It’s flashy, but local residents say the Church of Scientology’s new recruiting centre is not welcome in their community.

The centre, located at the corner of Wall Street and Bradley Street, deceptively appears to be a regular residential home with Christmas lights. But a sign tells passers-by to tune into a radio frequency.

On that frequency is a bizarre, repeating audio loop of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard angrily rambling about word definitions, over an upbeat Christmas tune.

Click the Play button below to hear the audio being broadcast by the recruiting centre:

(On mobile? Tap the “Listen in Browser” button.)

But neighbours aren’t impressed.

“I don’t mind the Christmas lights,” said Genji Shimada. “But they come out every hour, all night long, searching up and down the street. Something about ridding Nanaimo of suppressive thetans. They make a huge racket too, and my brother can’t sleep.” Genji’s brother, Hanzo Shimada, is a competitive archer and says he needs the extra rest.

Some say the Church of Scientology is not a religion at all, and is in fact a cult which rips families apart, drains the bank accounts of its most vulnerable members, and stockpiles more than a billion dollars in assets.