Nashville Church of Scientology Welcomes Art Gilliam for Book Signing During Black History Month

Art Gilliam shared his experience of growing up in the Deep South during the 1950s in his new book ‘One America,’ and will host a talk and book signing in February.

The Nashville Church of Scientology is welcoming Memphis radio station owner Art Gilliam for a book signing and talk on ‘One America,’ in which he reflects on his personal story of growing up in a segregated South during the 1950s.

A Nashville native, Gilliam is excited to return to the city to deliver this talk. 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 Nashville Church of Scientology, 1130 8^th Ave S, will take place Feb 21, 2015 at 1pm.  The event is open to the public.  For more information and to obtain free tickets visit http://www.nashvillehumanrights.org/one-america/

Nashville Church of Scientology Observes the Holiday Season

The Nashville Church of Scientology opens its doors to people of all faith traditions and celebrates the holidays with traditional events and get-togethers for friends and families.

Because the Scientology religion is practiced in 184 countries, 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 season.

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.

Pastor of the Nashville Church, Rev. Brian Fesler, says, “Our church captures the spirit of the holidays. We bring people together to celebrate and plan the year ahead, and everyone is welcome here throughout the season.”

The Church will be hosting a Thanksgiving potluck dinner, there will be get-togethers throughout December and on New Year’s Eve, the church celebrates with a large-scale event. It is at this event that the church reviews the accomplishments for the year and sets the course for the year to come.

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

Tennessee Human Rights Day Celebration To Honor Freedom Fighters

The 2014 Tennessee Human Rights Day Celebration will pay special tribute to the late John Seigenthaler and George Barrett.

Each year the Tennessee Celebration of Human Rights Day honors those who have committed their lives to serving others with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, Mr. John Seigenthaler was a recipient of this award and in 2012, Mr. George Barrett received the honor. This year both of these great men departed their lives. So in their honor, the planning committee for the Human Rights Day celebration plans to pay them special tribute.

The Human Rights Day celebration will be held in the John Seigenthaler center in Nashville on December 10th from 5-7pm.

According to nashvillehumanrights.org, “Human Rights Day in Tennessee has become a time to celebrate the leaders of yesterday and recognize those taking up the torch for tomorrow, a time to look at battles won and lessons learned as well as to inspire the youth of today to do something about the state of the world tomorrow.”

The committee organizing the event for Human Rights Day includes the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, Metro Human Relations Commission, Church of Scientology, Muslim Women’s Council and Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The event is free and open to the public. Networking begins at 5pm and the program starts at 5:30. For more information or to become involved, visit www.nashvillehumanrights.org.

Religion Communicators Council Gets Hands On

The Religion Communicators Council meets each month to hear about a topic of interest. In November, the Nashville Chapter visited the volunteer organization Hands On Nashville.

The Religion Communicators Council (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 Nashville chapter went to Hands On Nashville which rose in prominence in Nashville during recovery efforts after the historic flood of 2010.

President of the Nashville chapter and Pastor of the Church of Scientology, Rev. Brian Fesler says, “The mission of RCC is to promote excellence in the communication of faith and religious values, so it ties right in with our purpose to hear from organizations doing good works in the community.”

RCC met with the Director of Corporate Relations, Tara Tenorio, who discussed upcoming volunteer opportunities such as ReCYCLE for Kids, a program to bring used bikes to kids in need, as well as the MLK Day of Service. Tenorio encouraged RCC members to promote these events by directing people to the website, hon.org.

This isn’t the first time the RCC has met with non-profit groups doing good for the community. In October of 2013, the group held a special meeting called “Putting Faith into Action” and had representatives of The Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. Prior to that meeting, RCC has met with members of Amnesty International, Thistle Farms, Room in the Inn, and more.

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

Artlightenment Wraps 6th Annual Art Show and Film Festival

Artlightenment wrapped its 6^th consecutive year on Saturday night with its festival themed “the light side of art and film.”

Artlightenment’s 6^th consecutive year showcased underwater photographer Christy Lee Rogers, celebrity photographer Raeanne Rubenstein, and up and coming fashion designer Elisabeth Donaldson, all of whom are based in Nashville.  The festival was held at the Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville.  Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard was an accomplished artist who also wrote articles and books to help artists achieve success through their craft.

The festival’s first event was underwater photographer Christy Lee Rogers’ talk “Making a Career as an Artist.”  Rogers’ success in her career drew a large crowd. She has been described as, “…undeniably contemporary yet also timeless,” by writer Duncan Beebe for Eyemazing Magazine.   At the end of the festival, Rogers took home top honors, the annual Artligthenment Award.

