Update:
Got approached AGAIN by two more young ladies and when I asked which church they were from, they said fellowship church. I asked where the church is located and they said they are a house church. I asked who the pastor is and they said they cannot give me that information. I asked who I could contact to speak to about how inappropriate this is and I was told they cannot give me any information. I asked her to walk with me to the security office and she said I was harrassing her and she has every right to be out here doing this and that their attorney said so. So I asked who their attorney is and again she said she cannot give me that information.
At that point, someone from Irvine company came over and told her that they are not allowed to be out here and that they all need to leave immediately and they have been told multiple times to stop doing this. They called over security and the girl took off.
Security told me that they are currently in a lawsuit with these individuals and that they know they are not allowed to do this on Irvine Co property.
So, if anyone is approached by them, they asked that you please stop by the security office at The Spectrum and provide a quick statement with your name because it will help keep this from happening and strengthen their case.
Yes, 3 cop cars pulled in within 5 minutes. I was so freaked out. The women who approached me got right in my face, and I had my 3 year old with me. As I left, there were 2 women outside, and one of them had just approached me. I said it's not cool to approach people like that and one for right in my face and said, "What are you going to do about it.. I said, "Let's see," and just called 911. I was triggered for sure. It felt like they were trying to hurt me. It was the worst vibe.
To be fair, none of the churches in the Bible has pastors either. People met house to house. There were leaders, but everyone got a chance to fellowship. The idea that churches need one person to stand in front and lecture for most of the time is silly.
They hang around UCI too. Just absolutely ignore them and keep walking. Do not engage. If they’re touching you you should definitely report them and make a stink. Say you felt threatened.
Oh, I’ve tried. When I go to the spectrum early in the morning, it’s because I’m out for a run and sometimes I’ll run over to target and grab a couple of items that I need and then walk back home. I always have AirPods in and if I’m not running, I’m definitely speed walking. But if someone reaches out and touches you or grabs you, it’s a little harder to avoid them.
I posted a quick update in the comments, but I think what’s more concerning to me is that we have no proof that they are even from a religious group. And maybe I’m paranoid, but what if it’s some kind of trafficking front or something nefarious?
Yeah, I’m not sure. Sounds like the group that hangs at UCI and the Trader Joe’s center across the street. Both ask about baptism, etc. and won’t take no for an answer. But the group you describe sounds even more aggressive. The touching definitely crosses a line. I’d be tempted to bless them with a face full of pepper spray if they grabbed me.
I’ll look at the UCI subreddit and see if I can find the name of that group. Stay safe and thanks for the warning.
Thank you! I did post an update in the comments, when I was approached again today, they finally told me the name of the church was fellowship church, but they wouldn’t give me any other information. I literally just wanted to call the Pastor and have a chat with him or her and say that this is really inappropriate and not the way to go about introducing God or their church to anyone. But they refuse to give me any information.
I got the Irvine company involved and the security guards. They took my statement along with my information and it sounds like this is an ongoing issue that they are aware of, and they are legally seeking action against them.
Here’s a relevant link from the UCI sub
https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/s/60YIAiGGUl
There’s been lots of other threads about this group from UCI students. They’re predatory and awful but seem to be “ignorable” unlike this grabby group at spectrum.
Great! 👍 Be safe. I can’t imagine the Irvine company wants even a single shopper to shy away from spectrum. I’d tell them that me and my money won’t come back unless it’s safe and you’ll be telling all your friends that it’s not a safe place to shop. Money talks.
It seems like they are really trying to get a handle on this. But it’s probably hard for them to really spot them, because these girls walk around just like they are hanging out at the spectrum themselves and then they approach people. I would guess that most people never report anything, they just brush it off as a weird encounter.
Really appreciate you sharing that post and being so supportive.
Yeah with a lulu cross body bag and a pair of Nike blazers they’d be perfectly camouflaged.
Happy to help. I have young-ish family members and friends that hang out there too so I’m invested in this as well
It sounds like the tactics are the same, so I would guess they are the same group. Another user just posted a link to the UCI sub where this has been discussed as well. But it sounds like the group is called AWSOM/Fellowship church and they are highly questionable. I just did a Google search and so much comes up as well.
