New Ideal Continental Headquarters Launches Key Next Phase for Scientologys European Expansion

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK October 25, 2014

If you happened to be in Copenhagen, Denmark the afternoon of October 25, you could have seen the future of Scientology in Europe unfold literally before your eyes.

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EAST GRINSTEAD, UNITED KINGDOM October 17, 2014

It all began in 1984, a time when Scientology could be found in just 39 nations on the planet. Thirty years later, members of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) hail from 130 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, fortifying the Churchs stature as the only world religion to emerge in the 20th century that's also thriving well into the 21st.

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CLEARWATER, FLORIDA June 29, 2014

More than 4,000 Scientologists gathered in downtown Clearwater, Florida, on Sunday, June 29, to mark the dedication of the landmark Coachman Building. The historic structure now stands transformed as the religious training and counseling center for more than 2,000 members comprising the ecclesiastical ministry of the Flag Land Base, the international spiritual headquarters of Scientology.

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Scientology Church & Religion - What is Scientology?

What is the purpose of my life?

Who am I? Why am I here? What happens when I die? Explore the purpose of life and discover God's plan for you through the restored teachings of Jesus Christ.

Sterling Wotherspoon loves motor mechanics, road cycling and ballroom dancing. He knows physical activity is only part of lifes equation. His priorities: being spiritually strong on the inside as well as physically strong on the outside.

"The nickname 'Mormon' sounds more like a label rather than who you are. But I believe in Christ and I try to follow Christ... I do what I do because I believe that's the right thing."

Jenna Kim Jones chases her stand-up comedy dreams in New York City while living true to her high standards.

No matter the distance we are from Him, we can receive direction from our loving Heavenly Father.

I want to:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official name of the religion commonly called the Mormon Church. We believe first and foremost that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God.

While our backgrounds and experiences are diverse, Mormons are united by a commitment to Jesus Christ. This site features members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sharing their stories and telling what their faith means to them.

Learn more about our faith

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Mormon.org | What is the Mormon Church and Religion?

Published March 24th, 2014 by Bobby Henderson

Team FSM has reached $2 Million in loans on the micro-lending site Kiva. Were now the top-lending religious congregation on Kiva, above the Buddhists, Catholics, Muslims, and especially pleasing to me above the Mormons, who weve been in a friendly competition with for years. Congratulations everyone!

What is Kiva? Kiva is a platform where you can make small loans to people in poor areas that need help starting small business. We make small, interest-free loans towards the projects we support, and Kiva combines them to fund the loan to the person who wants to build a small workshop, farm, restaurant, fruit stand, etc. These are interest-fee loans in places like Cambodia, Peru, Uganda places where traditional bank lending to the poor is unavailable (or predatory). Kiva ensures that the loans are paid out and that the money is paid back. A lot of us feel this is the best way of bringing economic growth to the poorest areas.

Ive had a good experience with Kiva and I encourage anyone interested to check it out. And please join our amazing team and help us continue to trounce the mainstream religion teams.

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Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Tampa donations build Cuba church

Cuba has allowed construction of the country's first new Catholic church in 55 years, the church said Monday. Experts said it's a sign of improving relations between the Vatican and Cuba's communist government. The church, funded by donations from Catholics in Tampa, will be built in Sandino, a citrus and coffee-growing town in the far-western province of Pinar del Rio. The church publication Christian Life said it will have space for 200 people. "The construction of a church is a clear demonstration of a new phase, of an improvement, in relations between the church and the state," said Enrique Lopez Oliva, a professor the history of religions at the University of Havana.

Cargo for space station on hold

A delivery mission to the International Space Station was called off Monday after a sailboat got too close. Orbital Sciences Corp. got to within the 10-minute mark for the launch of its unmanned Cygnus capsule from Wallops Island, Va. But a sailboat ended up in the restricted danger zone, and controllers halted the countdown. The company will try again this evening. The capsule holds 5,000 pounds of cargo for NASA.

