CHURCHES, MISSIONS AND GROUPS
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Today, Scientology is practiced in more
than 125 countries. Its churches comprise
a hierarchy which ministers services from
the most basic to the most spiritually
advanced, raising man out of his
day-to-day problems and carrying him to
never-before envisioned spiritual vistas.
The millions of people who have been
introduced to the miracles of L. Ron
Hubbard’s technology are a broad mixture
of cultures, races and nationalities. Each
day they are joined by thousands more to
whom Scientology is brand-new.
A person discovering Scientology for
the first time usually reads a book,
learns about the subject from a friend,
attends a lecture in someone’s home or
takes an introductory course at a local
mission. As it was in the early 1950s,
news about the miracles of Dianetics and
Scientology is still most often spread by
personal contact and word of mouth.
Those who carry forward this message of a
bright and hopeful future are the field
auditors, groups and missions of
Scientology, which exist to minister the
religion at the grass-roots level.
Above this level are the more
established churches of Scientology which
are the centers for Scientology in their
cities and the focal points for many
community outreach activities. Here,
parishioners come to study Scientology
scripture and learn to audit.
The more advanced Scientology churches
minister the highest levels of auditing
and training, including the OT levels.
Here, parishioners are certain to
rediscover their true potential as
spiritual beings.
To serve the spiritual needs of
congregations and to ensure all religious
services are ministered in strict
accordance with Scientology scripture, the
worldwide churches of Scientology are
organized in a hierarchical structure
which includes churches that minister
directly to Scientology parishioners, as
well as church “management” organizations
that oversee, support and guide their
activities. This section provides an
explanation of the former category of
Scientology churches — those that directly
minister to the needs of the growing
number of Scientologists throughout the
world.
FIELD AUDITORS, AND DIANETICS AND
SCIENTOLOGY GROUPS
Auditing at the Grass Roots
Field auditors and Dianetics Counseling
Groups minister the following services:
Introductory Lectures
Tape Plays of L. Ron Hubbard’s Lectures
Hubbard Dianetics Seminar
Success Through Communication Course
Other Introductory Services for People New
to Scientology
Scientology Assists
Purification Program
Dianetics and Scientology Auditing Through
New Era Dianetics
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When asked to describe a time when life
seemed most fulfilling, a great many
people will give the same answer: when
they were able to help someone in a time
of genuine need, whether a friend, family
member, even a complete stranger.
Most would offer help more often—if
they knew what to do, or felt confident
that they could do it correctly. For many
field auditors, this explains perfectly
their dedication in pursuing their
calling.
Each day, field auditors give new hope
to the lives of those in their community.
They audit, provide marriage counseling,
help resolve drug habits, and in
everything they do, help to make life less
difficult for those they meet.
Field auditors exist all over the
world—from the busiest cities to some of
the most remote extremities of society.
For many people, the field auditor is
their first contact with the Scientology
religion, and his ministry their first
step on the Bridge to Total Freedom.
SCIENTOLOGY MISSIONS
Pioneering Dianetics and Scientology
There are hundreds of missions located in
scores of countries around the world.
They minister the following services:
Introductory Lectures, Films and Tapes
Extension Courses
Life Improvement Courses
Hubbard Dianetics Seminar
Success Through Communication Course
Other Introductory Services for People New
to Scientology
Scientologists Hatting Courses
Student Hat
Purification Program
Dianetics and Scientology Auditing
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Not unlike those early pioneers and
missionaries who braved challenging
environments in far-flung countries,
opening up Scientology today in a new
place—whether a small town in the USA or a
mountain village in Nepal—is always an
adventure. It usually starts with someone
reading one or more of L. Ron Hubbard’s
books, which creates a thirst for more
information about Dianetics and
Scientology technology in the new area. A
person calls in from a far-flung city in
Siberia, or from the center of Indiana,
says he has been co-auditing for a hundred
or a thousand hours on Dianetics, and
wants to know, “What do I do next?”