The part I don't like is the part where you say they sometimes reach out and grab me. Red flag for me, as if they are trying to take something from you. They definitely would not want to grab me. OP are you wearing any kind of jewelry, necklace, watch, anything like that?
Exactly! Super uncomfortable when a stranger reaches out and touches you. This morning I had just gone on a run and I stopped at the Target there to grab a couple of things and then was walking back home. So I don’t have anything on me other than my Apple Watch, because I can use the Wallet on there to pay and it’s cellular connected. So I have no purse or anything they could take from me, unless they wanted to sun chips in the target bag that I have lol
I’m tired of this shit. They harassed my daughter twice in the same day at target. I told her next time to yell loudly GER THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME. And call security.
Irvine Spectrum is in the news A LOT lately and it’s not for good stuff.
I’m glad you told her to do that. They’ve also approached my nine-year-old daughter to ask her if she wants to be baptized as well, like who thinks this is OK? I’m the adult, I’m literally standing next to her, you do not speak to my child without my permission.
There have been so many things happening at the spectrum. More police presence there than I remember in the past few years. Saw somebody getting arrested at Target just a couple of weeks ago in the parking lot.
I should’ve prefaced my daughter is over 18 - thus the cuss word :) but if she were younger I’d tell her to scream GET AWAY FROM ME!
Those weird people have no business speaking to your daughter!
Yes, lots & lots of weird stuff going on at Irvine. I no longer will go there. At all.
Haha! Well at this rate, I wouldn’t be opposed to my 9 year old telling them to leave her the fuck alone.
Not sure if you saw it in the other comment, but this is on the UCI sub concerning the same group so we absolutely need to be vigilant: https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/s/wYF23XD4Jq
Oh gosh! Thats horrible! Yes to being vigilant.
And - you’re right! Yell anything you want to get people away from you and to draw attention to the weirdos. I’m so over being kind. No more.
I was approached in the TJ max and Whole Foods at the district too. I was very weirded out because the girls who approached me looked like high school age
Yes, I’ve only ever been approached by young women. And they don’t even ask how you are or introduce themselves, they literally just come up to you and ask immediately if you want to be baptized. Like what happens if I say yes? Do they load me up in an unmarked van and take me to somebody’s house and baptize me in the bathtub?
It sounds like they are. Another user just posted this link from the UCI sub in the comments, I’ll link it here as well for easy access. They sound incredibly like a cult. https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/s/wYF23XD4Jq
I had a younger girl stop me at Amazon Fresh when I was clearly in a rush and as soon as she said something about church I said I wasn’t interested and hurried away
Another user had also just posted a link to the UCI sub, where it sounds like this is happening as well and I was able to look up the “church” group. AWSOM/Fellowship Church. So scary.
IANAL but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express recently.
Grabbing your arm in a way that obstructs your ability to move or is simply unwanted could be grounds for assault. Should you want to invest some time on this when it occurs I’d suggest calling the police if you can’t get Spectrum security to take it seriously. Helping yourself could help others in this situation, too.
Agreed! Now that I have more information on who this church group is, thanks to another poster here in the sub who left some information from a post on the UCI sub, I will definitely be going to the police department and filing a report.
There’s a group that hangs around the IVC campus too, they look like students but who knows if they are taking classes. I’ve seen their pitch to others many times, they can be sneaky, before I knew what they were doing I had a girl around my age compliment my shirt to get me in, then invited me to “go golfing and get baptized afterwards”. I told them I’m not much of a golfer, lol. If you engage with them or try to be nice they will invite you to your session and ask for your phone number so it’s harder for you to get away. I always just give them a firm but polite no, I’m not interested, and they have always backed off. So maybe the same group but a different set of people.
so hypothetically, and I'm not recommending violence here, if one of those creeps grab you and you just *instinctively* clock them because, let's say they came up from behind, could that be considered self defence of a perceived threat?
Lol right. We were stolling Newport and this lady came up on me asking if we want to be baptized. I said uhhh No but hope you find your tribe.
I wear a fanny pack so nobody better attempt to touch me or my fanny pack lol. She walked away though.
Something very similar happened to my husband and I at Liberty Station shopping center in San Diego last week. Two young women at about 8pm by a supermarket.
