Making A Difference

Volunteer Ministers Help in Southern California

2007-11-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

In October 2007, when wild fires were ablazed in Southern California, the Scientology churches of Southern California had their Scientology Volunteer Ministers out in force to provide any assistance needed to help battle the fires and help the evacuated or homeless left in the wake of this great disaster. In additional, Scientologists from Northern California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida and British Columbia joined the hundreds of Southern Californians who manned shelters, delivered supplies, helped organize the relief effort and provided service to fire fighters who were bringing the fires under control. More Details >

The Continuing Commitment of Help In India

2007-07-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

Over the past two and a half years a dedicated team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers have been working with local residents to help their community with Scientology techniques developed by the founder of Scientology and Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard. This effort started back in December 2004, when the Volunteer Ministers went in to help the victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami that destroyed the entire area in the Southern India state of Tamil Nadu. Since that time the Scientology Volunteer Ministers have trained over 55,000 people in Scientology assist technology and delivered over 4000 Dianetics sessions to not only help people spiritually recover from the negative effects of that disaster but also improve the quality of their lives in many ways. This continued commitment to the serve the community and their fellow man has now earned the Scientology Volunteer Ministers an official acknowledgement of their work from a local governmental leader. Read more.

Providing Help When It Matters Most

2007-05-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here is what Louisiana State Senator, Nick Gautreaux said on October 18, 2005 about the relief efforts provided by our Scientology Volunteer Ministers during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of that same year:

"Our state of Louisiana has been dealt heavy blows by both the Katrina and Rita hurricanes. What I saw the Volunteer Ministers accomplish was tremendous. The shelters were well-organized, upbeat, no discipline problems. People were cared for physically, mentally and spiritually.
"The Scientology Ministers were right there on day one of Rita. And once again they rose to the occasion, handling every need 24/7 with compassion and certainty.
"All of us in Vermillion Parish now know that when a 'Yellow Shirt' arrives here to help we can count on them to bring control and understanding to a situation. And we now all know that no matter what happens SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT!"

Says It All:

2007-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

The following is what Joseph J. Esposito, Chief of Department, New York City Police Department, had to say about the Scientology Volunteer Ministers on December 14, 2001:

"I want to express to you my appreciation for all that your Church has done in these difficult times, and would ask that you pass my thanks to your Volunteer Ministers.
"As one who saw firsthand what was needed at the World Trade Center site in the days and weeks immediately after September 11th, I want to thank you, the Church of Scientology, and the Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology, many of whom came long distances to help us.
"The Volunteer Ministers worked with great energy and great compassion at Ground Zero, helping to ease the physical burdens, and mental strains of the rescue workers. From the earliest days of this tragedy, until the time when volunteers were no longer needed at the site, the people of your Church were there in force.
"The organization, the caring, and the dedication of your Volunteer Ministers were exceptional, very much appreciated, and will long be remembered by those who received their help. I cannot thank the Volunteers enough."

That about says it all. Here are more details about how you can become a Volunteer Minister>>>

Delivering Christmas Gifts to Needy Children

2007-01-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

One of the projects that our Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Los Angeles worked on this last Christmas season was to help collect toys for the L.A. Police Department's Christmas Toy Drive. The picture on the right shows an officer of the San Fernando Valley Police Department thanking Jake Welch, for his contributions to helping with their successful toy drive. Jake, who is eighteen-year-old, has been a Scientology Volunteer Minister for the two years now and recently formed the Valley Volunteer Ministers Youth Corps in the L.A. area. This just goes to show that where there is a Scientology Volunteer Minister, you'll find help being delivered to someone who needs it most. More details>>>

Disaster Relief Team Forming for the Philippines

2006-12-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

On November 30, 2006, the coast of the Philippines was hit by Typhoon Durian resulting in as many as 1,000 individuals presumed dead in it's aftermath. The Scientology International Volunteer Ministers Coordinator has put out an immediate call for volunteers and donations to help with the disaster relief effort. This disaster has set off landslides and floods which are responsible for most of the deaths and destruction. The country’s president has declared a state of national calamity. The rescue operations have been hampered by bad weather conditions and in many cases emergency response personnel have been unable to use motor vehicles to reach victims in the outlying areas and are instead having to reach them by foot with the supplies and assistance they desperately need.

