Last year more than 40 Latino families in the LA area got a helping hand from the women’s auxiliary of the Church of Scientology in Pasadena.

For many children, going back to school can be a daunting experience. These kids benefitted from a donation from the women’s auxiliary that made it possible for them to arrive with a backpack full of school supplies instead of coming empty-handed.

Members of the women’s auxiliary of the Church of Scientology in Pasadena donated 46 backpacks to the Latino Family Preservation Program, an arm of the County of Los Angeles’ Department of Children and Family Services whose mission is to be the “glue” that keeps Latino families together. The LFPP helps ensure children stay with their families rather than end up in the foster care system.

For many years, the Church of Scientology has supported the Latino Family Preservation Program with donations at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and of course in mSetptember at the start of the school year. 

Twenty years ago the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) launched the Freewinds, a motor vessel based in the Caribbean.  The purpose of the Freewinds is to provide a retreat for religious study and counselling.

Last night the Pasadena parishioners of the Church of Scientology got together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Freewinds Maiden voyage. the event was held in the Braley Building, the future home of our church in Pasadena.  Although the renovations are not yet complete, we were welcomed into the chapel

We saw a video of the social programs the IAS has funded this year. We’re proud to know that our church is active on the front lines of society and it was heartwarming to listen to the people we’ve worked with around the world say that we can be relied on to get the job done.

Our Volunteer MInisters have been very busy this year with all the natural disasters that have occurred - we heard from firefighters in Southern California, the Red Cross in the Phillipines, teachers and religious leaders in India and monks in Myanmar. The VMs are getting known all over for their work in disaster relief.

When you see a natural disaster on the news - a fire, flood or earthquake that devastates the lives of people in a community - keep your eyes peeled for the yellow shirts of the VMs. We’ll be there to help

Some amazing data from someone who was a pharmaceutical rep.  She is not a member of the Church of Scientology - just someone who has seen the inside workings of the drug companies.

She talks about all kinds of drugs - including the fact that it has been proven that anti-depressants are not effective in most cases.  Nice to hear an insider speak out.

Here are some photos of our group at the bowling alley on Saturday night.

Some families came with three generations.  And even the very young joined in the fun and learned to bowl

Some of the teenagers showed us how to do it in style.

And the results were awesome!

A very successful fundraiser that will help us renovate our beautiful new building for the Church of Scientology in Old Town Pasadena.

I noticed that some people are searching online to find information about a Scientology birth. Actually it’s not a Scientology birth - it’s a Dianetics birth. 

L.Ron Hubbard wrote the book Dianetics, The Modern Science of Mental Health in 1950.  The book is about how past incidents that contain pain, and any degree of unconciousness, can affect us in the present. This could be as small as stubbing your toe or as big as an almost fatal car accident.  What Mr Hubbard discovered was that the words said while a person is hurt, ill or otherwise not fully conscious, can affect them later. 

How does this work?  If you’ve seen a hypnotist then you’ve seen this at work. What is said to people while hypnotized can be reactivated when they’re awake and they don’t even remember it.  Next thing they’re feeling hot, itching, or in pain - and it’s just from a command said while they were ‘unconscious.’

And the fact is that words said when you are ill, injured or in pain can have a similar effect. Birth is one such incident.  Any woman who has given birth knows that there is pain involved.  And I’m sure you can imagine it’s quite stressful for the baby too.  It’s being shoved and pushed out into the world.  Often when they arrive the first thing they experience is a slap on the rear end.  There are people talking in the room while all this is happening.  Sometimes labor can go on for hours.

Image: Found Photos

Preventing any later problems that could be caused by noises and words during the birth is the basis of what is called a ‘Scientology Birth”.

Here is what Mr. Hubbard says:

The mother, then, should be very gentle on herself during pregnancy and those around her should be informed of the necessity for silence after any jar or injury.  Say nothing around a woman who has been struck or jarred in any way.   Maintain silence in the presence of birth.  It is a remarkable fact, and a scientific fact, that the healthiest childern come from the happiest mothers.

And that’s all it is.  We strive to give birth in a quiet, calm atmosphere, so that mother and baby will have no  ill effects from the birth experience.  Some families choose a home birth and others prefer to go to the hospital. But we do like to have the room quiet and calm.

Image: Jule Berlin

Last night about 100 of the Scientology Pasadena Parishioners went out for a night of bowling.  What a lot of fun!  Many of us had not bowled for years, so as you can imagine the skill level was all over the boards. I had not bowled for about twenty years.  I was surprised that I was still fairly good at it. 

Ages ranged from teenagers to a few in their seventies.

We bowled at the Bahama Lanes and the service was great. All the staff are friendly and helpful.

The purpose of the evening - apart from just having a good time and hanging out together - was to raise funds.

Some companies bought lanes and brought their staff along to bowl.   I’ll post the photographs as soon I get them.

On Saturday night the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) held a Members’ Ball at the stately  Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa, Pasadena, CA.  It is a AAA Five Diamond Hotel and the building has been a landmark in Pasadena since 1923. 

If you’re not familiar with the Langham, it’s headquartered in London and was Europe’s first grand hotel.  It opened in 1865.

The Ball was held in the Huntington Ballroom and about 500 people came to see those who recently supported the the humantarian projects of the IAS get acknowledged. 

What kind of work does the IAS do? 

They support the Youth for Human Rights Leadership Campaigns in Africa, literacy programs in the US and other parts of the world,  drug education in schools and drug rehab programs in many countries.  

 Once the awards were done, we enjoyed a superb meal and spent time chatting to people we had not seen in a while as there were Scientologists there from LA and Orange County, not just the Pasadena Parishioners.

Then we were treated to some excellent entertainment that had the crowd on their feet.  

There was a large contingent of Pasadena Parishioners at the Ball.  One family had a group of about twenty people representing three generations!

One of the community programs we’re most proud of is our Volunteer Ministers (VMs). They help out locally and internationally. Our Pasadena VMs worked at the California fires in the San Gabriel Valley recently.

In December 2007 a team of seven Scientology Volunteer Ministers traveled to Uganda to help flood victims. More than 300,000 people were displaced, their food crops and livestock destroyed by the effects of months of heavy rain.

One team just flew in to Myanmar to work with other relief organizations after the cyclone. The official death toll nearly doubled to 78,000 as heavy rains lashed much of the area stricken two weeks ago, further hampering relief efforts.

We will follow their story as we get news from them