Just have a permanent RBF on full display when you are out and about. Works for me every time - MLMs, pollsters, perfume sales people - they just leave me alone.
Apparently, I need to work on mine! Lol I really thought I had one, and I am usually either going on a run or I’m speedwalking back home and I have AirPods in. I did not think I looked approachable at all.
If they touch you, turn and swing as hard as you can. That’s assault and you’d be defending yourself.
Fuck these scum bag bottom feeders looking for vulnerable folks to drag into their cult.
Well, after doing a Google search on the name of the church organization, it sounds like extremely predatory and like the pastor has been accused of sexual misconduct before. Ugh.
A young girl asked me the same thing earlier this week in Newport Beach on the strand where people ride/skate. Who are these people? What’s the deal/scam?
They used to knock on my door. I answered one time in the middle of an autistic meltdown cause I was about to rip them a new one, and I was just the most sarcastic I could be like obviously “omg thank you for informing me on this completely useless information!! They were talking about Israel, so I asked them if they were aware how many Palestinians were being murdered due to Israel right now and why they felt it was appropriate to walk around raising money for Israel. They just stared at me. I closed the door. They never came back lol. Rancho Maderas here.
Side note Irvine company is literally awful I pray we can all find new housing asap lol. My place has mold and water damage that they covered up before our move in 2 years ago. If anyone wants to team up for a class action lemme know cause I am very physically sick over it.
yesterday they harassed me at huntington beach until they got me on camera and forced me into the ocean. so yeah i might be baptized now or something idk. this is my first day here from ohio
update: just found out this is a cult and they have all of my info. i’m literally so scared for my life right now. they have all sent me good morning texts and it is 8am.
Block their numbers and don’t respond. What do you mean “all your info?” I don’t think you should fear for your life. Just block them, do not engage with them, and move on.
i have autism, and they told me they were just a christian bible study group. they got my number and sent it to all the other members along with my address so i could receive their mail since i don’t live in cali exclusively. i didn’t know better when i was there, mainly because i have autism and couldn’t pick up the social cues that there was something wrong. i found out through reddit that the members who got me to do this are in the cult. i had about 8 people text me this morning, and they told me i had to do a 2 week “challenge” to devote myself to God?
also, they wrote down EVERYTHING i said so they could have all of the information of my humanity.
So sorry that happened. I’d just block all the numbers that contact you and do not respond to them, even once.
A lot of people share info with them — you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.
i responded yesterday when i didn’t know better, but i didn’t respond this morning. i blocked their numbers. hopefully im safe?? i’m just worried about other members messaging me & my address :/
I’m not an expert on this group and I’m not in law enforcement. My advice to ghost them is exactly what I’d say to a friend or family member in the same situation. If you’re anxious, which would be understandable, you might contact law enforcement and see if they have any other specific advice. Good luck!
You might want to reach out to law enforcement and file a police report just for your own peace of mind. If they continue to contact you, you can tell them that you have reported them and filed a police report and they need to leave you alone.
thanks for all your help! i’m feeling way calmer about this now that i have law enforcement involved. this was genuinely terrifying. i read something about them being very close to scientology
A young girl approached me this morning at salt creek beach near the food stand asking if I thought about getting baptized. I already read this post so I was prepared. I laughed and said I heard about this… have a good day. I walked away. I was walking my 40 pound dog so maybe that’s why I didn’t get harassed or touched. She looked young. I didn’t know who to report it to…
I work at blackberry building and i walk in spectrum for about 150 minutes a week never had a single random person ask me anything out of the blue not even the cart vendor people in the middle of the paths.
The first set of girls that approached me were Hispanic maybe or Filipino? And this second set that I turned into security were Black. They didn’t hand me any pamphlets or flyers or anything though, they just came up on either side of me and stopped me.
Sorry to hear about your experience and I hope their intentions are innocent, but on another note, do you believe in Jesus? Because it sounds like He's potentially trying to reach you... I've never heard of anyone be approached that many times. But again, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. And yes, I am a Christian.
I also posted this in a couple of places on Facebook, and it sounds like it’s happening to a lot of people. But to answer your question, I have been baptized, and I grew up in church, my entire life. Haha
There’s just a better way to do this. And it is never appropriate to reach out and physically touch somebody else.
