North America’s Largest Church of Scientology Premieres in the San Fernando Valley

Massive new Scientology Church sheds her ribbon to launch an epic season of expansion for the religion.

Head north over the rise from Hollywood, cross Mulholland Drive, and behold a Valley dotted with swimming pools, lemon trees and stretching for all the eye to see. At 260 square miles, the San Fernando Valley is home to 1.8 million residents, the world’s most prominent movie studios and backdrops featured in American cinema from Casablanca to ET. It’s a paradox typical of society today: right next door, yet somehow still a world away.

But amidst all of that, a new light glows across the region’s forty-four cities and communities—from Burbank and Glendale to Hidden Hills and Calabasas to San Fernando and Universal City—the new Church of Scientology Valley serves all corners of the basin.

“Today, we dedicate a Church of Scientology for this Valley of Dreams,” said David Miscavige, ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion. “As the San Fernando Valley is diverse, so too, is our help. And so, we welcome those from her myriad cultures, ethnicities and of any economic standing. In that respect, this Church perfectly reflects the Creed of Scientology, ‘That all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights. …And that the souls of men have the rights of men.’”

The Valley Church is a most expansive addition to Scientology’s expanding universe of Ideal Churches, now numbering 19 in the Western United States alone and 57 internationally. “Ideal” is the standard set by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard so that every Church could be a perfect expression of the religion’s principles and practices.

So it was, on Sunday, March 19 at 1p.m., 5,000 Scientologists gathered to witness the largest Ideal Church of Scientology in North America come to life. It was a ceremony befitting the size, scope and substance of the Valley’s new home itself, from a medley of classic film scores evoking the golden days of cinema, to the “V for Valley” anthem written and arranged especially for the occasion. The thousands in attendance rose to their feet in jubilant celebration and applauded each impassioned dignitary praising the Church’s greater social impact.

For the Valley congregation, that impact extends from helping a migrant child bridge the gap in her schooling with Study Technology, to helping tens of thousands of local youth take a pledge to be drug-free. And so, this grand opening now gives the Valley’s humanitarian outreach a permanent platform.

The new Church stands adjacent to North Hollywood’s bustling junction where Burbank and Lankershim Boulevards intersect with Tujunga Avenue and some 60,000 cars pass by every day. The facility spans 95,000 square-feet upon four acres, just blocks from the NoHo Arts District and is poised to engage community change makers across the region.

Bringing that commitment to light were representatives of the San Fernando Valley on hand to welcome the Church: Deputy Chief Robert Green of the Los Angeles Police Department, Valley Bureau; Deputy Chief, Trevor Richmond of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Valley Bureau; Ms. Nellie Barrientos, Los Angeles Education Program Director; and Bishop Franklin Harris, Executive Member of the Los Angeles County Clergy Council.

Read the full article on the Scientology Newsroom.