Sharing the Human Spirit Through Friendship
Date: July 30, 2024
Time: 4:30pm-6:30pm
Venue: Church of Scientology, 1130 8th Ave S, Nashville TN
Tickets: Free at Eventbrite
The Church of Scientology Nashville and Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, along with The Way To Happiness Association of Tennessee are set to host the tenth annual Friendship Day event on July 30, with participation from the diverse population that makes up the ever growing city.
The International Day of Friendship was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 in the belief that “friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.”
“People need to sit down and get to know each other,” says Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, who continues, “meet somebody new, make friends.” Fuzz and Fesler have been organizing and hosting this event since 2014.
“It is so important to bring people together, especially as we are in an election year which tends to divide,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology. “We’re better than that as a people. The more we know and understand each other, the better we can work together on common interests.”
The event is sponsored by The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee which provides a community betterment program based on the book The Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard. The initiative is predicated on the fact that one’s survival depends on the survival of others—and that without the survival of others, neither joy nor happiness is attainable. Several precepts in the book promote dialogue and friendship, among them “Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others,” “Be Worthy of Trust,” and “Try to Treat Others As You Would Want Them to Treat You.”
This year, the International Friendship Day theme is “sharing the human spirit through friendship,” and the Nashville event will embody this with dialogue between those of various faith traditions, race and cultural backgrounds and more.
To RSVP, please visit Eventbrite.
Sponsor
In 2015, more than 80 community members came together at the Church of Scientology in Nashville to celebrate Friendship Day, break down barriers, and increase friendship across racial, religious and socioeconomic lines. Police officers and gang members participated in the same room. Racial and national lines were crossed with abandon, bringing African American, White, Indian, African, Hispanic and Asian attendees a new look at each other and life.
The same happened again in 2016, with a focus on religious diversity. There were Methodist, Baptist, Sikh, Scientologist, Jewish, Latter-Day Saints, Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, those with no religious affiliation and more who attended the discussion to break down barriers.
And yet again in 2017 and 2018, we had a multitude of more than 20 nationalities all sitting at tables together, breaking bread and discussing values. 2019 was the last live event before the pandemic. 2022 was our first year together in person again. Let’s see what we can do in 2023!
It’s time to meet some new folks at another ground-breaking event. Registration, networking and dinner begin at 3pm; the program begins at 3:30pm. We welcome your participation and urge you to bring people who would not ordinarily engage in such activity!
Organizers
Pastor, Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church
Pastor, Nashville Church of Scientology