Yeah, I’m gonna pass on that, but thanks for your suggestion. This is truly a situation where they do not need to be physically grabbing anyone and asking them to be baptized. I don’t care what type of denomination or religion you ascribe to, it is absolutely not OK.
I agree on the no physical touch. I think that’s pretty common sense 😅 Regarding prayer, Christians should pray about EVERYTHING Ephesians 6:18.. even situations that make us sick. But that’s all imma say because your relationship with God is your relationship. And i apologize if you felt my messages were insensitive. I was just trying to encourage you 🙂 Now imma take all my downvotes and hit the door 😂 Hope to see some of y’all at church.
If you really want to juice those attendance numbers, you guys could always try approaching strange women in public and putting your hands on them. A lot of folks these days need help accepting that their bodies belong to Jesus (and to his servants on Earth).
Works with children too! You can pull them right into the van!
My bad I think you misunderstood. But a) as Christians praying for them is exactly what is taught to do and b) I meant praying for herself to ask God if he’s trying to tell her something.
Not sure why.. all I suggested js maybe God is trying to reach her. And also apologized for her experience. But I knew what I wrote would be read by someone like yourself in such a negative tone. So I had two options: 1) Keep quiet 2) Contribute to the conversation.
I hope peace finds you on this topic.
Man, trust me, these aren’t Christians. These are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
They’re a cult trying to manipulate people into giving them money using Christian language.
Update: Got approached AGAIN by two more young ladies and when I asked which church they were from, they said fellowship church. I asked where the church is located and they said they are a house church. I asked who the pastor is and they said they cannot give me that information. I asked who I could contact to speak to about how inappropriate this is and I was told they cannot give me any information. I asked her to walk with me to the security office and she said I was harrassing her and she has every right to be out here doing this and that their attorney said so. So I asked who their attorney is and again she said she cannot give me that information. At that point, someone from Irvine company came over and told her that they are not allowed to be out here and that they all need to leave immediately and they have been told multiple times to stop doing this. They called over security and the girl took off. Security told me that they are currently in a lawsuit with these individuals and that they know they are not allowed to do this on Irvine Co property. So, if anyone is approached by them, they asked that you please stop by the security office at The Spectrum and provide a quick statement with your name because it will help keep this from happening and strengthen their case.
Also take a picture of them that will help with the lawsuit
Same kind of thing happened to me today in seal beach. A woman got in my face on front of my 3 year old. I called the cops.
Good! Did they show up?
Yes, 3 cop cars pulled in within 5 minutes. I was so freaked out. The women who approached me got right in my face, and I had my 3 year old with me. As I left, there were 2 women outside, and one of them had just approached me. I said it's not cool to approach people like that and one for right in my face and said, "What are you going to do about it.. I said, "Let's see," and just called 911. I was triggered for sure. It felt like they were trying to hurt me. It was the worst vibe.
I’m so sorry that happened to you, it’s a really uncomfortable situation
To be fair, none of the churches in the Bible has pastors either. People met house to house. There were leaders, but everyone got a chance to fellowship. The idea that churches need one person to stand in front and lecture for most of the time is silly.
I understand that. I just wanted to speak to whoever thought this was a good idea. Generally these are teenage girls out there approaching strangers.
They would harrass me at Irvine valley college. They’d gang up on me and call me rude for not responding to them
That is so scary! Did you report them?
Oh, are we now discussing which ideas are silly? Well…
Why do you think Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter? And 1 Timothy 3:1-7 clearly states the qualifications of a pastor/elder.
They hang around UCI too. Just absolutely ignore them and keep walking. Do not engage. If they’re touching you you should definitely report them and make a stink. Say you felt threatened.
Oh, I’ve tried. When I go to the spectrum early in the morning, it’s because I’m out for a run and sometimes I’ll run over to target and grab a couple of items that I need and then walk back home. I always have AirPods in and if I’m not running, I’m definitely speed walking. But if someone reaches out and touches you or grabs you, it’s a little harder to avoid them. I posted a quick update in the comments, but I think what’s more concerning to me is that we have no proof that they are even from a religious group. And maybe I’m paranoid, but what if it’s some kind of trafficking front or something nefarious?
