"The Church of Scientology Mission of Memphis bought the building in 1997 for $475,000, according to The Daily News Online, www.memphisdailynews.com. It opened that fall after renovations.

"'It was pretty widely publicized at that time,' David Slaughter,  the church's truste, said.

"The building has about 7,500 square feet of space on the top two floors. This includes a worship area, several meeting rooms and a library.

"The basement has been renovated to furnish a 3,000-square-foot purification center.

"'It's where we help people rid themselves of the harmful effects of toxins and drugs, which they can free themselves of because they get stored in the fatty cells. There's an actual process that we do where they can free themselves of the harmful effects of those drugs,'
 Slaughter said.

"The organization's mother church is in Los Angeles.

"'A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights are the aims of Scientology,' Slaughter said, reading from one of the religion's books. 'We respect man and believe he is worthy of help, and we respect you and believe you are worthy of help. So that is what the purpose of the Mission is, to provide help to Memphis and the communities around it with the technologies of Scientology and Dianetics.'

The Memphis mission was in the news last year because of the involvement of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers in the area in helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina:

"In Memphis, Volunteer Ministers have been working with Red Cross officials to process the increasing numbers of evacuees pouring in from Louisiana, while in Houston they were given charge of a station in the Astrodome and have been distributing water to evacuees."