Friendship Day 2022

The Church of Scientology Nashville and Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, along with The Way To Happiness Association of Tennessee are set to host the ninth annual Friendship Day event in early August, 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.”

“We love bringing a diverse group of people together and demonstrating the power of friendship,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology. “Most of life’s problems come from our basic misunderstanding of each other—a misunderstanding of intentions—getting along with one another starts with getting to know each other.”

"People need to come together and be friends," says Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. Fuzz and Fesler have been working together on this annual event for over eight years.

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.

SEATING LIMITS: This event is limited to 30 people. If you can attend, please get your tickets by the end of Friday, July 29.

HEALTH PROTOCOLS: Attendees will be screened at entrance for any sign of illness within the past two weeks. If you have been ill or around someone who was ill within the previous two weeks, please lay low this time and join us next year! Masks and gloves will be provided at the entrance and are required except while eating.

PHOTO CREDITS: Header image of puppy and kitten by Krista Mangulsone on Unsplash. Group photo by Julie Brinker.