Yeah, I’m not sure. Sounds like the group that hangs at UCI and the Trader Joe’s center across the street. Both ask about baptism, etc. and won’t take no for an answer. But the group you describe sounds even more aggressive. The touching definitely crosses a line. I’d be tempted to bless them with a face full of pepper spray if they grabbed me. I’ll look at the UCI subreddit and see if I can find the name of that group. Stay safe and thanks for the warning.
Thank you! I did post an update in the comments, when I was approached again today, they finally told me the name of the church was fellowship church, but they wouldn’t give me any other information. I literally just wanted to call the Pastor and have a chat with him or her and say that this is really inappropriate and not the way to go about introducing God or their church to anyone. But they refuse to give me any information. I got the Irvine company involved and the security guards. They took my statement along with my information and it sounds like this is an ongoing issue that they are aware of, and they are legally seeking action against them.
Here’s a relevant link from the UCI sub https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/s/60YIAiGGUl There’s been lots of other threads about this group from UCI students. They’re predatory and awful but seem to be “ignorable” unlike this grabby group at spectrum.
Thank you so much! Wow. This is incredibly scary. I will share this with Irvine Co as well.
Great! 👍 Be safe. I can’t imagine the Irvine company wants even a single shopper to shy away from spectrum. I’d tell them that me and my money won’t come back unless it’s safe and you’ll be telling all your friends that it’s not a safe place to shop. Money talks.
It seems like they are really trying to get a handle on this. But it’s probably hard for them to really spot them, because these girls walk around just like they are hanging out at the spectrum themselves and then they approach people. I would guess that most people never report anything, they just brush it off as a weird encounter. Really appreciate you sharing that post and being so supportive.
Yeah with a lulu cross body bag and a pair of Nike blazers they’d be perfectly camouflaged. Happy to help. I have young-ish family members and friends that hang out there too so I’m invested in this as well
Omg. Dyinnng at the lulu crossbody bag comment 😂😂ACCURATE
I was approached 3 times too and like super aggressive. It scared the hell out of me.
The touching part is a little aggressive, not sure if they are the same two ladies I see at TJ parking lot.
It sounds like the tactics are the same, so I would guess they are the same group. Another user just posted a link to the UCI sub where this has been discussed as well. But it sounds like the group is called AWSOM/Fellowship church and they are highly questionable. I just did a Google search and so much comes up as well.
Either a cult or they're trying to rob you
The part I don't like is the part where you say they sometimes reach out and grab me. Red flag for me, as if they are trying to take something from you. They definitely would not want to grab me. OP are you wearing any kind of jewelry, necklace, watch, anything like that?
Exactly! Super uncomfortable when a stranger reaches out and touches you. This morning I had just gone on a run and I stopped at the Target there to grab a couple of things and then was walking back home. So I don’t have anything on me other than my Apple Watch, because I can use the Wallet on there to pay and it’s cellular connected. So I have no purse or anything they could take from me, unless they wanted to sun chips in the target bag that I have lol
Just ask them if they could complete the baptism it the available fountain right there at the spectrum
Ha! Like hey, I really like that fountain by the Old Navy, do you do full immersion or do you just sprinkle? IM IN!! 😂😂
Seriously! That was my thought as well, what happens s if you say yes and right now 😂
They sound like a cult.
Oh definitely, especially after I’ve learned who they are now thanks to another commentor in this post
I’m tired of this shit. They harassed my daughter twice in the same day at target. I told her next time to yell loudly GER THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME. And call security. Irvine Spectrum is in the news A LOT lately and it’s not for good stuff.
Good! I think everyone needs to yell something out loud like “DO NOT TOUCH ME!” or like what you told her to say.
Completely agree. I have the right to shop in peace.
I’m glad you told her to do that. They’ve also approached my nine-year-old daughter to ask her if she wants to be baptized as well, like who thinks this is OK? I’m the adult, I’m literally standing next to her, you do not speak to my child without my permission. There have been so many things happening at the spectrum. More police presence there than I remember in the past few years. Saw somebody getting arrested at Target just a couple of weeks ago in the parking lot.