More often than not, a Scientology
missionary arrives on his doorstep, and
ignites the spark. He or she begins by
inviting people in the community to a
lecture on Scientology. The grass-roots
interest grows and soon more people are
co-auditing. A group forms and expands. It
provides even broader services—basic
courses, introductory lectures, and
perhaps the Purification Program. More new
people are introduced to Scientology and
Dianetics and what was once a handful
grows to a small community of
Scientologists in the hundreds. Soon what
was a group of twenty has become a
mission.
Although missions start in a number of
ways, the simple fact is that any
Scientologist may qualify to open one and
thereby contribute to the spiritual growth
of his community. Often, missions are
founded by individual Scientologists who,
having experienced the benefits of
Scientology, want to introduce their
religion to others in new parts of the
world. Starting a mission is truly a
pioneering activity that fulfills the
wishes of Scientologists who want to offer
to others in sometimes remote corners of
the world the spiritual gains they have
themselves realized.
“ Starting a new mission from scratch has
been the most adventurous thing I have
done this lifetime,” said one
Scientologist. “I can’t tell you what a
thrill it has been to help a brand-new
person find the truth. Life just isn’t the
same for a person once he has come into
contact with the technology.”
Sometimes the reach for Dianetics and
Scientology is dramatic, as was the case
of a man in war-torn Croatia who decided
the best way to start his country on the
road to peace was to establish a mission
in the capital city of Zagreb. “I was
mobilized and had to spend two months
serving in the Croatian army in command of
twelve. I spent every moment of our free
time telling them about Dianetics and
Scientology.” There on the battlefield he
found many individuals drawn to Dianetics
and Scientology, and from them came his
first staff members and parishioners.
Through spirit such as this, Scientology
has reached in recent years into India,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines,
Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Africa, Romania
and across the vast face of the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
Hundreds pour into missions in Moscow and
throughout Russia to get a seat in a
crowded hall to hear about Dianetics, and
to have the spark of spiritual freedom
rekindled.
Missions minister all the introductory
and beginning services of Dianetics and
Scientology, including extension courses,
the Personal Efficiency Course, Life
Improvement Courses, Dianetics Seminars,
the Success Through Communication Course,
the Student Hat, the Hubbard Qualified
Scientologist Course, and certain
co-auditing courses where Scientologists
learn to audit each other on specific
actions. Not surprisingly, it is during
these co-audits that some of the most
spectacular revelations occur, for here
the individual not only experiences the
power of the technology but sees its
effects on another.
“ I had my first experience auditing
another person in a Dianetics co-audit,”
reported one parishioner. “It was the most
thrilling moment of my life to see someone
change for the better right before my eyes
and to see a problem that had plagued him
all his life vanish completely as he saw
for himself where it had come from and why
it had affected him.”
Missions may also minister the
Purification program and all auditing
services up through New Era Dianetics,
including introductory auditing. Missions
fulfill a vital need, for those who learn
about Scientology at a mission are
discovering basic skills and fundamental
truths which they can immediately apply to
improve their own lives and the lives of
others. Missions in all countries are
helped and guided by Scientology Missions
International (SMI).
Standing at the entrance gates to the
Bridge, missions reach out into their
communities to inform people of the
miracles of Dianetics and Scientology.
Those who take their first steps on the
Bridge in a mission are beginning what
will become life-changing new voyages of
self-discovery. They, too, are pioneers.
CLASS V ORGANIZATIONS
Scientology Class V Churches minister the
following religious services:
All Introductory Services Ministered by
Missions
Dianetics and Scientology Auditing
The Minister’s Course and Ordaining
Ministers
Clear
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A local Scientology church is both a
spiritual and a social hub for its
parishioners—a bustling center of activity
and a focal point for the religion. The
next level in the hierarchy above missions
and groups, these churches express their
own special ambiance. It is partly the
friendliness, partly the sense of
dedication that permeates the place, and
partly the dynamic mix of people,
individuals of different ages, backgrounds
and lifestyles all working so well
together under one roof. All of these
combine to result in what L. Ron Hubbard
characterized simply as “the spirit of
Scientology.”
Like Scientology field groups and
missions, a local church provides
introductory lectures, workshops, seminars
and other religious services to people new
to Scientology. This is where those who
are curious about Scientology can call or
visit and immediately find out about—and
participate in, if they wish—introductory
services. And it is where they can also
discover exactly how to chart their path
to Clear and beyond.
