On Feb. 20, Spinnaker published an article regarding the campus presence of a religious group associated with claims of human-trafficking.

As a result of this article, Victor Lozada, a missionary from the World Mission Society Church of God, contacted Spinnaker with concerns that the organization was being inaccurately represented.

“Recently, a malicious rumor was spread throughout the community through multiple social media outlets,” Lozada said. “The rumor stated that our organization, which speaks of God the Mother testified in the Bible, is a cult involved in human-trafficking, and that if we are spotted on campus, we must be reported to local authorities immediately.”

Lozada asserted the World Mission Society Church of God is a non-denominational Christian church who practices Christian values and believes in a female incarnate of God, named “God the Mother.”

“God the Mother” is not the name of the church, but is the name allegedly being associated with claims of human-trafficking.

“The rumors of human trafficking have spread like a wildfire through social media, and this has caused many different users to become concerned over unfounded rumors,” Lozada said.

When detailing the church’s confusion regarding the widespread allegations, Lozada said the human-trafficking claims began after a woman was frightened by members in an Ikea in California. She shared her experience online, at which point her posts were shared and rumors began to spread rapidly.

Lozada claims members of the church have received various threats following the rumors, and have experienced a fear of violent backlash as a result.

According to Lozada, the World Mission Society Church of God has worked with multiple law enforcement agencies, as well as the Polaris Project, a nonprofit organization that combats human trafficking, in an effort to dispel the allegations and tackle the problem.

When asked about the students who had been approached on the UNF campus, Lozada reported the church members were not missionaries, but fellow students.

“Our students preach on their campuses; our military members preach on their bases,” he said. “We are called to deliver this news wherever we go.”

According to UNFPD, officials have been unable to substantiate the claims of human-trafficking associated with the World Mission Society Church of God. However, UNFPD does still encourage students to use caution when approached by any strangers on campus.

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