The Film Festival portion of Artlightenment spanned two evenings, Thursday and Friday, and drew full audiences.  Celebrity photographer Raeanne Rubenstein premiered her latest short film ‘Mary and Albert,’ which received an Audience Choice award.  Rubenstein has photographed some of the biggest names in movies, music and pop culture such as Dustin Hoffman, Dolly Parton, Andy Warhol, and iconic singers Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, among others.

The Best Film award went to Jason K. Allen for his film ‘American Sock,’ a whimsical comedy about a girl searching for her soul mate on social media sites which leads to being swept off her feet by the most unlikely of candidates. The film was directed by Jeffrey Lamont Brown and starred Angela Gulner and Sto Strauss.

Free seminars for artists to encourage career success has been an integral part of the festival since its inception.  Screenwriter Annie Kananack delivered a workshop “From Screenplay to Big Screen,” to encourage future screenwriters. Kananack says, “I am most alive and fulfilled when I’m writing,” and takes her inspiration from character-driven films of the 30s and 40s.

The Artlightenment festival takes place during the second weekend of November each year at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville, 1130 8^th Avenue South. For more information on the festival, visit artlightenment.com.

Committee Announces Awardees for 2014 Tennessee Human Rights Day Celebration

The committee planning Tennessee’s annual Human Rights Day celebration has just released the names of the 2014 awardees.

Human Rights Day in Tennessee has become a time to celebrate the leaders of yesterday and recognize those taking up the torch for tomorrow, a time to look at battles won and lessons learned as well as to inspire the youth of today to do something about the state of the world tomorrow. It occurs each year on December 10^th, and this year the celebration will take place at the First Amendment Center.

The event centers on the Human Rights Lifetime Achievement awards.   Awardees in this category are Father Joseph Breen, formerly of St. Edward Church who is known widely for his work to strike down the 2009 “English Only” proposition in Nashville; and First Baptist Church Capitol Hill which has long served as a beacon for the civil rights movement.

“Rising Advocate” awards will also be given to individuals who have been working in the field of human rights for a short time, but show great promise for the future.  Planning committee chair Rev. Brian Fesler says, “This is a great chance to recognize the leaders of tomorrow.” Rising Advocate awards this year will go to Eben Cathey with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and Daynise Joseph with Organized Neighbors of Edgehill.

The Committee has also revealed a new award this year: the Outstanding Service for Human Rights Award. Recipients of this honor include Yuri Cunza with the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Avi Poster who has championed immigrant rights for years.

The committee organizing the event for Human Rights Day includes the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, Metro Human Relations Commission, Church of Scientology, Muslim Women’s Council and Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  The event is free and open to the public.  Networking begins at 5pm and the program starts at 5:30.  For more information or to become involved, visit www.nashvillehumanrights.org.

Artlightenment Hosts Artists Tea

Today the Artlightenment film festival and art show opens. This year’s theme: “the light side of art and film.” On Sunday, the artists of the festival gathered for a tea and meet and greet.

The Artlightenment festival is unique in that it has the purpose to uplift the artists themselves, not any other cause. So the artists were brought together days before the opening, to share tea and see who was behind the beautiful works of art that are now adorning the walls of the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre in Nashville.

The Church of Scientology is proud to host the event as it shares this commitment to helping artists. Founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, an artist himself, believed artists pave the way for the future of the culture and the church carries this message forward.

The theme for the 2014 Artlightenment festival is “the light side of art and film.” The festival begins Nov 13 and runs through Saturday, Nov 15. Artists showcased this year include underwater photographer Christy Lee Rogers, actress and filmmaker Carla Christina Contreras, celebrity photographer Raeanne Rubenstein and screenwriter Annie Kananack.

Rogers will deliver a seminar entitled “Making a Career as an Artist,” Thursday at 6pm. Her work has been described as, “…undeniably contemporary yet also timeless,” by writer Duncan Beebe for Eyemazing Magazine.  Rogers’ seminar will be followed by Contreras with her seminar “Secrets to a Long and Successful Acting Career.” Contreras was born and raised in Hollywood and has been acting since the age of three.

The seminars have been an integral part of the festival since its inception, where successful artists pass on their knowledge to others.  

The festival takes place Nov 13-15 at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville, 1130 8th Ave S, and all are welcome. For more information, visit artlightenment.com.