What is most distinctive about these
Scientology churches is that each is a
technical hub as well. Here a young woman
who wants to learn the exact technology
that will help her resolve a difficult
relationship sits next to a grandmother
who is studying so she can help her
grandchildren do better in life. And at
the next table there may be a teenager who
wants to learn auditing so he can help
others. These parishioners are all intent
on learning to apply L. Ron Hubbard’s
technology and achieving the spiritual
results that technology delivers. Skillful
Case Supervisors help them progress
through the auditing levels of the
Scientology Grades and New Era Dianetics
and guide them as they receive training
through Class V Graduate Auditor level.
For this reason, these churches are known
to Scientologists as Class V
organizations.
“ My church is like no other place I have
ever been,” said a parishioner of a
Scientology church in a large city. “I am
cared for there, in the most valuable way
possible—I learn about myself as a
spiritual being, and then how to use that
when I go out the doors of the church into
my daily life. My auditing and training
address the most important aspects of my
life, and I love going into my church.”
At a Class V church one finds
parishioners of all walks of life actively
moving up the Bridge. Here a Scientologist
takes his first steps toward the states of
Clear and Operating Thetan (OT). He
usually takes courses, whether attending
on a schedule at night and on weekends
while he works, or arranges his life so he
can study full time during the day.
Parishioners in these congregations
have usually started their first steps on
the Bridge at area Scientology missions or
through field auditor services. And, in
fact, Class V churches provide technical
assistance to the executives and staff of
area Scientology missions, as well as
local field auditors and groups.
As Class V churches also work to make
Dianetics and Scientology broadly known in
their communities, many of these churches
establish smaller offices in nearby areas
and towns to provide introductory
services. Similarly, these churches assist
Scientologists to establish groups and
missions, thus meeting the increasing
grass-roots demand for L. Ron Hubbard’s
technology.
Scientologists gather at their local
Scientology churches for marriages,
funerals, naming ceremonies and
ordinations of ministers to mark important
points in the lives of the congregation.
There are also weekly Sunday services at
which a Scientology minister or other
speaker addresses the congregation
concerning some aspect of Scientology
religious doctrine. At these services
attendees also learn of upcoming events,
recent news and specific Church of
Scientology community actions.
Churches of Scientology hold
congregational gatherings on Friday nights
during which members of the church come
together to share their recent
accomplishments in the religion. Such
gatherings are festive and lively affairs,
often including a performance by a musical
group of church members, or people telling
of their latest community project.
Parishioners also gather periodically at
their church to listen to recorded
lectures by L. Ron Hubbard.
But the highest points on the Scientology
calendar are the Church celebrations of
Scientology holidays, such as the annual
L. Ron Hubbard birthday event or the
Auditor’s Day celebration. Broadcast live
(or in some instances prerecorded) from
the main centers of Scientology such as
Clearwater, Florida; Los Angeles,
California; or Saint Hill Manor in East
Grinstead, England, these celebrations
feature current news about the religion in
general and specific accomplishments at
churches throughout the world, presented
by prominent ecclesiastical leaders. Even
visitors often comment on the professional
presentation of these gatherings—and their
high emotional and artistic impact. More
importantly, these events serve to
strengthen the sense of community and the
common spiritual purpose of Church
members.
Class V churches not only provide a
vital focal point for Scientology in their
areas, but at this stage on the Bridge, a
Scientologist stands on the threshold of
new spiritual discoveries unlike any
other. These churches provide a safe and
stable place for all the Scientology
activities in an area to help parishioners
move up the Bridge to Total Freedom.
CELEBRITY CENTRES
Church of Scientology Celebrity Centres
Minister the following:
All Services Ministered by Class V
Churches
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L. Ron Hubbard once wrote, “A culture
is only as great as its dreams, and its
dreams are dreamed by artists.” As an
artist himself, Mr. Hubbard understood
only too well just how important those
dreams are to the creative person. He
recognized, as well, that artists supply
the spark of creativity and the vision of
what could be leading us all into
tomorrow.