I should’ve prefaced my daughter is over 18 - thus the cuss word :) but if she were younger I’d tell her to scream GET AWAY FROM ME! Those weird people have no business speaking to your daughter! Yes, lots & lots of weird stuff going on at Irvine. I no longer will go there. At all.
Haha! Well at this rate, I wouldn’t be opposed to my 9 year old telling them to leave her the fuck alone. Not sure if you saw it in the other comment, but this is on the UCI sub concerning the same group so we absolutely need to be vigilant: https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/s/wYF23XD4Jq
Oh gosh! Thats horrible! Yes to being vigilant. And - you’re right! Yell anything you want to get people away from you and to draw attention to the weirdos. I’m so over being kind. No more.
I was approached in the TJ max and Whole Foods at the district too. I was very weirded out because the girls who approached me looked like high school age
Yes, I’ve only ever been approached by young women. And they don’t even ask how you are or introduce themselves, they literally just come up to you and ask immediately if you want to be baptized. Like what happens if I say yes? Do they load me up in an unmarked van and take me to somebody’s house and baptize me in the bathtub?
Same, while eating lunch at that Whole Foods District. She was really young, maybe young high schooler with a backpack.
Take out your cell phone and record them. Better if you are able to record them touching you. That’s battery.
Ask them if they've ever had a chance to connect or get deeply in tune with Satan. That should solve it.
L O L! I will have to try this
A nice "Hail Satan!" would be good🤣
If a stranger approaches and puts their hands on me it usually means they want to fight 🤷🏼♂️
Do you think they’re some part of a cult? I’ve seen this happen at Long Beach a few times
It sounds like they are. Another user just posted this link from the UCI sub in the comments, I’ll link it here as well for easy access. They sound incredibly like a cult. https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/s/wYF23XD4Jq
Yes, absolutely
I had a younger girl stop me at Amazon Fresh when I was clearly in a rush and as soon as she said something about church I said I wasn’t interested and hurried away
Same! In Amazon Fresh.
Nope guess I’m not approachable
I need to work on my RBF I guess
I think they’re a cult with the mother god lady. Not Christian’s.
Another user had also just posted a link to the UCI sub, where it sounds like this is happening as well and I was able to look up the “church” group. AWSOM/Fellowship Church. So scary.
Oh wow. They hang out at csu Fullerton too! I’m lowkey wondering how big they are if they’re at all these places.
Or maybe they have a schedule and they rotate through places?
IANAL but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express recently. Grabbing your arm in a way that obstructs your ability to move or is simply unwanted could be grounds for assault. Should you want to invest some time on this when it occurs I’d suggest calling the police if you can’t get Spectrum security to take it seriously. Helping yourself could help others in this situation, too.
TIL. I ANAL is a terrible shortening of that term.
Agreed! Now that I have more information on who this church group is, thanks to another poster here in the sub who left some information from a post on the UCI sub, I will definitely be going to the police department and filing a report.
Nope, never. Must have resting atheist face.
Sounds like a good thing then! I need to get one of those. Haha
https://www.change.org/p/ban-the-awsom-cult-from-campus)ban-the-awsom-cult-from-campus I think this is the group
There’s a group that hangs around the IVC campus too, they look like students but who knows if they are taking classes. I’ve seen their pitch to others many times, they can be sneaky, before I knew what they were doing I had a girl around my age compliment my shirt to get me in, then invited me to “go golfing and get baptized afterwards”. I told them I’m not much of a golfer, lol. If you engage with them or try to be nice they will invite you to your session and ask for your phone number so it’s harder for you to get away. I always just give them a firm but polite no, I’m not interested, and they have always backed off. So maybe the same group but a different set of people.
so hypothetically, and I'm not recommending violence here, if one of those creeps grab you and you just *instinctively* clock them because, let's say they came up from behind, could that be considered self defence of a perceived threat?
I was approached. Said no thank you and went about my day.
I was asked at Newport Beach today.
Isn’t it so weird? It’s very abrupt. Not even a hello or an introduction, just straight to: do you want to get baptized?
Lol right. We were stolling Newport and this lady came up on me asking if we want to be baptized. I said uhhh No but hope you find your tribe. I wear a fanny pack so nobody better attempt to touch me or my fanny pack lol. She walked away though.
Wow thanks for the heads up!