For more information about how you can help, read the full story and do whatever you can to help.

The Largest Independent Relief Force on Earth

2006-11-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

Did you know that that the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Program has become so successful as a global independent relief activity that it is now considered the largest such activity on the planet? Here's how they put it on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers website: "We In the last five years Scientology Volunteer Ministers have emerged as the largest independent relief force on Earth. Over 87,000 strong and spanning every continent, they work directly with community leaders, officials, police, fire and other support personnel and citizens to bring order and real help. " Check it out for more details >>>

Helping In Any Way Possible

2006-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Recently a fire broke out in a city dump in Gaborone, Botswana, and our Scientology Volunteer Ministers in the area helped local fire fighters to put out the fire. What was interesting is that when the fire fighters arrived they found they had no water with which to put out the fire. It was only through the efforts of our Scientology Volunteer Ministers quickly informing the local water authorities about the problem and getting it solved quickly so that the fire fighters had water pressure that disaster was averted and situation was brought under control. Here's the full story.

The Scientology Volunteer Mininster Web Site Has A New Look!

2006-10-31T16:24:00.000-08:00

Wow! The Scientology Volunteer Minister web site has a brand new look and feel, and boy, I love it! And it is not just the look of the web site that is new and different, but some of the new content on the web site is great also. Like the statistics of the facts that Scientology Volunteer Ministers are now "87,000 members strong" and that there were "over 1.6 million people personally helped last year". I knew that were doing a lot to help, but I had no idea that our effect on society was so massive. Check it out >>>

After the Immediate Disaster

2006-10-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

I just read this an article about how the Scientology Volunteer Minister Disaster Relief Team in Indonesia is working to bring relief to disaster victim long after the immediate physical danger has been handled. This article is definitely worth checking out.

Restoring Hope in Indonesia

2006-10-14T01:25:00.000-07:00

I just read about how our Scientology Volunteer Ministers are making wonderful progress in Indonesia, restoring hope and bring relief from trauma to the people in that part of the globe. Here are the details >

Asian Goodwill Tour Provides Communications Seminar

2006-10-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers of the Asian Goodwill Tour provided training in communication technology to officers of the Kin Men Police Bureau. Of course, the idea was to provide key information of L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology communication technology to these officers so they could use these valuable tools to better serve the people of the region.

Here is another example of how Scientology Volunteer Ministers are doing everything they can to help bring peace and order in the world.

Here more on this story.

Volunteer Minister Training

2006-09-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

With all the news about Scientology Volunteer Ministers helping out with disaster relief around the world with the Scientology Assist techniques, it may not be realized that the training of a Scientology Volunteer Minister covers so much more. Besides the Assist Technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard to help relieve human suffering and trauma, there is also many other skills which a trained Volunteer Minister knows. These other skills include the following:
~ The ability of effectively communicate with others so that the communication is really received and understood.
~ The ability to effectively study any subject and really understand the material.
~ The ability to help family and friends improve their marriage.
~ The ability to help others improve any unwanted condition in their lives.
~ The ability to help any business become more successful the field of public relations.

~ The ability to locate the source of conflicts between two people and help resolve them.

The above are just of few of the many skills that a fully trained Scientology Volunteer Ministers has under his belt. The above list is only a small fraction of an entire list. The point is that when you have the opportunity to get some assistance from a Volunteer Minister, keep in mind that this individual who is helping you can do a lot more than give you "touch assist". That Scientology Volunteer Minister can do so much more - and probably will if he or she knows that you need help with a particular life problem. More >

Trans-Siberian Goodwill Tour

2006-09-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

This is great. Our Scientology Volunteer Ministers are currently doing a goodwill tour along the entire lenght of the Trans-Siberian Railway over the next coming months, providing training and seminars to those who want to help their fellow man. And boy, they are getting quite a response! This tour is one of seven Scientology Volunteer Minister Tours currently being conducted in different parts of the world and was recently about 800 miles to the south east of Moscow. Suddenly a huge yellow tent appeared in the middle of the city of Perm with the message being brought home, loud and clear, that "Something CAN be done about it." Details>

Doing Something About War

2006-08-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

In the face of a war with no apparent resolution, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers from Tel Aviv, have truly been doing something about it. The something is to promote peace and understanding in the Middle East. For a month now they have been distributing hundreds of thousands of copies of booklets and pamphlets in the Hebrew and Arabic languages on the subject of human rights and the common-sense, non-religious moral code within the "The Way to Happiness" booklet.