It is an irrefutable fact that artists
wield enormous influence over society,
setting cultural trends and forwarding new
ideas, both good and bad. For example, in
the 1960s, musicians promoted drugs and
helped lead and entire generation into the
drug culture. On the other hand, many
artists work to raise public awareness of
environmental concerns, provide society
with spiritual insights or urge reform of
troubled areas.
In either case, by example and through
their art, they communicate to millions.
Thus, by improving the lives of artists,
great progress can be achieved to better
the condition of society—for any artist
with an increased ability to communicate,
who is drug-free and has high moral
standards, imparts a positive influence on
many others.
There is one type of Scientology church
that is particularly reflective of how L.
Ron Hubbard viewed the artist and his role
in rebuilding what is plainly a troubled
society: the Church of Scientology
Celebrity Centres.
Founded in 1969 in accordance with
explicit directions from L. Ron Hubbard,
the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre
utilizes the full body of Dianetics and
Scientology on behalf of the creative
individual. And when Mr. Hubbard speaks of
rehabilitating artistic creativity, he is
actually speaking of rehabilitating the
source of all creativity, the human
spirit. Rekindling the artist spiritually
enhances his creative potential, restores
to him high ethical standards, and
otherwise helps him to forward his work in
the creative arts.
“I’ve been coming to Celebrity Centre
for years now, and every time I’m there, I
am revitalized,” said one artist. “It’s
just such an aesthetic environment, it
makes me feel free and ready to create
again.”
“Celebrity Centre is absolutely an
oasis for me, and for any creative
person,” said a Scientologist. “My
creativity and my spiritual life are
intertwined, but in the harsh world of the
entertainment industry, they sometimes
seem to clash. At Celebrity Centre, I have
a safe haven where I can enjoy my fellow
artists and share our creative spirit as
well as our spiritual lives. It is a very
special church.”
Such revitalization of the spirit of
artists bodes well for society’s future.
And this occurs daily with thousands of
such individuals around the world.
Celebrity Centre ministers the same
services as other Class V organizations.
The artist who comes to a Celebrity Centre
takes the same spiritual journey across
the Bridge as the millions of other
parishioners who are not in the public
spotlight. Art and music have been linked
with man’s religious quest throughout
history. At the Church of Scientology
Celebrity Centre, the religious services
of the church elevate the individual
artist to achieve his own spiritual goals
and in turn, the artists routinely channel
their inspiration in ways which contribute
to the spiritual uplifting of society as a
whole.
To date, Celebrity Centres exist in
eleven major cities and cultural centers
around the world, including Celebrity
Centre’s international headquarters
appropriately located in Hollywood’s
historic Château Elysée, once an in-town
getaway for some of that city’s most
memorable stars during its heyday.
Wherever Church of Scientology
Celebrity Centres exist, the local
community also benefits from the
individual spiritual growth that comes
with the rehabilitation of writers,
musicians, actors and actresses. In each
community, these artists—some of the
brightest luminaries of stage and
screen—regularly perform benefit concerts
to support a wide range of local
charities.
Through his creations, the artist
creates a cultural renaissance. At
Celebrity Centres that renaissance begins
with the spiritual revitalization and
rehabilitation of the artist.
SAINT HILL ORGANIZATIONS
Church of Scientology Saint Hill
Organizations are found in four locations
around the world: East Grinstead, Los
Angeles, Sydney and Copenhagen.
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The fountainhead of much of
Scientology—technically and
organizationally—is the heritage of the
church of Scientology at Saint Hill in
East Grinstead, Sussex, England. During
the period L. Ron Hubbard resided there,
from 1959 through 1966, some of the
Scientology religion’s most historically
significant events took place.
“ It was at Saint Hill that our growth
began,” Mr. Hubbard later wrote. “It was
from here that the upper bastions of
freedom and ability were issued.”
This English manor was not only Mr.
Hubbard’s home, but the bustling site of
some of his most important breakthroughs
on the subject of the mind and spirit. The
first Scientology Clears were made here,
as were the first to reach the levels of
OT—Operating Thetan.
“I arrived at Saint Hill in April
1965,” recalls a Scientologist. “There
were about fifty-six or fifty-seven staff.
