CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY CELEBRATES GREATEST YEAR IN HISTORY AND THE DAWN OF A MOST PROMISING 2019

365 days of accomplishment come full circle with a celebration honoring expansion and social advance to uplift and inspire today’s world.

For the Church of Scientology 2018 always had “extraordinary” written into it, so as more than 6,000 Scientologists gathered in the Shrine Auditorium to review, rewind and revel in the last 12 months, the mood was one of celebration and exhilaration. From a global array of new Churches to the global reach of the Scientology Network, this is the year that changed everything.

“Welcome to the New Year’s celebration for which you’ve always been waiting,” said Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion. “Not just 365 arbitrary days, not just 12 capricious months and a turn of a calendar page, but empirical proof that as velocity approaches the speed of light, time slows down to zero. Otherwise there’s just no explanation as to how we got so much done while this planet plied its meandering course around the sun.”

Indeed, the sweeping orbit of the religion’s history-making 2018 was captured in a series of stunning visual highlights presented by Mr. Miscavige that recounted a year of global expansion, both on the ground and over the airwaves. The multi-phase recap very much included the launch of the Church’s own television channel, the Scientology Network, in response to the overwhelming worldwide curiosity about the religion. The network has since redefined religious broadcasting, bringing viewers inside to see and experience the religion for themselves. In turn, the paradigm-shifting TV content has reached viewers across 24 time zones and racked up 24 awards for innovation, outstanding production and broadcasting excellence.

The religion’s expansion in 2018 further saw six new Churches rise in the Scientology sky, and which altogether form a ring that encircles this world:

• The February 17 grand opening of a new Church in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains at Salt Lake City, Utah.
• The February 18 unveiling of a new Church in Silicon Valley, California, at the nexus of the world’s internet capital and just minutes from Google, Microsoft and NASA.
• The May 5 inauguration of a new Church in Perth, Australia, the world’s most remote metropolis.
• The May 12 ribbon cutting of the Church of Scientology in the “Magic Kingdom” of Orlando, Florida, theme park capital of the world.
• The September 9 grand opening of a new Church in the industrial engine of Germany in Stuttgart.
• And the October 14 inauguration of a glorious new 55,000-square-foot Church in Downtown Detroit, Michigan—at the very birthplace of the city.

If that’s the ever-growing footprint of Scientology expansion, there’s also everything 2018 represents by way of L. Ron Hubbard’s Technology inspiring a renaissance of human endeavor across social betterment, industry and spiritual advancement:

• Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE)—comprising programs aimed at reversing drug abuse, illiteracy, immorality and crime. So it was, the evening presentation pointed to tales of ABLE in action beginning in the Dominican Republic, where a Ministry of Interior director signed up as a Way to Happiness Ambassador, delivering seminars on the program’s 21 precepts of universal morals and reaching over 100,000 officials, community leaders, teachers and students. Then in Copenhagen, Denmark, a prestigious group of academies for schoolchildren applied L. Ron Hubbard’s Study Technology to boost test scores 200 percent above national averages. And in Puebla, Mexico, a former state minister of infrastructure opened a 14-acre Narconon drug rehab center along the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt known as the Sierra Norte range. On the heels of that, another two Narconon facilities opened this year—one along what’s considered the global cocaine capital in Rome, Italy, and another along illicit white-heroin trade routes in the northern region of Lombardy, Italy.
• World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE)—L. Ron Hubbard’s Administrative Technology (Admin Tech) for prosperity. The evening featured stories of a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based tile artisan using administrative tools through every phase of manufacturing one-of-a-kind mosaic art for Fortune 500 retail giants and ultimately expanding production nearly 40 times over. Likewise, an entrepreneur Down Under applied L. Ron Hubbard Admin Tech to expand his “difficult access” building maintenance company to top in its field by rappelling and traversing high-rise structures to restore and rehabilitate Sydney’s world-famous skyline. All of which culminated with the story of a Russian couple and pair of agricultural entrepreneurs applying Admin Tech procedures to expand their company 300 times over and so become a top 10 enterprise for the Russian Federation.
• International Hubbard Ecclesiastical League of Pastors (I HELP) and Scientology Missions International (SMI)—the broad scale movement delivering the religion’s practical tools to communities across the globe. Highlights of I HELP and SMI this year include a Dianetics Group in Ghana bringing the technology of Dianetics and thus a message of hope to over 100 schools and better than 9,000 students, thereby earning the gratitude of their country’s Ministry of Education for providing “the true solution to a troubled society.” In Kiev, Ukraine, the city’s Scientology Mission reached right across the nation’s capital with moral education drives, drug-ed distribution campaigns and human rights rallies to impact the lives of more than 1.5 million Ukrainians, earning recognitions from police, military and even the federal government. The SMI success story continued on with four picturesque missions dedicated in recent months—in the heart of Slovakia’s cultural capital of Košice; by the shores of Italy’s capital of luxury and lifestyle at Lake Como; amidst Taipei’s bustling central district of Da’an; and on the banks of an historic Germany hub, the City of Ulm.

In testament to the religion’s record-breaking year, over 200 Power Field Staff Members (FSMs) from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australasia were recognized for having escorted at least 100 people onto and up The Bridge to Total Freedom. In fact, joining the unprecedented number of Power FSMs were two “Elite” FSMs, honored for having helped over 1,000 people onto and up the Bridge.

And if that wasn’t enough, the night came to a stunning close with a preview of what’s in store at the immediate outset of 2019: the monumental opening of a new Advanced Organization entrusted to deliver Scientology’s advanced spiritual levels in Africa. The Church structure, known as Castle Kyalami, stands halfway between Pretoria and Joburg atop 22 acres overlooking traditional Zulu land. Altogether the facility represents an entirely new Scientology continental headquarters and a brand new hope for spiritual freedom in Africa.

“Let’s start 2019 with this—a nationally registered castle, atop the region’s highest peak… to grace the legendary cradle of civilization on the continent of Africa,” said Mr. Miscavige. “But for the moment—and regardless of what is yet to come—let this become my final word for the last 12 months: We have indeed just concluded our greatest year in Scientology history.”