Tennessee Human Rights Day Planning Begins for 2017

Human rights are a hot topic.

Whether you’re reading about fair housing, racial disparities or gender equality, these are all human rights issues. To bring increased awareness and education on human rights to the public, a celebration for Human Rights Day takes place each December in Nashville, Tenn.

On this day, Tennesseans gather to celebrate the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations, originally signed on Dec 10, 1948. It is always an event with a message of hope for the future, respect for the past, and looking at what it will take to change human rights abuses in the present.

“Human Rights Day means acknowledging leaders while encouraging others to take up the torch for the future,” says planning committee chair Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology. The celebration has been tentatively set for December 7, 2017.

The celebration centers around the Human Rights Lifetime Achievement awards, the Rising Advocate Awards, and the Outstanding Service Award.  Last year, Rising Advocate Awards were given to three individuals who have made great strides for human rights and show even greater promise for the future. They were Anna Carella, who has worked both locally and in other parts of the world to help others in need and most recently with Advocates for Women's and Kids' Equality (AWAKE); Justin Jones, a Fisk University senior who has already proven himself as a strong advocate for social justice and peace by organizing several events, marches and protests with the purpose to help others; and Mohamed Shukri-Hassan, who works with the Tennessee Immigrants and Refugee Rights Coalition and American Center for Outreach and was on the first Mayor’s New Americans Advisory Council.

The award winners in the category of Outstanding Service were Juan Canedo for his work on issues that affect the wellbeing of the Hispanic community and the community at large, with particular emphasis on empowering Hispanic immigrants; and Derri Smith, who is the Founder and Executive Director of End Slavery Tennessee.  

The Lifetime Achievement award last year went to Dr. Charles Kimbrough, a longtime civil rights activist who established and organized NAACP chapters in four different cities across the South and served as President of the Nashville Branch, where he saw a surge in chapter membership, addressing civil rights issues within the local African American community.

The committee plans to feature many different human rights organizations during this year’s celebration, especially government agencies and non-profit organizations in Tennessee that have commitments to some part of the thirty rights as laid out in the UDHR. Organizations who wish to participate in the planning may contact the organizer through www.nashvillehumanrights.org.

Nashville Scientologists Planning Drug-Free Events in Honor of Red Ribbon Week

Tennessee has a drug problem: heroin. During 2016, prescription opioid abuse was at the top of the charts, and while it continues be a problem statewide, officials have taken steps to curb the problem. While it has been slowly on the decline, according to state officials, there has been an unintended consequence. With prescription pain pills becoming harder to attain, addicts have turned to another type of opioid in heroin. According to the latest numbers from the Department of Mental Health, in 2013, the number of patients seeking treatment from state facilities for heroin abuse was 454. By 2015, that number had jumped to 839.

To protect youth from the disastrous effects of abusing this and other drugs, Scientologists and others are teaming up with Drug-Free Tennessee to bring the truth about drugs to students during Red Ribbon Week.

Red Ribbon Week is a week-long celebration at the end of October to promote a drug-free lifestyle. The Red Ribbon has been worn as a symbol since 1985 when DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was murdered. Angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons to show their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America.

Volunteers will join with Drug-Free Tennessee for educational events and to distribute copies of The Truth About Drugs, a booklet that helps young people understand what drugs are and how they affect the user.

Drug-Free Tennessee is the local chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, an international non-profit organization. Its materials demonstrate the dangers of drugs through factual information and interviews with former addicts giving personal perspectives on each of the substances covered.

For more information on the Truth About Drugs, visit drugfreeworld.org. For more information on the Church of Scientology and its programs, visit Scientology.org.

Nashville Church of Scientology Fosters Hope on World Humanitarian Day

The World Humanitarian Day open house at the Nashville Church of Scientology inspired volunteers to take action and exemplify the spirit of the day.

The Nashville Church of Scientology hosted an open house on World Humanitarian Day to uplift volunteers to take up the mantle and help others in times of need. “Now more than ever it is important for all of us to work together to re-build our broken world,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Nashville Church of Scientology, “It will take fortitude and strength of character, but is a necessity nonetheless.”

Joining the Church for the event were local pastors and chaplains who were thrilled to hear about the church’s Volunteer Minister program and offered words of support and encouragement to those taking up the torch. 

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. During the open house, everyone was invited outside to see the tent where they could learn practical skills to help others.

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.

Drug-Free Tennessee Reaching Out to Parents

Drug-Free Tennessee provides materials to educate parents and their children about the hazards of drugs.

This past weekend, Drug-Free Tennessee participated in an annual event for parents of school children, where they distributed copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets to parents, teachers and children alike.