By August, there were two hundred staff.
It was CROWDED. People audited elbow to
elbow and nobody minded.”
Another Scientologist said of the
period: “My first impression of Saint Hill
was it was busy and friendly. There were
always new people arriving, but it was
very orderly and stable.
“ The atmosphere was enthusiastic. Clears
were being announced all the time and
there was a lot of very fast movement on
the Grade Chart.”
During these years, Scientologists came
from all corners of the world to listen to
Mr. Hubbard’s daily lectures on his new
discoveries. They applied these
breakthroughs immediately, and from this
came new techniques and procedures for
training auditors to a level of skill not
previously attainable on what was known as
the original Saint Hill Special Briefing
Course (SHSBC).
Today, all of the materials on which
Mr. Hubbard briefed those first
parishioners—in total, more than 430
recorded lectures—remain the very core of
the Briefing Course.
When other churches were formed in
Copenhagen, Los Angeles and Sydney to
minister this advanced and special auditor
training, they opened their doors as Saint
Hill Organizations for they, too,
specialize in conducting the SHSBC for all
Scientology parishioners in their part of
the world.
Saint Hill Organizations must maintain
facilities for parishioners from both
local areas and even other countries. Most
parishioners who travel to a Saint Hill
arrange their schedules so they can devote
themselves to an intensive period of
training—several months to a year—on the
Briefing Course. Thus, Saint Hills have a
high concentration of parishioners who
devote their full time to religious
services.
The intensity of discovery, of
obtaining greater spiritual knowledge and
practice is every bit as alive as in those
earliest days of the Briefing Course.
Today, Scientologists still come to
East Grinstead from around the world for
the Briefing Course or simply to see an
important place in Scientology’s history.
Visitors to the Manor see the course rooms
where the first lectures of the original
Briefing Course were given, and the
research room where Mr. Hubbard made his
historic breakthroughs into the states of
Clear and OT, opening the Bridge to all
mankind.
And today, when a Scientologist wishes
to dedicate himself to the full
understanding of his religion at the
church which represents the very heart of
Scientology, he does so at a Saint Hill.
ADVANCED ORGANIZATIONS
That man is a spiritual being is the most
fundamental truth in Scientology and no
matter where a parishioner receives
Scientology services, his problems can be
handled by addressing the underlying
spiritual factors which hold those
difficulties in place. At the advanced
levels of Scientology, however, one begins
to explore the true nature of the
spiritual universe and to confront the
long-hidden lies which have led him to
drastically reduce his own potential as a
spiritual being. Church of Scientology
Advanced Organizations minister these OT
(Operating Thetan) levels, as they are
called, states of spiritual existence and
ability heretofore unknown to man.
At an Advanced Organization, the
individual recovers lost abilities and
gains new insights into the nature of his
own spirituality, his relationship to
others, the material universe and the
eighth dynamic. Thus it is not surprising
to find that an atmosphere of spiritual
discovery permeates these churches. Those
who come to an Advanced Organization have
studied long and hard to reach this point
on the Bridge and moving up the OT levels
is a significant step. It is here that
individuals fully recover true certainty
of their own spirituality and become
confident of their ability to play and win
the game of life, not only today but far
into the future.
Advanced Organization churches minister
to parishioners who move up the Bridge
from missions and Class V churches in
countries on every continent. Advanced
Organization churches are located in Los
Angeles, California; East Grinstead,
England; Copenhagen, Denmark and Sydney,
Australia. At these churches, one
progresses through the OT levels to the
completion of OT Section V.
In the Advanced Organization of Los
Angeles, Scientologists from throughout
the United States, Canada, Mexico and
South America participate in auditing and
training. Similarly, the Advanced
Organization in Sydney, Australia,
ministers to Scientologists from the
Southern Hemisphere and the Orient.
Parishioners from throughout Europe travel
to the Advanced Organization in Denmark,
where auditing and training are ministered
in every major language of the continent.
And Scientologists from the United Kingdom
go to the Advanced Organization at Saint
Hill in East Grinstead, Sussex, England.
