterans of all wars. But while Americans pay their respects to those who died in battle, there is another source of casualty decimating the ranks of the American military today.

 

It is not a secret: 23 soldiers and veterans commit suicide every day. In fact, according to Freedom Magazine, there is “an astounding military suicide every 65 minutes. More soldiers on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan have committed suicide than died in battle.” But the military continues to entrust the resolution to those complicit in creating it, according to Lt. Col. Bart Billings, Clinical Psychologist U.S. Army Reserve, Ret. “We have never drugged our troops to this extent and the current increase in suicides is not a coincidence,” he says.

 

Is there a cause and effect relationship? Lt. Col. Billings believes there is. “Why hasn’t psychiatry in the military been relieved of command of Mental Health Services?” he asks. “In any other command position in the military, there would have been a change in leadership.”

 

The Freedom article reveals that military prescriptions for psychotropic drugs soared 475 percent from 2002 to 2014 to an astonishing 18 million annually.

 

Fred A. Baughman Jr., a San Diego-based neurologist and outspoken critic of psychiatric practices with more than 40 years of professional experience, believes that the majority of active-duty and veteran suicides can be traced to the rampant prescribing of antipsychotics and antidepressants.

 

For many years, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has lobbied for veterans rights including informed consent and treatment alternatives to psychiatric medication.

 

To raise awareness of this urgent situation, CCHR produced the documentary The Hidden Enemy: Inside Psychiatry’s Covert Agenda and uses the film to educate congressional staff, veteran groups and active servicemen and officers.

 

CCHR has long been an advocate for human rights, especially as relates to patients’ rights in the field of mental health. CCHR is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious mental health watchdog. Its mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections. CCHR receives reports about abuses in the field of mental health and is especially interested in situations where persons experienced abuse or damage due to a false diagnosis or unwanted and harmful psychiatric treatments, such as psychiatric drugs, electroshock (ECT) and electronic or magnetic brain stimulation (TMS). CCHR is often able to assist with filing complaints, and can work with a person’s attorney to further investigate the case. To contact CCHR Nashville for more information, visit cchrnashville.org.