A new Scientology Mission opened in Belleair last year, and there was a decent article about it in the St. Petersburg Times.
Here's a section of that article:
Scientologists establish missions in their back yard
A Belleair storefront opened more than a year ago to spread "hope for man." Four more sites are planned in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
By ROBERT FARLEY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 1, 2003
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Sandwiched between a nail salon and a hairdressing and body wax boutique, one of the newest tenants in the smart-looking Belleair Bazaar strip center sports a simple red awning.
"Church of Scientology Mission of Belleair," it reads.
Opened quietly more than a year ago, it is the first of five missions Scientologists intend to establish in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties within the year.
Geared toward introducing newcomers to
Scientology, the missions mark the first time in the church's 27 years in Clearwater that Scientology overtly will try to recruit Tampa Bay area residents.
"We definitely want to reach out into the Tampa Bay area more, and let them know there is a hope for man," said Kathy Feshbach, who operates the Belleair mission.
Scientology's commanding presence in downtown Clearwater -- a collection of hotel rooms and space for church services -- mainly serves Scientologists visiting from out of state or foreign countries. More than 12,000 journey each year to the church's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater to receive some of the highest levels of Scientology training.
Missions, on the other hand, offer a starting point.
Financed and staffed by private Scientologists rather than church officials, missions offer introductory Scientology courses and services. Scientologists have opened more than 400 missions worldwide, from Wichita, Kan. -- actor Kirstie Alley fronted that one -- to Italy and Russia, where 25 and 16, respectively, opened last year alone.
But until Feshbach opened hers in Belleair, the only local mission was on Belcher Road near the church's stronghold in downtown Clearwater. A small building marked only by a one-word sign saying "Dianetics," it has led a mostly quiet existence. Twice in the last month, though, the Clearwater mission paid for a four-page insert in the Suncoast News, promoting a Scientology treatment and book to a North Pinellas audience.
Missions will start popping up throughout the bay area, says church spokesman Ben Shaw, because the church has forged a "more stable" relationship with the community.
Also, Shaw said, 12,000 private Scientologists now live in the bay area, and opening missions is regarded as a core contribution for Scientologists. It's a "natural occurrence," Shaw said.
Specific locations have not been selected, but missions are planned in St. Petersburg, Largo, Hyde Park and West Tampa. The Scientologists who will finance and operate those missions are in training.
A 25-year Scientologist, Feshbach moved with her family from California to Belleair four years ago to be closer to the church's spiritual center.
Feshbach's husband, Matthew, is one of three brothers who made millions in the 1980s short selling stocks. Short sellers speculate stock prices will fall. They sell shares before prices decline, then buy back the shares at lower prices, profiting on the difference. The Feshbach family, working out of Palo Alto, Calif., emerged as industry leaders.
So far, 300 to 400 have visited the mission, Feshbach said. Word of the mission is spread by local Scientologists who urge the curious to take a look. Others responded to Feshbach's advertisements.
She recently paid for an insert in the Pinellas edition of the Tampa Tribune, touting a Scientology treatment called the
purification rundown. It purports to remove harmful toxins from the body through a program of vigorous exercise followed by several hours in a sauna, in conjunction with a regimen of vitamins, minerals and oils.
Feshbach, 53, bubbles with enthusiasm and energy. As executive director of the mission, she said she draws no salary. "I want to help people like I have been helped every single day (through
Scientology).
"Our purpose is to introduce new people to what
Scientology can do for them," she said.
The four other planned missions would vastly expand the church's reach in the bay area. The church already has a bloc of staffers based in Tampa and last month announced plans to move from its Henderson Boulevard location to a former cigar factory in West Tampa. The church's
Tampa branch says it has 5,000 members. But Tampa does not have a mission dedicated to introducing newcomers to Scientology.
"It's exciting," said Feshbach. "We do have the tools that can help man. It is important we get out there and reach people."
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