So instead of bombs and guns, here our Volunteer Ministers have been working to restore calm within the violence and destruction of the Israeli-Lebanese conflict by increasing "understanding" among individuals on how they can live in peace. Truly, ideas are mightier than the sword. More >

Asian V.M. Goodwill Tour Grand Opening

2006-08-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

Our Scientology Volunteer Ministers are starting their tour of the Oriental cultures through the countries of Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
As was successful with the Goodwill Tours in Southern Africa, Brazil, Russia, India and the South Pacific, the Volunteer Ministers will survey local government and religious leaders at each location, and find out what is needed to best help these communities. And with the highly workable technologies of Dianetics and Scientology contained in the Scientology Handbook by L. Ron Hubbard, our Scientology Volunteer Ministers are going to the far corners of the earth to help those who really need help. Something CAN be Done About It.

Volunteer Ministers Deliver Disaster Response Training

2006-07-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

This week the Civil Defense Agency of Calcutta has implemented Scientology disaster response training for 20 of their personnel which is being provided by the Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour. Once through through their training, these 20 staff will implement disaster response training on a broad scale with other agency personnel. This is great because using the Scientology Handbook, a textbook based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard, this training gives emergency response personnel practical tools to help them to establish communication with disaster victims and so they can help people overcome trauma and bring calm to an area and quell any potential of violence. In addition to their work with the Calcutta Civil Defense Agency, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour is training 200 key personnel of the Rotary Club of West Bengal in these disaster response tools.

Volunteer Minister's Track Record

2006-07-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was reading this great article in Freedom Magazine about the Scientology Volunteer Ministers and found within the article there was a list that summaries of all the recent events and places where VMs have helped using Dianetics and Scientology assists and techniques. Below is that list quoted from that article. The list is very impressive.

• Earthquake in San Francisco, 1989• Riots in Los Angeles, 1992• Northridge Earthquake, Los Angeles, 1994• Floods in Italy, 1994• Earthquake in Kobe, Japan, 1995• Gas explosion, Korea, 1995 • Bombing in Oklahoma City, 1995 • Earthquake in Jakarta, 1995• Floods in Venezuela, 1997 • War in Chechnya, 1997 • Hurricane in Nicaragua, 1998 • Earthquake in Turkey, 1999• Tornadoes in Oklahoma, 1999• World Trade Center terrorist attack in New York, 2001 • Terrorist attack in Washington, D.C., 2001 • Earthquake in Ahmadabad, India, 2001 • Bush fires in Australia, 2001 • Floods in central Europe, 2002 • Theater siege in Moscow, 2002 • Earthquake and school collapse in Italy, 2002• Floods in Santa Fe, Argentina, 2003 • Civil unrest in Venezuela, 2003 • Wildfires in Southern California, 2003• Terrorist bombings in Madrid, 2004• Hurricanes in Florida, 2004• Tsunami in southern Asia, 2004—2005• Terrorist bombings in London, 2005• Hurricanes and civil unrest in Gulf states, 2005

The Way To Happiness in India

2006-07-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was just reading on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers website about a program wherein our Volunteer Ministers are educating children in Calcutta, India in the principles within The Way to Happiness booket. The idea is "to do something about" the high crime, sexual trafficking and drug problems that exist in that area. I think it is a great idea. More >

The VM Materials Are Not Just For The Classroom

2006-07-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

I was reading this great article on the online Freedom Magazine entitled "A Legacy of Help in South Asia", about two sisters, who are Scientology Volunteer Ministers and their incredible acts of selfless help in Sri Lanka. I was reading this great article and in looking at one of the photographs within this article, (which is the same as is posted here to the left), I realized the "Scientology Handbook" that the young Volunteer Minister was holding up in the photograph is the same book studied by thousands of Scientology Volunteer Ministers throughout the world, including myself. I also noticed that in the photograph this book is not shown in a classroom or library somewhere, but is outdoors, in the Volunteer Ministers hands, being used directly by the Volunteer Ministers to help people on the scene, where it is needed most, in the field.