Pistorious case will be appealed

South African state prosecutors said Monday that they planned to appeal the conviction and sentence handed down to track star Oscar Pistorius after a seven-month trial that ended last week in ferocious debate over the magnitude of his punishment. In a post on Twitter, Nathi Mncube, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority, said the organization "will be appealing both the conviction and sentence." Pistorius, 27, was sentenced to a five-year prison term for culpable homicide, equivalent to manslaughter, in the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, on Feb. 14, 2013. Under the terms of the sentence, he may be released into house arrest after 10 months.

Mammoth skeleton may be a rare one

A portion of a Columbian mammoth skull and tusks have been uncovered in southeastern Idaho, and experts say a rare entire skeleton might be buried there. Experts estimate the mammoth was about 16 years old and lived 70,000 to 120,000 years ago in what was a savanna-like country populated with large plant-eaters and predators.

Times wires

Tampa donations build Cuba church 10/27/14 [Last modified: Monday, October 27, 2014 9:17pm]

Excerpt from:
Tampa donations build Cuba church

HAVANA (AP) The Catholic Church says Cuba has allowed construction of the country's first new Catholic church in 55 years. Experts say it's a sign of improving relations between the Vatican and Cuba's communist government.

The church is being funded by donations from Catholics in Tampa, Florida, and will be built in the town of Sandino in the western province of Pinar del Rio.

The church publication "Christian Life" says it will have space for 200 people.

The Cuban Catholic Church had tense relations with the government for many years after the 1959 revolution, but relations have been slowly improving in recent years.

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI visited the island, the government recognized a Christmas holiday and began allowing masses or homilies to be broadcast on official media.

-----

Original headline: Cuba builds first new church in 55 years

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Cuba Builds First Church in 55 Years

Published October 27, 2014

HAVANA The Catholic Church says Cuba has allowed construction of the country's first new Catholic church in 55 years. Experts say it's a sign of improving relations between the Vatican and Cuba's communist government.

The church is being funded by donations from Catholics in Tampa, Florida, and will be built in the town of Sandino in the western province of Pinar del Rio.

The church publication "Christian Life" says it will have space for 200 people.

The Cuban Catholic Church had tense relations with the government for many years after the 1959 revolution, but relations have been slowly improving in recent years.

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI visited the island, the government recognized a Christmas holiday and began allowing masses or homilies to be broadcast on official media.

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Cuba builds first new church in 55 years, called part of improving relations with Vatican

HAVANA Cuba has approved construction of the country's first church in 55 years, Catholics said Monday.

The move is a sign of improving relations between the Vatican and Cuba's communist government, experts said.

Funded by donations from Catholics in Tampa, the church will be built in Sandino, a citrus and coffee-growing town in the far western province of Pinar del Rio.

The church publication Christian Life said it will have space for 200 people.

The construction of a church is a clear demonstration of a new phase, of an improvement, in relations between the church and the state, said Enrique Lopez Oliva, a professor of the history of religions at the University of Havana.

The Catholic Church has had tense relations with what was an officially atheist government since the 1959 revolution. They slowly began to improve with the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1998.

The government revived observance of a Christmas holiday and began allowing Masses or homilies to be broadcast on official media. It dropped a ban on church membership for Communist Party members.

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Cuba to build first church in 55 years

FLORAL CITY --

For a while, the future ofMount Carmel Methodist Church of Floral City was unclear. But, not anymore.

Church members were allowed back in the church on Sunday after a few years of repairs were finally finished.

"It's awesome to see when people come together what can happen," Pastor Florence Dunham said.

The sound of music poured out the front door once again and Sunday service was a little sweeter because the church members were welcomed back home.

The church was founded in 1902 and the most recent building was in bad shape. The church turned to the community for donations to rebuild and that's exactly what happened.

"Here we are with a done project," Dunham said.

The roof and all the wiring was replaced, new plumbing was added along with heat and air. The church was basically gutted and rebuilt after receiving $50,000 in donations for the project.

