365 Days of Expansion: Scientology Celebrates a Year of Explosive Growth, Ringing in an Unstoppable 2025

Thousands fill the Shrine Auditorium to celebrate a year defined by extraordinary milestones and record-shattering achievements, paving the way to a golden future for Scientology.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Glitz. Glamour. Expansion!

It's everything a New Year's spectacle in downtown Los Angeles should be—a dazzling fusion of elegance, energy and expectation. The formal attire. The iconic venue. The buzz of excitement. All of it setting the stage for an unforgettable evening as more than 6,500 attendees streamed into the Shrine Auditorium.

The event opened with a star-studded concert that brought the audience to their feet. The anticipation surged as plumes of sparkling lights framed the stage and a giant 2025 descended from the rafters.

Mr. Miscavige sets the stage for an unforgettable evening showcasing the Church's remarkable accomplishments and unprecedented growth throughout 2024.

And then, with a roar that reverberated throughout the auditorium, Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, crossed the 200-foot stage to welcome all to this New Year's Celebration.

"However else the world out there regards the last 12 months, whether in terms of: tumultuous times, trying times, running out of time, overdue time, a roller coaster of a time, a hell of a time or just about time—well, we do it differently," said Mr. Miscavige, "because we know time is always on our side."

Over the next two and a half hours, he would illustrate the many ways Scientology had been bending time to propel groundbreaking expansion. As Mr. Miscavige said, "We packed infinity into 12 calendar months."

PUSHING BOUNDARIES IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM

Thunderous applause erupted and the crowd was on their feet as Mr. Miscavige launched into a globe-spanning tour of jaw-dropping Scientology accomplishments with a series of stunning visual presentations.

At the forefront was Scientology Network, broadcasting 24/7 across all 24 time zones. In the past 12 months, its audience has soared to unprecedented heights as another viewer tuned in every 300 milliseconds.

The network kicked off its stellar year with the premiere of the epic documentary Operation: Do Something About It, chronicling the Church's answer to the global call for help. The film earned a Platinum Viddy Award for documentary excellence, adding to a total of 150 industry awards the network has received in categories ranging from human values and social responsibility to entertainment and culture.

The mass appeal of the network sparked a surge of curiosity in Scientology, inspiring individuals to complete online courses at a rate of one every 90 seconds. The ripple effect continued with newcomers stepping into Scientology Churches and Missions worldwide every 60 seconds.

IDEAL ORGS FOR A NEW GOLDEN AGE

The global footprint of Scientology expanded in 2024 by 300,000 square feet, with new Ideal Churches of Scientology opening in three nations, each Church a testament to an unrelenting drive for spiritual freedom:

• The February dedication in Austin, Texas, where a jubilant crowd gathered along The Drag, the city's famed social corridor, to witness the opening of a new Church of Scientology directly across from the University of Texas.
  
  
• The March Grand Opening in Mexico City, where thousands cheered as the ribbon fell on a stunning 12-story Church in the city's vibrant Colonia del Valle neighborhood.
  
  
• Just two days later in Chicago, Illinois, where the Windy City welcomed its new jewel on historic Printer's Row with the dedication of a gloriously restored seven-story landmark.
  
  
• And in early April, where an international crowd of thousands in Paris, France, gathered to behold the 95,000-square-foot Ideal Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre Grand Paris. Overlooking France's busiest motorway and steps from the Stade de France, this luminous architectural masterpiece now stands as a towering symbol of Freedom in the Cultural Capital of Earth.

BRINGING TECHNOLOGY TO LIFE WORLDWIDE

Mr. Miscavige next presented individual examples of L. Ron Hubbard's Technology in application, showcasing a global panorama of social betterment, group prosperity and spiritual advancement.

Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE), tackling society's most urgent challenges—drug abuse, illiteracy, immorality and crime—through its programs:

• In South Africa, skyrocketing drug usage ranks it among the top 10 nations worldwide for narcotics and alcohol abuse, with no reliable addiction treatments. But rising to meet this crisis is a majestic new Ideal Narconon Africa, set on a 210-hectare (520-acre) estate in the shadow of the Magaliesberg Mountains. It occupies a former game reserve and still supports some 200 wildlife. A model for breaking the cycle of addiction, this new Narconon sets the gold standard for all others. Helmed by a team of 29 administrative and technical specialists, it not only delivers lifesaving treatment, but also serves as a training center for the establishment of future Narconon facilities across the continent. This facility has already been hailed by South African dignitaries for transforming lives.
  
  
• In Miami, Florida, the historic Liberty City neighborhood had been torn apart by gun violence, its homicide rate escalated to nine times the national average. But when a Baptist minister and President of Miami's Circle of Brotherhood community coalition was introduced to The Way to Happiness, this nonreligious moral code became central to their mission to empower individuals and create change. The Circle integrated the booklet's 21 precepts into their many community initiatives, targeting the city's hot zones, defusing tensions and sparking transformation. Their work led to a partnership with the Miami-Dade Police Department on a first-of-its-kind cadet training program. Future officers gain an invaluable street perspective from Circle members and are equipped with the 21 precepts to better protect and serve the community. In the course of the Circle's work, Miami registered a dramatic 26 percent drop in violent crime, with the Mayor proclaiming the lowest homicide rate in its recorded history. And now, The Way to Happiness is mandatory training for every Miami-Dade police officer.
  
  
• In the Czech Republic, career advancement opportunities increasingly demand proficiency in English, yet only 7 percent of Czechs ever achieve fluency. To meet the challenge, an Applied Scholastics educator employed L. Ron Hubbard's Study Technology in a nationwide network of English as a Second Language schools called LITE (Life Improvement Through Education) centers. Students at LITE master English in just 14 months—five times faster than the national average—culminating in an astounding 90 percent job placement rate. To date, LITE has empowered over 50,000 Czechs to achieve English fluency and change their futures, while also earning the country's Superbrands Award—as the "best of the best" English language schools—for eight consecutive years.

World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE), disseminating L. Ron Hubbard's Administrative Technology (Admin Tech) for group survival and prosperity:

• From Rwanda came the account of a nation emerging as an African leader in technology and innovation, yet hampered by a critical shortage of trained personnel, leaving its telecom industry dominated by multinationals. But it's also where a WISE member, trained at Hubbard College of Administration International, implemented LRH Admin Tech to expand his telecommunications engineering company. Staffed with a fully trained, all-Rwandan workforce, the company constructs cell towers at double the industry speed and half the cost. They built a grid of towers in every province nationwide—expanding from 20 towers a year before joining WISE to more than 140 in the last year alone. As a result, they stand today as the fastest-growing telecommunications company in Rwanda.
  
  
• In Argentina's centrally located San Luis province, weak supply chains stifled economic progress. But a logistics visionary and WISE member wielded LRH Admin Tech to forge a transformative steel distribution network, powering industry across the region. His company has provided the framework for projects ranging from the largest hospital in San Luis to one of the nation's most distinctive soccer stadiums. As the area's number one steel distributor, he has worked to reshape the construction industry, creating a trailblazing commercial activity zone—a 20-acre one-stop hub where builders, designers and consumers bring their visions to life. In full, his company expanded 35 times over, supplying 1.3 million projects, and so driving an eightfold economic boom throughout the province.
  
  
• And lastly, from Taiwan, a Hubbard College of Administration (HCA) in Taichung has graduated more than 10,000 professionals. The HCA empowers business owners and corporate executives to flourish with LRH Admin Technology tools, applying these principles across an array of industries—from top organic herb and tea producers to innovative 3D printing firms and international award-winning seasoning and spice brands. In total, HCA Taichung has rewritten the destiny of more than 1,000 enterprises, transforming what has been a one percent survival rate for Taiwanese startups into an astonishing 100 percent success rate for HCA graduates. Out of 1.5 million companies in Taiwan, HCA Taichung is now ranked among the top 100.

