Scientology opens ‘Ideal Mission’ in hotspot where it ran city council candidate Tony Ortega Dec 22, 2024

[Karen#1]

Yesterday Scientology issued a press release announcing that it had opened a brand spanking new “Ideal Mission” in McMinnville, Oregon, and with the whole nine yards — giant bow and ribbon, balloons, and local shills making speeches.

You may be more familiar with church leader David Miscavige’s “Ideal Org” program, an effort going since 2003 to replace ordinary “orgs” (organizations, Scientology’s word for churches) in major cities around the world. Earlier this year, after a delay caused by the pandemic, Miscavige personally presided over grand openings of Ideal Orgs in Austin, Mexico City, and Chicago, and we think he pre-taped his appearance at the grand opening of an Ideal Org in Paris in April.

“Missions” are more local affairs, designed to bring new people into Scientology and then funnel them to the larger orgs. At one time, Scientology had a very extensive and thriving mission network under founder L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986). But under Miscavige, the mission network was largely neglected and many of them closed. In recent years, however, there has been an initiative to turn some of them “Ideal,” which may not mean a whole lot more than a fresher coat of paint and some additional video displays.

Miscavige doesn’t bother to attend grand openings of Ideal Missions, but as you can see from the photo above, they at least tried to make it look like an Ideal ceremony.

What really caught our attention, however, is that this opening was in McMinnville, which we have noted in the past seems to be a rare hotspot for Scientology.

It’s been suggested to us that this is due to the relative proximity of Scientology’s expensive and exclusive boarding prep school, the Delphian, which is less than 20 miles away.

We heard from a number of McMinnville residents who were concerned about Scientology’s growing influence in the town when a former Sea Org member, Brittany Ruiz, ran for city council in 2020. (She lost.) She is married to Javier Ruiz, and we pointed out that both of them have some connections to some of Scientology’s darkest chapters.

According to the press release, Scientology managed to line up some local luminaries for the event.

Mission Director Ms. Jade Milner welcomed those gathered for this special occasion. “It is truly my immense honor to be here as your Master of Ceremonies on this landmark day in McMinnville,” she said. She shared Letters of Recognition welcoming the new Church to McMinnville from the Yamhill County Commissioner and the Inter-Faith Peace and Action Collaborative.
“When you look around, you can see why the Willamette Valley is named one of the 10 most beautiful places on the planet. This is a true community, which Scientologists have been part of for as many as five decades. So, it is now my supreme pleasure to say: Welcome to the Grand Opening of your new Ideal Scientology Mission for McMinnville.”
Joining Ms. Milner at the podium for the Grand Opening celebration were Mr. John Olson, President of the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce; Ms. Susan Milano, President of Soroptimist International of McMinnville; Mr. Lionel Irving, founder of the Love is Stronger nonprofit of Portland, Oregon; and Mission Founder Ms. Devin Weber.

And the release said that McMinnville mission is part of a record number of Ideal Missions opened this year…

From Quito, Ecuador, at the geographic center of the globe; to the timeless blend of alpine charm and Renaissance splendor of Bergamo, Italy; back-to-back openings in Taiwan in the city of Chiayi, the gateway to the nation’s cultural heritage, and the bustling metropolis of Taichung; the dynamic community of Santo André in São Paulo’s metropolitan region; and finally, Japan’s thriving port city of Osaka. Many more Ideal Scientology Missions are planned across North and South America, Europe and Asia in the coming year.

We admit we haven’t paid as much attention to “Ideal Missions” as we have to Ideal Orgs, not only because they only offer introductory services, but also because David Miscavige doesn’t personally make the scene. But you can bet that Scientology will crow about these openings every chance they get.

Scientology opens ‘Ideal Mission’ in hotspot where it ran city council candidate

Yesterday Scientology issued a press release announcing that it had opened a brand spanking new “Ideal Mission” in McMinnville, Oregon, and with the whole nine yards — giant bow and ribbon, balloons, and local shills making speeches.

tonyortega.substack.com