Visitors are always welcome to tour the Church to learn about the Scientology religion, including the e-meter.

The Mayor, Church officials and celebrities joined in pulling a long cord to “cut the ribbon” that stretched along the building, while confetti and balloons filled the air.

Inside the building hundreds of Church members and their guests toured the new chapel, course rooms, counseling rooms, interactive displays, auditorium and offices.

Among the services available are the Purification Rundown, which has helped more than 150,000 people around the world eliminate environmental toxins and the residuals of drugs and medication from the body, think more clearly, and progress spiritually.

New offices will expand the Church’s social programs to combat drugs, fight illiteracy and criminality, and reestablish respect for self and others. And an elegant, light-filled conference room has been built for use by community groups.

“We have already started working with our neighbors to breathe life back into Main Street,” says Mary Lou Reile, the Church’s Community Relations director. “We look forward to working with the rest of Buffalo to revitalize the city.”

The Scientology religion was founded by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles in 1954. The international religion has since grown from that one church to more than 3,000 churches, missions and groups in 154 countries.

Mr. Hubbard’s research into the mind as laid out in his 1950 bestseller Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, led to development of the Scientology religion, a precise path for individuals to explore and know their own spiritual nature and to improve conditions in their lives.

The Church provides auditing and training, the two core religious practices in Scientology. Auditing (from “audire,” to listen) is one-on-one religious counseling. Training is the study of the tenets of the religion.

The Church is open seven days a week and visitors are always welcome. For more information, visit www.scientology-buffalo.org or call (716) 856-3910 or email cofsbuff@localnet.com