By Norma Hernandez
and Chelsea L. McDowell
The Runner Staff

Despite accusations being spread through social media that a student club on campus is engaging in sex trafficking, the club leaders maintain that the rumors are not true.

Using social media, some CSU Bakersfield students shared warnings to their friends and followers about “God the Mother” being code for a sex-trafficking ring.

The rumor spread online through Facebook in 2017, and talked about two women that were approaching female students at night to ask if they knew “God the Mother.”

These women would be disguised as church members recruiting for their Bible study, but in reality they were scouting for possible sex trafficking prospects using the code of “God the Mother.”

The Elohist Club, established in 2015 by Paloma Rosales, a senior public relations and art major, and Stephanie Villacorte, a senior biology major, is the only club on campus that promotes getting to know “God the Mother.”

When Elohist Club President Rosales, a former staff member of The Runner, first heard of the rumor against her church in 2017, she was shocked because it is the opposite of what her club actually stands for. The Elohist club brings the teachings of the World Mission Society Church of God on campus to CSUB students.

“Our main focus is to educate people about the mysteries and the prophecies in the Bible,” Rosales said.
The mysteries the club tackles include God the Mother, the second coming of Christ, and the antichrist. The pride of the club lies in their volunteer work.

“It’s kind of like a mini-church on campus,” Rosales said. “We try to make a religious culture on campus, for whoever wants to listen, based on the teachings from the World Mission Society Church of God.”

The church  established itself in Bakersfield in 2010.

The World Mission Society Church of God is a nondenominational Christian church that believes that in the Bible when God, or God the father, speaks in plural form, it’s an indication that He is alongside someone in heaven, God the mother.

The church emphasises the importance of knowing the Mother. “People have the notion that the Bible only speaks about one God, God the Father, but if you look into what the Bible actually says, there’s over 2,500 times that the Bible says God speaks in plural form saying, ‘us’ and ‘our.’ Which means God is alongside someone working in heaven, but all throughout the Bible there have been many prophecies talking about a female creator, a female image of God who’s working alongside God the Father,” said Rosales.

“One of the amazing things about our organization is that we’re not only located here in Bakersfield, but we’re located worldwide,” said current member Villacorte.

Rumors of the club being a sex trafficking ring were not only exclusive to CSUB, but in universities throughout the United States. Elohist club members of University of California, Irvine and the University of Tennessee were both said to be part of the same rumor.

“Both of them the police had an investigation, and they found out that none of those rumors were actually true,” Rosales said. “UC Irvine had an incident where the rumors were reaching the club tremendously, to the point where the president of the campus publicly apologized to the Elohist Club.”

The members have no idea about the origins of the rumor, but believe it stems from a misunderstanding.
Adrianna Wofford is a senior political science major whose frequent encounters with the club members at night caused her to go from annoyed to nervous.

“They stopped me and asked me if I have heard of the mother,” Wofford said. “It was around 8:30-8:45 at night, and all I was thinking to myself was ‘who stops someone in the middle of the night to ask them if they’ve heard of the Heavenly Mother?’”

Wofford reported the members to University Police the third time they approached her at the bus stop.

“Even if they have good intentions or bad intentions, they’re still making students and women, like myself, feel uncomfortable in situations they shouldn’t have to because it’s already dark,” Wofford said.

It wasn’t until her fourth time being approached that she found out about the sex trafficking rumor.
The last time Wofford was approached by club members was in February of 2018.

University Police Chief Marty Williamson said that UPD has looked into this case and hasn’t found any trace of sex trafficking amongst the phrase or the local church in Bakersfield.

“We reached out to our federal partners and our state partners and law enforcement, and we cannot confirm,” said Chief Williamson about the validity of the rumor. “We cannot tie that into anything outside of they’re just out here soliciting for what their beliefs are.”

Dustin Contreras, director of public relations for the Kern Coalition Against Human Trafficking, said that although he isn’t very familiar with religious groups in the world of human trafficking, the World Mission Society Church of God is not involved with anything related to the rumors.

“They are not on any type of international or national radar of being involved of human trafficking,” said Contreras.

Although there isn’t any trace of sex trafficking, students should still take caution in any place.

Chief Williamson advises students who are walking to their cars at night to stay in well-lit areas, walk with a group, be aware of your surroundings, and use the escort services that campus PD provides to students who feel unsafe.

Contreras said that sex traffickers don’t usually acquire young women through religious groups, but that the most used tactic is getting the attention of young girls who want to be famous or seeking a way to leave Bakersfield.

Contreras said that sex traffickers usually target teenagers that are right out of high school. However, he wants people to be aware that this can happen to anyone, regardless of one’s gender, age, or sexual orientation.

“Sex trafficking can [happen to] anyone. They don’t discriminate,” said Contreras.

Vanessa Corona, CSUB’s Campus Advocate, said students should be proactive on campus.

“What I would encourage students to do is have one another’s backs, if you see someone who looks that they’re in distress or in an uncomfortable situation offer your help or call the police, whatever the case may be,” said Corona. “There really is power in strength in numbers and we all have a part in keeping this place safe.”

Rosales understands that sex trafficking in Bakersfield is a serious issue but wants people to know that the rumors are just rumors.
“We have to take everything with a grain of salt,” said Rosales. “The truth within those false rumors is yes, we are on campus and we are teaching about a “God the Mother” so that part of the rumor is true.”

If students know of someone who is a victim of human trafficking, they can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.