“We need to spread a positive drug-free message to parents and their children,” says Brian Fesler, regional coordinator for Drug-Free Tennessee, “This is vital to halt drug abuse and especially the opioid epidemic that is sweeping this state and country.”

DFT has been out in the community, handing out information and spreading the word. “Education is the best offense,” says Fesler.

DFT is the local chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World (FDFW), an international organization based in Los Angeles, and has as its mission to educate people about the dangerous effects of drugs so they understand and can make informed choices on the subject. At the heart of the campaign are the Truth About Drugs booklets, 13 fact-filled booklets that, without scare tactics, inform about drugs, empowering young people to make their own decisions to live drug-free.

Fesler says, “There is a need in our communities to educate everyone on drugs—drugs impact all our lives in one way or another. That’s why it is important for all of us to work together .” For more information on Drug-Free Tennessee, visit drugfreetn.org. 

Nashville Religion Communicators Council Announces Interfaith Musical Event for 2018

The Nashville Chapter of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) has just announced that it will be holding an interfaith musical event in early 2018.

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations. Members of the RCC come from many different religions and backgrounds including Christianity, Judaism, Baha’i Faith, Islam and Scientology, among others.

The Nashville Chapter has just announced that it is planning an interfaith musical event for early 2018.  It promises to bring together people of many different faiths for an event of musical and religious harmony.

Rev. Brian Fesler, president of the Nashville chapter and pastor of the Church of Scientology, says, “It has been a professional and personal mission of mine for some time to bring together people of different religious backgrounds for an awe-inspiring musical production. I couldn’t be more excited that we have now set a date and are beginning to bring key players together for this.”

The event will be called “The Spirit of Harmony: An Interfaith Showcase.” Rev. Fesler says the group will be reaching out to any and all religious people to participate, and he hopes to have a very diverse mix.

“We are reaching out as a chapter,” says Rev. Fesler, “this musical production will highlight a wonderful medium of communication which ties into the very fabric of our city.” For more information, visit religioncommunicators.org/nashville-chapter. 

Drug-Free Tennessee Participates in Annual Night Out Against Crime

Drug-Free Tennessee participates each year in National Night Out Against Crime by distributing the Truth About Drugs booklets at neighborhood events.

Drug-Free Tennessee is committed to making neighborhoods drug and crime-free. So it was that volunteers joined community partners, neighbors and police for National Night Out Against Crime to help put an end to rampant crime and drug violations.

National Night Out is meant to stop crime before it starts. It was designed to heighten awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back, according to natw.org.

This year marks the 35th annual event held to combat drug use and prevent crime, and the 9th year that Drug-Free Tennessee has participated in the Nashville festivities. Neighborhoods frequently celebrate with a mix of food, dancing, information booths and crime forums to help promote safer living.

Rev. Brian Fesler, regional coordinator for Drug-Free Tennessee, says, “Youth today are having to make decisions about drugs at a younger age. We need to get them reliable information so they can make educated choices.”

Drug-Free Tennessee is the local chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, which provides booklets with information on how drugs affect the body and mind, what a dealer might say, and common street names to young people know how to avoid them. The materials are available free of charge, and can be obtained through drugfreeworld.org.

For more information on National Night Out, visit natw.org.  For more information on Drug-Free Tennessee or to order materials, visit drugfreetn.org.

Nashville Church of Scientology Brings People Together for Friendship Day

International Day of Friendship was created to inspire peace and bridge building. The Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville just held its third annual event with a diverse crowd.

Terrorism, shootings, war—it’s become commonplace to hear of these things day after day in a stream of news. Yet, there is a group of people determined to bring people together despite differences of race, color and creed. It all happened at the International Day of Friendship in the community hall of the Nashville Church of Scientology.

International Day of Friendship is an annual observance, dignified in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly with the idea that “friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities,” according to un.org.  The resolution emphasizes that young people, as future leaders, can be brought together in activities with different cultures. This promotes international understanding and respect for diversity.

The Church of Scientology held its third annual dialogue for the day on August 1st, with community leaders and members coming together to participate. Organizers called for participation from the myriad ethnicities and nationalities that make up the diverse city of Nashville, and held an “International Potluck” as part of the event. “The whole point was to bring a diverse group of people together and demonstrate the power of intentional friendship,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology.

“Most of life’s problems come from a basic misunderstanding of each other, a misunderstanding of intentions.  Getting along with one another starts with getting to know one another,” he says.

The Church of Scientology partnered in this effort with The Way To Happiness Association of Tennessee (TWTH-TN).  TWTH-TN provides a community betterment program based on the book The Way To Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard. The program 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 are attainable. Several concepts 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.”

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