It occurred to me that thanks to our Scientology Volunteer Ministers, there must be a lot of these "Scientology Handbooks" out there in the field, getting opened, getting applied, getting dirty and helping a heck of lot of people...where it is needed most.

Two Hundred Trained In Dianetics!

2006-07-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

After a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in May left 20,000 people injured and approximately 3 million homeless, the Scientology Disaster Relief Team returned to Yogyakarta, Indonesia and delivered Dianetics seminars to more than 200 people, so they could help deliver the relief the victims needed. These seminars were delivered in hospitals, villages and at universities, including the University of Sanata Dharma. The full story of what happened is incredible.

When the need for disaster assistance is absolutely "huge", the Scientology Disaster Relief Team just meets the need head on with a response of a magnitude designed to effectively "do something about it."

What L.R.H. Said About Volunteer Ministers

2006-07-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

I found a great reference tonight on the Austin Area Interfaith Ministeries website that I had never seen before, which quoted what L. Ron Hubbard said about the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Program. I thought this was extremely interesting because besides being the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology, Mr. Hubbard was the actual originator of the Volunteer Ministers Program, so at least to me, what he had to say about this subject holds a great deal of weight. He said:

"A Volunteer Minister in Scientology is defined as a person who on a strictly voluntary basis helps out his fellow man by providing simple, basic counseling to people he meets to assist them in overcoming difficulties they may be having in life. A Volunteer Minister understands that something needs to be done about the world and . . . he wants to do what he can to help those around him."

And it is totally amazing that Mr. Hubbard had seen a need for and developed the whole concept of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Program 25 years ago, long before the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York, when it "appeared" the Volunteer Ministers started helping out in the world. In actual fact, thanks to Mr. Hubbard's foresight, Scientology Volunteer Ministers Program had already been helping out in the community for a many years prior to this .

Anyone Can Become A Volunteer Minister

2006-06-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

It may not be commonly realized that anyone can become a Scientology Volunteer Minister and assist others in their time of need. One simply needs to have a true willingness to help and a desire to learn the various techniques that were developed by L. Ron Hubbard to help individuals get through time of personal difficulty. The information about how to become a Scientology Volunteer Minister is contained within the "Frequently Asked Questions" page of the official Volunteer Minister website. Probably all of this is best stated within that page where it asks the question: "What kind of person becomes a Scientology Volunteer Minister?"
Answer: "Anyone who wants to help people can become a Scientology Volunteer Minister. Someone who does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence and who knows that the world needs a hand is the kind of person who becomes a Scientology Volunteer Minister."

Volunteer Ministers Train Nurses at Calcutta Hospitals

2006-06-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Scientology Volunteer Ministers who are currently doing a Goodwill Tour in India have has completed delivering a training program to the nursing staff in two major Calcutta hospitals. This all occurred over six weeks in February and March of 2006, when the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour held training seminars for nine nursing teachers, so that they were fully educated and trained to administer the Scientology Assists which were developed by L. Ron Hubbard to alleviate suffering and help individuals better heal from injuries and illnesses. These wonderful assists are described in the Scientology Handbook. Upon completion of the Assists Seminar training, there was a graduation ceremony for the nurses where the hospital staff also presented the Scientology Volunteer Ministers with a plaque, which states: "In appreciation of his gift to humanity we acknowledge L. Ron Hubbard for the Scientology Assist technology, now in widespread use by our staff throughout our hospitals, which is alleviating suffering. We thank you. We consider you as a true friend."

Disaster Relief in Java, Indonesia

2006-06-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Our Scientology Volunteer Ministers have arrived in Java, Indonesia to help in the aftermath of recent earthquake there, which left over 5,000 people dead and over 20,000 injured. A major problem in providing essential relief services to the survivors has been the rainy weather, which has also forced many of the survivors to seek shelter in structures which may still be unsafe. Scientology Volunteer Ministers teams from Medan, Indonesia and from the Church of Scientology of Perth have now arrived to provide vital assistance. Additional Scientology Volunteer Minister relief teams are also being organized to arrive from the Church of Scientology of Sydney, Churches of Scientology in Milano, Tokyo, United Kingdom and the USA. Once again the troops of hope in the yellow shirts are stepping up to help their fellow man - without question - just because "something can be done about it."