Each OT level is a step on an exciting
journey to spiritual discovery. As one
parishioner described it, “Things which I
never understood about myself and others
were suddenly perfectly clear. My life was
different every day.”
Another parishioner described her
experience: “As I walked through the door
of the Advanced Organization, I knew I had
come to an extraordinary place. The bustle
and excitement and the familiar
Scientology friendliness were my first
impressions. I felt immediately at home
even though this church was many times the
size of the church in my community. I met
Scientologists from all walks of life—a
house painter, physician, architect,
actor, fireman—and we became good friends
during the weeks we were on the Advanced
Courses together. There is no way to
describe the exhilaration I felt as a
result of experiencing these spiritual
levels.”
To a Scientologist, arrival at an
Advanced Organization is a major landmark
in his spiritual journey across the
Bridge. At this juncture, he is fully
prepared for his most important steps yet
on the path which leads upward to true
spiritual freedom.
FLAG SERVICE ORGANIZATION
The Flag Service Organization ministers
all religious services available at other
churches of Scientology.
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The Flag Service Organization (FSO) is
a religious retreat which serves as the
spiritual headquarters for Scientologists
from all over the world. It is the hub of
the Scientology worldwide community, a
dynamic, multilingual organization and is
the largest single church of Scientology
in the world. The FSO not only ministers
the most advanced levels of training
available anywhere, but all of the OT
levels up to VII.
From the late 1960s through the
mid-1970s, the highest ecclesiastical
organizations were located at sea aboard a
flotilla of ships. The 350-foot vessel
Apollo served as Mr. Hubbard’s home.
Because of this, it was then the most
senior Scientology church, known as the
“flagship” of the flotilla and called
“Flag” for short.
At that time, special advanced auditing
and training services were ministered only
aboard Flag. However, as more and more
Scientologists wanted to participate in
these services, the lack of sufficient
space required a move to land. And, in
1975, the Flag Service Organization
established itself in Clearwater, Florida,
where it occupied the eleven-story Fort
Harrison Hotel. Since then, Flag has
continued to expand. Today it also
occupies the Sandcastle Hotel which
ministers advanced auditing, the Coachman
Building which at any given time serves as
a training center for thousands of
Scientologists and several other
supporting facilities. Due to Flag’s
growing international congregation, new
construction is always ongoing to provide
still more facilities for its
parishioners.
Today, nearly eight hundred staff
minister to parishioners who travel from
around the world to participate in
auditing and training at the FSO. Because
many stay for several weeks or even months
at a time before returning home, the FSO
also provides comfortable accommodations
for its parishioners so they can progress
up the Bridge free from the distractions
and turbulence of the day-to-day world.
“Flag saved my life, really,” said a
Scientologist who is a television and film
producer. “Flag is really the place to be.
It’s the best place in the world to get
auditing. It’s precise, and there’s
tremendous care in every action and
service. It’s simply the most theta place
in the world.”
Another Scientologist said, “I come to
Flag for spiritual rejuvenation. Just
being in the atmosphere is an incredible
experience in itself. Being with other
Scientologists from all over the world is
very exciting, and Flag definitely lives
up to its reputation as the friendliest
place in the world.”
The FSO ministers Dianetics and
Scientology services from the bottom of
the Bridge through to New OT VII, plus
certain specialized auditing services only
available there.
Included among Flag staff are the most
experienced and highly trained specialists
anywhere in the world.
The excitement an auditor feels is
often almost equal to that of the
parishioner to whom he is ministering.
“With each session, the person unfolds
spiritually,” said one auditor. “His
perceptions reach a level never previously
imagined. Aberration just falls away in
moments—and it falls away forever, leaving
him spiritually free of those restraints
for eternity.”
The FSO sets the technical standard in
Scientology and enjoys a reputation for
perfection. Flag thus serves an important
role in the Scientology religion by
training and interning ministerial staff
from all lower churches and missions.
Churches and missions from around the
world send their technical staff to be
trained to Flag standards.
Because it is the largest single church
for Scientology in the world, Flag is also
a worldwide focal point for the religion.