International Hubbard Ecclesiastical League of Pastors (I HELP) and Scientology Missions International (SMI) provide Scientology Introductory Services for spiritual advancement in communities all over the world:

• In Nepal, the birthplace of Gautama Siddhartha and Buddhism, decades of civil war and natural disasters left one in four citizens suffering from mental trauma and anxiety. In response, an I HELP pioneer and Scout leader brought Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health across Nepalese society. He created a movement that has spread Dianetics from local scouting programs to hospitals, colleges and law enforcement. His pioneering efforts have impacted more than 20 institutions and civic organizations and empowered more than 5,000 individuals with Dianetics one on one. Ready to scale new heights of delivery, he's planted a flag at "the roof of the world," establishing a permanent Dianetics Center in Kathmandu.
  
  
• In Eastern Europe's republic of Moldova, her cultural heritage is threatened by social decline. In response, a dedicated Scientologist and Mission Executive Director launches campaigns to tackle the country's greatest problems: The Way to Happiness to address criminality, an Applied Scholastics center to reverse failing education and Drug-Free World partnerships with police to deliver drug education to the nation's youth. To make the subjects of Dianetics and Scientology available to all Moldovans, the Mission places Scientology Basics Books in over 1,100 libraries—that's 91 percent of all libraries nationwide. Overall, the Mission has reached more than half a million Moldovans—nearly 20 percent of the population—igniting a cultural resurgence.
  
  
• Finally, a global tour of ribbon-cutting ceremonies marked a record-breaking year of new Ideal Missions arising and expanding around the world: in Italy's alpine foothills of Bergamo; in Quito, Ecuador, at the geographic center of the world; in the classic "Anytown, USA" city of McMinnville, Oregon; back-to-back openings in Taiwan's cultural crossroads of Chiayi and bustling metropolis of Taichung; in the metro São Paulo suburb of Santo André; and another still in Japan's thriving port city of Osaka.

A GOLDEN AGE IN ACTION ACROSS THE GLOBE

Adding an exclamation point to the review of 2024 achievements, Mr. Miscavige illustrated how the launch of the Golden Age of Administration marked a watershed moment in Scientology history. He took the audience on a journey across the globe—with stops in Melbourne, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Edinburgh, Orlando, Miami, Tampa, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin and Mexico City—highlighting accomplishment after accomplishment. This new breed of executives, the most highly trained in history, has fueled 5, 10, 20, even 25 times the growth in their Orgs. It was a presentation that underscored what this New Year's Celebration is all about—expansion in the name of total spiritual freedom.

HONORING THOSE WHO UPLIFT OTHERS

"That brings us to the last, crucial component of every Ideal Org, and what traditionally caps every New Year's Celebration. Namely, our annual salute to a worldwide league of Power Field Staff Members," declared Mr. Miscavige. Whereupon a record number of 230 Field Staff Members (FSMs) ascended the stage, each receiving a Power FSM pin in recognition of helping at least 100 individuals onto and up the Bridge to Total Freedom in a single year. Capping the honors was the acknowledgment of an unprecedented nine Scientologists who rose to the ranks of Elite FSMs, each of whom helped 1,000 individuals onto and up the Bridge in 2024.

AN INVITATION TO TRUTH

"When you're talking Scientology and what it can truly achieve in terms of freeing beings, you're not simply talking about the dawn of a new religion, you're talking about a story that spans millennia—all times, all people, all generations," said Mr. Miscavige. With that, he previewed the Church's newest broadcast message, a thought-provoking invitation to explore humanity's eternal and indomitable quest for truth. It's set to premiere during Super Bowl LIX in February 2025.

As a final message, and reflecting on an epic evening of expansion, Mr. Miscavige reminded those present that, for all the Church has accomplished this year, "even that is but a shadow of what's next."

"So yes," he continued, "we stand on the verge of make-break progress in every avenue of human salvage. That's why, by all means, step into 2025 with the authority befitting a Scientologist."

And with that, the crowd demonstrated their ecstatic appreciation for this triumphant celebration with applause and foot-stomping that reached Richter-scale proportions.

Moments later, the Shrine erupted in a dazzling display of light, confetti and a symphony of joyous song. It was a celebration of a year unlike any other—heralding a 2025 poised for even greater heights of expansion and impact.

SOURCE Church of Scientology International