Last night a group of the Church of Scientology parishioners in Pasadena, CA gathered to hear about the work of our Volunteer Ministers now in Haiti. The International Association of Scientologists (IAS) is funding this relief effort. Volunteer Ministers are working alongside medical teams under grueling conditions, organizing delivery of food and water to the refugee camps and in some cases doing the jobs no one else wants to do - like cleaning toilets.

Folllow Ellen’s Twitter feed for updates on their activities and an inside look at what it’s like to be a volunteer in a disaster area.

“A group of us went out to a refugee camp, delivering food and medical supplies, helping them organize. It was an open plot of land in a “residential” type area, kind of the equivalent “of a suburban area where each house is side by side and there is grass in the front”, except that here the houses are totally destroyed and there is a lot of uncut grass and rocky dirt road and goats running around.”  Ellen Bennet in Haiti

They need more volunteers because ther are not enough people to care for everybody there.  We hope our Fundraiser wil make it possible for a few more to go and help.

Our group in Pasdena totally supports our VMs in Haiti and we donated $4000 to the relief efforts last night.

The renovations are now well under way.  The chapel on the first floor of the building will of course be the hub of the Church and we’re looking forward to seeing the completed space soon.  Pasadena parishioners of the Church of Scientology were at the building on Sunday to pitch in as volunteers and help with the demolition.

Renovations have begun on the new home of the Church of Scientology in Pasadena, California.

The east side of the 3rd floor has been transformed from a lot of small office suites into a large academy for delivering auditor training.

As the renos progress we will be posting more photographs.  

For some strange reason there seems to be a huge misconception about what members of the Church of Scientology - in Pasadena and around the world - believe about medical treatment and medication.

Unlike some other religions, we have no disagreement with medical treatment and we are not averse to getting help from medical practitioners. In fact, the church’s position on medical treatment and medical drugs is quite clear:-

The Church of Scientology has always had the firm policy of not diagnosing or treating the sick.

Scientology policy is adamant that no true spiritual progress can be expected if underlying medical conditions remain untreated.

Medical doctors are trained to deal with the physical aspects of illness and injury. A Scientologist with a physical condition is always advised and supported to seek and obtain the needed examination and treatment of a qualified medical professional.

Once under medical treatment, a Scientologist then can address his illness or injury with Scientology counseling to handle any spiritual trauma or other factors connected with that physical condition which may have predisposed him to illness or injury. There are also many medical doctors who are Scientologists themselves.

I have been a member of the Church of Scientology for 40 years. I have raised four kids and over the years every member of my family has had to seek medical attention at one time or another. Active, athletic kids get into scrapes and break bones. My husband had a heart attack ten years ago.  He survived thanks to the doctors and the hospital treatment he received. He takes medication every day of his life now.

I had a very serious car accident and without the excellent medical help I received at UCLA Medical Center I’d be dead.

What we don’t do is take street drugs or mind altering psychiatric drugs of any kind.

Scientologists believe that psychotropic or street drugs damage a person physically, mentally and spiritually. They decrease awareness and hinder abilities.

Many people turn to these drugs as a “solution” to some other problem, only to find that the drugs have become a bigger problem.

But medical help that is needed is always sought.

On December 10th 2008 the Mayor of Pasadena and the Consul General of the Philippines attended an event at our new Church of Scientology in Pasadena to mark the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.

Watch the Human Rights Public Service announcements created by Youth for Human Rights.

“In the course of this year, unprecedented efforts must be made to ensure that every person in the world can rely on just laws for his or her protection. In advancing all human rights for all, we will move towards the greatest fulfillment of human potential, a promise which is at the heart of the Universal Declaration.”

High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour

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.