Hundreds of parishioners gather each week
in the church auditorium to acknowledge
those who have completed OT levels. They
also learn the latest news from other
churches around the world and receive
special briefings from the Church’s
international headquarters. Several times
a year Flag is host to globally telecast
major Scientology religious gatherings, at
which top Church executives present
current news, briefings and plans for the
future.
The FSO is also a hub of Scientology
within its own community, sponsoring many
different outreach activities to help
those in need. Artists and musicians at
Flag hold public exhibitions and concerts,
and local public are always invited.
The Flag Service Organization is the
mecca of the Scientology religion. Though
it concentrates on ministering the most
advanced spiritual levels of Scientology,
its services span the entirety of the
Bridge. Every Scientologist in the world
aspires to come to Flag. And sooner or
later, everyone does.
FLAG SHIP SERVICE ORGANIZATION
The Church of Scientology Flag Ship
Service Organization ministers the highest
levels of religious services, as well as
other select services to help one on his
route to OT.
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The Flag Ship Service Organization
(FSSO) is a unique church of Scientology
which is located aboard the Motor Vessel
Freewinds, a 440-foot ship based in the
Caribbean, with the home port of Curaçao.
The ship was acquired in the mid-1980s
shortly before the release of the highest
advanced auditing level currently
available, New OT VIII.
Needing a safe, aesthetic,
distraction-free environment appropriate
for ministration of this profoundly
spiritual level of auditing, this church
of Scientology returned to the sea, far
from the crossroads of the workaday world.
And while the Flag Service Organization
ministers the highest levels of training
and auditing from the bottom of the Bridge
up to New OT VII, the most advanced OT
level—OT VIII—is entrusted exclusively to
the FSSO.
To a Scientologist, coming to the
Freewinds for New OT VIII is the pinnacle
of a deeply spiritual journey. Years of
training and auditing have brought him to
this ultimate point. It is the most
significant spiritual accomplishment of
his lifetime and brings with it the full
realization of his immortality.
The Freewinds is a very special place.
It is the one place on this planet that a
Scientologist can go and be certain that
he will be able to devote all of his
attention to his religious practice and,
at the same time, share the company of
people who share his religious commitment
and outlook on life in general. A voyage
on the Freewinds is nowhere close to a
vacation. Rather, it is the perfect
religious retreat dedicated to enabling
one to devote his full attention to
spiritual growth.
One parishioner said, “Not only was I
in a part of the world I had never seen, I
was also there to embark on a spiritual
journey of immense importance. The
religious service I did there could only
be accomplished at sea—literally off the
crossroads of the world, where I and other
Scientologists in a completely
distraction-free environment could find
out about ourselves and realms of
spirituality that were quite beyond
anything I had ever dreamed of.”
“I’ve come to realize that my visit to
the Freewinds was the launching point for
my spiritual reawakening,” wrote another
parishioner after his first visit to the
FSSO. “I’ve found where I was destined to
be and know with certainty the group to
which I truly belong.”
Religious services ministered aboard
the Freewinds are not limited to
Scientologists who have reached OT VIII.
Rather, there are many specialized
services ministered involving training in
advanced spiritual concepts that would
give a tremendous boost in awareness to
any Scientologist, no matter where on the
Grade Chart he may be. These services are
based on several series of very popular
lectures that L. Ron Hubbard gave in the
1950s on the state of OT, such as The
Route to Infinity, The Dawn of Immortality
and The Creation of Human Ability.
Other religious programs conducted
aboard the Freewinds include religious
conventions and seminars for staff and
parishioners of churches of Scientology
from around the world as well as specially
arranged gatherings also for
Scientologists from a particular country
or community for a particular program of
religious services.
Each year the annual Maiden Voyage
event, commemorating the anniversary of
New OT VIII, has come to be one of the
most important gatherings of dedicated
Scientologists and an opportunity for
senior Church officials to meet and work
directly with these parishioners to
advance their religion. Scientologists who
attend this annual spiritual cruise become
“OT Ambassadors” and initiate programs to
help Scientologists all over the world
advance the aims of Scientology and to
reach the top of the Bridge at New OT
VIII.
The Freewinds is like no other place on
Earth. It truly marks the beginning of a
voyage to all eternity.
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