A very big thank you is going out to all the people that helped. One of those people is Tim Adams, who helped organize some of the construction.

"The folks here had done all they could to maintain it but it was just at a place that it was no longer safe and was no longer a good place for them to meet," he said.

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Church members in Floral City rejoice over new renovations

A smile flashes across The Rev. Uzooma Erondus face when he talks about his Bowie church, Maranatha Adventist Fellowship, growing and changing, but some of Erondus neighbors are not as happy about church expansion they say is too large for their residential community.

Maranatha has been holding services in an approximate 5,000 square foot building off MD Route 564 for about six years, Erondu said, and is currently seeking permits for a replacement building of nearly 29,000 square feet.

Some residents say parking and traffic are already an issue in the neighborhoods near the church and that a larger building with more parishioners would exacerbate the problem, posing a safety risk to pedestrians.

Robert Koelsch of Bowie, who lives near the church, said church members will be forced to park along the road if the parking lot fills.

Theyve asked for a 116-car parking area, and if youve ever gone by there on Saturdays, theyre close to 116 cars right now, said I think before long theyre going to expand beyond the limit of what theyre asking for. Its a concern to us for the safety of everybody around there.

A group of about around 10 residents protested the church expansion at a community meeting on Oct. 14 and a Bowie City Council meeting on Oct. 20, citing concerns such as traffic, pedestrian safety and environmental impact.

While the Bowie city government does not have zoning authority, council members are drafting a set of recommendations for the Prince Georges County planning department they hope will help address resident concerns.

Some of the recommendations include the request of a construction design so the community can better understand the churchs plans, as well as a recommendation that the Maryland State Highway Administration evaluate possible upgrades to state-owned Route 564.

It seems to me, that at a minimum, they should expand the road in front of [the church] to accommodate a dedicated left turn from Route 197 into their property that is protected and a dedicated right turn lane coming from traffic, said councilman Dennis Brady (At-Large). So that any traffic coming into their property would not have an impact on the through traffic on 564.

Bowie council members also recommended the church designate a safety officer to direct traffic before and after services, which Erondu said was a reasonable request.

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Bowie church

The construction of a cell tower at Sligo Baptist Church is on hold after AT&T withdrew its application Wednesday from the Montgomery County Board of Appeals.

AT&T filed an incomplete application to the board in August for a special exception to construct a 101-foot monopole at Sligo Baptist Church at 1610 Dennis Ave. The application did not include a forest conservation plan or a waiver that is required under Montgomery Countys zoning ordinance.

In a letter to the board dated Oct. 15, Gregory Rapisarda, AT&Ts attorney, explained the reasons for the withdrawal. He wrote that the countys code and special exception application procedure will change at the end of October, before AT&T will be able to finalize the environmental requirements. That would necessitate substantial modifications of the package, he wrote.

AT&T withdrew the application. The company expects to finalize the requirements or deliverables in the next month or so, according to the letter.

Several residents who live near the church have expressed concern over the construction of a cell tower in a residential neighborhood. The Forest Estates Community, made up of seven communities, has continued to gather support from environmental groups and petitioned local leaders.

The community association believes AT&T should consider another location because a tower could harm the forest, wildlife, [and] storm water ponds, and pose potential health risks. Residents voiced their concerns on Oct. 7 at a community meeting with Rapisarda.

John Placanica, a resident and member of the Forest Estates Community Association, said opponents are guardedly optimistic about the withdrawal.

Dan Langan of AT&T public affairs wrote in a statement that consumers in the area want and need enhanced mobile phone and mobile broadband coverage. AT&T is always interested in working with the local community on proposed sites, he said.

After the last community meeting, we wanted to take some additional time to enhance the application to address some of the feedback we received, Langan wrote in a statement. We intend to re-apply in the near future, and we look forward to working with local leaders on this proposal.

rcamargo@gazette.net

Link:
AT&T withdraws cell tower application, for now -- Gazette.Net