A new Ideal Church of Scientology of Atlanta has opened in Sandy Springs, laying the groundwork for expansion in the state.
“Obviously, the church in Atlanta has already seen quite a bit of growth”, said Tracie Parker, a spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology, which has its international headquarters in Los Angeles. “There really is endless potential and expansion for services to our parishioners and growth of our humanitarian programs in the city.”
At 45,000 square feet, the new facility is five times larger than the previous one in Doraville.
The 45,000-square-foot Williamsburg-style church is located 5395 Roswell Road. It includes a large public information center, which contains more than 500 films that explain the beliefs and practices of the Scientology religion and the life of founder L. Ron Hubbard.
The new facility is available for public tours.
The church also has a chapel for congregational gatherings and special ceremonies, classrooms and space for seminars. An entire floor will be dedicated to spiritual counseling.
The Church of Scientology has been in Georgia since the 1970s.
The first Church of Scientology formed in 1954 and today has an estimated 10 million members globally.
Deb MacKay, director of community relations, said that in any given week, about 200 people attend services throughout the week with “tens of thousands” receiving various spiritual services since it’s formation.
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