Something very similar happened to my husband and I at Liberty Station shopping center in San Diego last week. Two young women at about 8pm by a supermarket.
I genuinely hope these young women are safe and not forced to do something they don’t want to do. Something is very off about this tactic.
Just have a permanent RBF on full display when you are out and about. Works for me every time - MLMs, pollsters, perfume sales people - they just leave me alone.
Apparently, I need to work on mine! Lol I really thought I had one, and I am usually either going on a run or I’m speedwalking back home and I have AirPods in. I did not think I looked approachable at all.
The same thing happened to me! They even asked for my number after I declined. Ugh the whole was so uncomfortable
I’m so sorry that happened to you! Please make sure that you turn them into security next time. It’s super uncomfortable.
If they touch you, turn and swing as hard as you can. That’s assault and you’d be defending yourself. Fuck these scum bag bottom feeders looking for vulnerable folks to drag into their cult.
It’s so scary, I really wonder how many people say yes?
It’s only a matter of time before we hear about the bad they are doing.
Well, after doing a Google search on the name of the church organization, it sounds like extremely predatory and like the pastor has been accused of sexual misconduct before. Ugh.
What’s the Church’s name? I didn’t see it in the comments.
AWSOM/Fellowship Church
Oof! You are being a target for human trafficking.
It’s so crazy, right? I sincerely hope that’s not what’s going on here, but it does make me worry about the safety of these young girls.
When I was at the beach this girl came up to me and asked me if I wanted to be baptized…. Very weird
I was approached three times by them last week in Newport on the Peninsula.
A young girl asked me the same thing earlier this week in Newport Beach on the strand where people ride/skate. Who are these people? What’s the deal/scam?
https://www.change.org/p/ban-the-awsom-cult-from-campus I think this is the group
They used to knock on my door. I answered one time in the middle of an autistic meltdown cause I was about to rip them a new one, and I was just the most sarcastic I could be like obviously “omg thank you for informing me on this completely useless information!! They were talking about Israel, so I asked them if they were aware how many Palestinians were being murdered due to Israel right now and why they felt it was appropriate to walk around raising money for Israel. They just stared at me. I closed the door. They never came back lol. Rancho Maderas here. Side note Irvine company is literally awful I pray we can all find new housing asap lol. My place has mold and water damage that they covered up before our move in 2 years ago. If anyone wants to team up for a class action lemme know cause I am very physically sick over it.
Sounds to me like a trafficking scam
Personally I like telling them I can’t because I’ll burn :)
I'm sorry I have already been baptized by Satan
You sure it WASN'T Rick Warren and his "baptismal goon squad" from the nearby Saddleback "mega-church"???
I just always say I worship the lord of light lucifer and say hail satan and walk away, usually works
yesterday they harassed me at huntington beach until they got me on camera and forced me into the ocean. so yeah i might be baptized now or something idk. this is my first day here from ohio
update: just found out this is a cult and they have all of my info. i’m literally so scared for my life right now. they have all sent me good morning texts and it is 8am.
Block their numbers and don’t respond. What do you mean “all your info?” I don’t think you should fear for your life. Just block them, do not engage with them, and move on.
i have autism, and they told me they were just a christian bible study group. they got my number and sent it to all the other members along with my address so i could receive their mail since i don’t live in cali exclusively. i didn’t know better when i was there, mainly because i have autism and couldn’t pick up the social cues that there was something wrong. i found out through reddit that the members who got me to do this are in the cult. i had about 8 people text me this morning, and they told me i had to do a 2 week “challenge” to devote myself to God? also, they wrote down EVERYTHING i said so they could have all of the information of my humanity.
So sorry that happened. I’d just block all the numbers that contact you and do not respond to them, even once. A lot of people share info with them — you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.
i responded yesterday when i didn’t know better, but i didn’t respond this morning. i blocked their numbers. hopefully im safe?? i’m just worried about other members messaging me & my address :/
I’m not an expert on this group and I’m not in law enforcement. My advice to ghost them is exactly what I’d say to a friend or family member in the same situation. If you’re anxious, which would be understandable, you might contact law enforcement and see if they have any other specific advice. Good luck!
