L. Ron Hubbard Birthday Celebration 2018 Photo Gallery

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More than 6,700 Scientologists from some 70 nations converged on Clearwater, Florida, to celebrate the exceptional life of L. Ron Hubbard and a game-changing announcement in his honor—the unveiling of a broadcast channel for the religion’s unrelenting dissemination. The evening began with the crowd’s uproarious greeting for Scientology ecclesiastical leader, David Miscavige. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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As the curtain rose, Mr. Miscavige placed the spotlight on the life and legacy of L. Ron Hubbard and a year of landmark accomplishments in his honor. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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“Yes, indeed, this Birthday Celebration is like nothing ever seen before… This greatest moment in our history, this night, this hour, this instant when I say: this is Scientology today. And presuming you grasp what we now possess in terms of technical excellence and the resources thereof, well, you can’t deny these are legendary times. Consequently, it’s only fitting we now return to where that legend began.”—David Miscavige, ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Next taking the stage was the LRH biographer, Dan Sherman, presenting what has become an annual tradition—an audiovisual expedition into the legendary life of the Scientology Founder. This year’s account took attendees upon a journey back six decades to the religion’s early years when Mr. Hubbard lived at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, England, and conducted advanced research into the mind and spirit. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The stories Mr. Sherman recounted told of peripheral players who nonetheless added important footnotes to the great Scientology epic—such as the craftsman who was integral to the genesis of the very symbol of Scientology. Or, another who, under Mr. Hubbard’s direction, executed plans that gave birth to the religious artifact, the E-Meter, that is now the fundamental tool of Scientology spiritual counseling. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Mr. Sherman wove on-camera interviews of those who knew Mr. Hubbard with fascinating details from Scientology’s first worldwide headquarters. Included therein was the story of a chauffeur who snapped a now iconic photograph of L. Ron Hubbard beside his Jaguar XK-150 S. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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In summary then, this was not only L. Ron Hubbard at the inception of an international Scientology movement, but the birth of the Scientology Bridge itself. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Mr. Miscavige next underscored the state of Scientology’s growth around the world, which, as he declared: “Now spans some 30,000 oceanic miles, from the North Sea, to the Tasman Sea, then back again to the Bay of Biscay.” That growth was further spotlighted by the inauguration of three stunning new Churches in Johannesburg North, South Africa; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Silicon Valley, California. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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NEW IDEAL CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY JOHANNESBURG NORTH The December grand opening of the Church of Scientology of Johannesburg North was unveiled during Saturday evening’s event. The new Church, a gem amidst the hills of Randburg, is the third such Ideal Church to open in South Africa’s Gauteng Province. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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NEW IDEAL CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY SALT LAKE CITY Likewise highlighted at this year’s LRH Birthday Celebration was the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of Salt Lake City. Located on the iconic South Temple Street against the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains, the Church shed a ribbon on February 17 before civic and religious leaders from the Utah capital and beyond. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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NEW IDEAL CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY SILICON VALLEY On February 18, just one day after the Salt Lake City Church shed a ribbon, more than 2,000 Scientologists and guests assembled to inaugurate a new Ideal Church of Scientology for Silicon Valley. Rising amid the sprawling campuses of such high-tech giants as Google, Microsoft, Intel and NASA, the new Church is perfectly situated to serve the world’s dot-com capital. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The night further featured L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday Game, the annual contest by Scientology Churches to gift the Founder with his single wish: expansion in the name of bettering humankind. This year’s game saw Missions, Churches, Advanced Organizations and Continental Liaison Offices competing for top honors across six continents and dozens of cities, from Copenhagen, Denmark to Bogotá, Colombia and Sydney, Australia. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The 2018 Mission League World Champion was the Ideal Mission of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In accepting the trophy, the Mission Executive Director acknowledged L. Ron Hubbard: “To LRH, you bested all odds to bring us the Tech, and asked only that we do our best to uplift our community and bring calm to our environment. Sir, we’ve taken your mission to heart, and we will continue until the job is done!” —EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BATON ROUGE IDEAL MISSION © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Opened just one year ago in March 2017, the new Ideal Church of Scientology San Fernando Valley claimed their league’s Birthday Game trophy: “Week by week, we began taking responsibility for all 260 square miles of our region. And most importantly, with Golden Age of Tech Phase II, we immediately started moving the entire field up The Bridge. The momentum has become unstoppable!” —EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAN FERNANDO VALLEY IDEAL ORG © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Despite intense competition, the Ideal Advanced Organization of Europe pulled off the victory in their league. In taking the podium, the Captain of the Advanced Org painted a picture of how they approach the game: “We play for a zone claiming an ethnic heritage spanning more than 12 million square miles, 11 time zones, and over 50 nations. To match that diversity, our Advanced Org crew is incredibly multi-lingual, with many staff speaking four and some as many as seven different languages. In this way, we service the cultures of some 600 million Europeans.” —CAPTAIN, IDEAL ADVANCED ORGANIZATION EUROPE © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The Continental Liaison Office (CLO) for Australasia has taken the CLO League winner’s cup for the last two years running: “With every passing day, we are entering frontier lands: In the South Pacific Islands, with Volunteer Minister tools; into Indonesia, with the miracles of Dianetics; and even Vietnam, where we are providing first-ever delivery of LRH Technology. Meanwhile, our Ideal Churches rose to new heights of production, with someone attesting to Clear every day.” —COMMANDING OFFICER, CONTINENTAL LIAISON OFFICE AUSTRALASIA © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Competition was neck-and-neck in every league of the Birthday Game as an unending stream of new Ideal Churches joined in the race, including 9 in the past year alone—from Miami, Florida, and Copenhagen, Denmark, to Birmingham, England, and California’s San Fernando Valley. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Three, two, one—With the start of the event’s climactic close, a barely contained hush fell across the hall as the lights went black to reveal a countdown to the epic announcement of the Scientology Network. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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Mr. Miscavige capped the night’s celebration by pulling back the curtain on the momentous arrival of Scientology TV—immediately broadcasting to a potential audience of tens of millions in the US alone. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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“What you are about to see was at least ten years in the making. And when we hit ‘play,’ we’re live all over the airwaves. And this is what the world will see,” said Mr. Miscavige, as he unveiled the all-original programming slated to air on the Scientology Network. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The launch of the new network on satellite TV and across every digital platform ignited a minutes-long thunderous ovation from all those in attendance. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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World-renowned jazz legend Chick Corea accented the birthday gala, leading a stirring tribute to L. Ron Hubbard and all the night represented as a monumental stride for the religion. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The celebration rolled on and on, extending across the Church’s historic Fort Harrison in downtown Clearwater—as well as its sister facilities, the Oak Cove and the Sandcastle. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The Fort Harrison remained overflowing with guests discussing the Birthday Celebration and the subsequent launch of the Scientology Network well into the night. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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The annual International Association of Scientologists Patrons Ball was held Sunday evening. The black-tie affair recognized those Scientologists helping galvanize the ever-growing humanitarian campaigns of the Church, by fueling their forward progress and thereby bringing help to millions around the world. © 2024 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.

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L. Ron Hubbard Birthday Celebration 2018 Photo Gallery

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