

UPDATE: This event has now been canceled. See our new story about what happened to it.

In a letter that Pastor Willy Rice sent to his congregation, the Clearwater Baptist minister revealed that Leah Remini and Mike Rinder will be filming an episode of their A&E series, Scientology and the Aftermath, at the Florida church on July 22 at 12 noon.

The pastor explains that this won’t be a church event, or even a Christian event, but it will give Clearwater residents with questions about Scientology and about Remini’s show the chance to get some answers in the city where Scientology has its “spiritual mecca.”

We confirmed with the Aftermath team that the filming is taking place, and they said they would get back to us soon with an official statement about it. In the meantime, here’s the pastor’s letter…


Dear Calvary Family:

Many of you may be aware of the A&E series Scientology and the Aftermath featuring the actor Leah Remini and Mike Rinder. Both Remini and Rinder are former Scientologists who have shared their own stories and spoken out about the cult’s dangerous, deceptive and abusive practices. The series, which first aired last season, has received great attention.

The series is in production for a second season. I believe it has the potential, perhaps more than any book or documentary so far, to expose the truly horrific practices of Scientology.

Recently, the producers of A&E reached out to us to ask if we would be willing to host an episode of season two featuring Remini and Rinder. After consulting with other pastors and leaders we have agreed to do so. Leah Rimini and Mike Rinder, along with others, will be at Calvary for an open public forum on Saturday, July 22 at 12:00 noon.

This event will not be a Calvary event, in that we will not run or direct the event. It will not even be exclusively a “Christian” event, in that its aims are not exclusively for evangelism, worship or discipleship as we would normally identify those terms. The television program does not come from a Christian perspective, nor do the persons producing the show and running the event necessarily share our faith. Why then are we doing it?

We believe this represents an important, perhaps historic, opportunity to expose the cult of Scientology and the harm it has brought to our community and to many thousands of people. Rinder and Remini are two of the most prominent persons to ever defect or escape from this group and their story deserves to be heard. As Clearwater’s oldest church, we believe we have a unique opportunity to help this message be heard and to facilitate the discussion our community deserves. Therefore, even though this event falls outside of the normal parameters of an event our church would host, we believe it is strategic for us to do so.

While, we will not be in charge of the event or its content, we are involved and will do our best to make sure the discussions and decorum demonstrate respect for our church, our mission and our facilities. Nevertheless, you should know that the content or views expressed at the forum may not necessarily represent those of the pastors or members of Calvary.

What can you do to help? Get the word out. This event is being driven by the production schedule of A&E. It is happening quickly and a Saturday event at 12:00 pm is highly unusual. However, we believe there will be high interest across our community. The doors will open at 11:30 that morning and it will be open to the public.

Next, pray. Pray that God will use the event for His purposes and that the light of truth will shine on one of the dark corners of our community. Pray also for our church and leaders. The historic pattern of Scientology has been to viciously and unfairly attack their critics. Instead of answering the concerns raised, the cult has often sought to attack the messengers, their character, and their family. They are liable to do anything they can do to distract from the issue at hand. This is known as an Ad hominem argument and it is a familiar logical fallacy. We should anticipate an attack upon Calvary and our leaders and thus should pray for God’s protection and pray that what some may mean for evil, God will use for good. Please understand what is happening should you read or hear of some attack upon our church and/or our leaders. Our pastors and congregational leaders will respond as necessary to any attacks in the way we feel honors the Lord and defends the truth.

Our prayer is that through this event God would be glorified and our Calvary family would have the opportunity to point people to the Truth. This will not be possible without your faithful prayers. Starting Friday, July 21st, at 12:00 pm and for the following 24 hours, we are asking our Calvary family members to commit to pray for this event for 15 minutes. Register for a time slot at https://calvarybaptistchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=437

This is a highly unusual opportunity but the presence of Scientology in our community is a highly unusual phenomena. We believe we have an opportunity to help those who are telling a story that needs to be told. Please pray. If you have an interest, plan to attend. Get the word out on social media.

Our community needs people of courage who are willing to speak out and support those who do. Who will be courageous if those of us who claim to trust in the Lord are afraid to speak up and help those who do? Our community has been tormented by this Goliath for far too long. Someone has to pick up a rock and a slingshot and trust God with the results. We believe we are in a unique position in this community and should try to help. As always, we will put our trust in the Lord who is sovereign over all.

I hope this offers some explanation of why we are taking the unusual step of hosting this event. I hope it calls you to prayer and I hope that if you have an interest and/or know others who do, that you will plan to attend and help us spread the word.

Pastor Willy Rice