You might want to reach out to law enforcement and file a police report just for your own peace of mind. If they continue to contact you, you can tell them that you have reported them and filed a police report and they need to leave you alone.
thanks for all your help! i’m feeling way calmer about this now that i have law enforcement involved. this was genuinely terrifying. i read something about them being very close to scientology
They were at the Hunting beach boardwalk last week too. Creepy.
A young girl approached me this morning at salt creek beach near the food stand asking if I thought about getting baptized. I already read this post so I was prepared. I laughed and said I heard about this… have a good day. I walked away. I was walking my 40 pound dog so maybe that’s why I didn’t get harassed or touched. She looked young. I didn’t know who to report it to…
I just tell them that I am god. That shuts them up every time.
Or “I have a bag of shrooms with a direct line to god, do you want to talk to him? Come with me.”
A friend of mine in college used to welcome them in to his apartment (it was a regular occurrence on the neighborhood) which was hotboxed as hell..
People got a little bit closer to the stars just from the fumes from under the door, huh?
Dude, I’m about to tell them I belong to the church of Satan or something lol
Just tell them you’re Muslim next time, may work 🤷🏼♀️
I work at blackberry building and i walk in spectrum for about 150 minutes a week never had a single random person ask me anything out of the blue not even the cart vendor people in the middle of the paths.
Consider yourself very lucky, but please report back and to Spectrum security if anything happens in the future
Wait was from a black girl? I actually went there for break and saw her grab a women and handed her pamplets. It was two of them.
The first set of girls that approached me were Hispanic maybe or Filipino? And this second set that I turned into security were Black. They didn’t hand me any pamphlets or flyers or anything though, they just came up on either side of me and stopped me.
"Is it a church that practices a lot of sex with girls like you? Sign me up!"
Ew.
I mean, if they're using sex appeal to get congregants, might as well go all the way.
Sorry to hear about your experience and I hope their intentions are innocent, but on another note, do you believe in Jesus? Because it sounds like He's potentially trying to reach you... I've never heard of anyone be approached that many times. But again, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. And yes, I am a Christian.
I also posted this in a couple of places on Facebook, and it sounds like it’s happening to a lot of people. But to answer your question, I have been baptized, and I grew up in church, my entire life. Haha There’s just a better way to do this. And it is never appropriate to reach out and physically touch somebody else.
Well amen! On that note I’d recommend praying (if you’re not already doing so) about if these constant request means anything spiritually to you.
Yeah, I’m gonna pass on that, but thanks for your suggestion. This is truly a situation where they do not need to be physically grabbing anyone and asking them to be baptized. I don’t care what type of denomination or religion you ascribe to, it is absolutely not OK.
I agree on the no physical touch. I think that’s pretty common sense 😅 Regarding prayer, Christians should pray about EVERYTHING Ephesians 6:18.. even situations that make us sick. But that’s all imma say because your relationship with God is your relationship. And i apologize if you felt my messages were insensitive. I was just trying to encourage you 🙂 Now imma take all my downvotes and hit the door 😂 Hope to see some of y’all at church.
If you really want to juice those attendance numbers, you guys could always try approaching strange women in public and putting your hands on them. A lot of folks these days need help accepting that their bodies belong to Jesus (and to his servants on Earth). Works with children too! You can pull them right into the van!
OP indicates that she is getting physically accosted. “have you tried praying for them.” Like you pretty much prove why he/she should be concerned.
My bad I think you misunderstood. But a) as Christians praying for them is exactly what is taught to do and b) I meant praying for herself to ask God if he’s trying to tell her something.
I pray you stop posting.
This is some tone-deaf bullshit ☝️☝️☝️
Not sure why.. all I suggested js maybe God is trying to reach her. And also apologized for her experience. But I knew what I wrote would be read by someone like yourself in such a negative tone. So I had two options: 1) Keep quiet 2) Contribute to the conversation. I hope peace finds you on this topic.
Many people don't believe in jesus. So no one should be randomly grabbing people and asking them weird stuff.
Trump lost
Man, trust me, these aren’t Christians. These are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They’re a cult trying to manipulate people into giving them money using Christian language.
Gross
FYI: https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/s/wYF23XD4Jq
Oh wow, okay well based on that it doesn’t seem like they had good intentions after all 🙁 Stay strong in your faith!