ptp20230408001 culture/lifestyle, politics/law
|
Proclamation US Congress (Photo: Church of Scientology) |
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (ptp001/08.04.2023/11:00) –
Scientology Volunteer Ministers gathered in Times Square to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their movement.
Times Square lit up as the Scientology Volunteer Ministers took the stage in their bright yellow jackets in the heart of Manhattan. They gathered to receive a proclamation from Congress honoring L. Ron Hubbard to mark the 50th anniversary of the Volunteer Minister movement and its legacy of service.
Religious social service since 1973
New York is central to the history of the Volunteer Ministers, the religious social service pioneered by Hubbard. Here he led 1973 a sociological study and noted the dramatic decline in values in the city. He predicted where culture would go: rampant immorality, violence as a sport, and eventually politics through terrorism. He took action and developed a movement that could reverse the decline by restoring values to grassroots society.
That was the birth of the Scientology Volunteer Minister program. Hubbard provided the Volunteer Ministers with the Scientology Handbook, which contains technologies anyone can learn and use to restore values and empower people to help themselves, their families and their communities. These materials are now over the 19 Tools for Life Online Courses available free of charge in 18 languages on the Scientology website.
Almost three decades later, after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the movement regained its rights in New York. Volunteer Ministers from New York and across the US provided much-needed assistance to first responders in New York.
As described in The New York Times: “Amid faces gray with sorrow and dirt, their faces are fresh and even smiling. Amid blackened uniforms and soot-smeared gear, their yellow T-shirts are luminous buoys.
At any one time, well over 100 Volunteer Ministers from the Church of Scientology are in the remains of the World Trade Center. …When the rescue workers stumble out of the rubble, the clergy, who can be identified by their T-shirts, try to revive their bodies and psyches.”
September 11, 2001 was a turning point
For many, 9/11 was a turning point. And so it was for the Volunteer Ministers. After the tragedy, Scientology Church leader David Miscavige called on Scientologists to redouble their efforts to help those around them. This led to tremendous growth of the Volunteer Minister movement and its effectiveness.
The duty of a Volunteer Minister is to “to help one’s fellow human beings on a voluntary basis by restoring meaning, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others”. Her motto: “A Volunteer Minister does not close their eyes to the suffering, evil, and injustice of existence. Instead, they are trained to put things right and help others find relief and personal strength.”
Her motto is: “No matter what the circumstances, there is always something you can do.”
For more information on the technology used by the Volunteer Minister, watch “Scientology Tools for Life” on the Scientology Network at DIRECTV 320 or at www.Scientology.tv.
The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles in 1954; since then the religion has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups with millions of members in 167 countries. For more information see
(End)
