Descendant of Slaves Reclaims Family Land in Mississippi

Property will be home to World Baptism Mission, Inc. headquarters and slavery museum.

Greenville, Mississippi (PRWEB) July 3, 2005 -- Charles Beauford, founder of World Baptism Mission, Inc. is in the process of reclaiming an acre of property owned by his great-great grandfather, Fleming Groom, a former slave. The property will be used for the relocation of Beaufords World Baptism Mission, Inc. headquarters and construction of a commemorative museum honoring the sons and daughters of slaves.

Over a century ago, Fleming Groom became a free man. With that freedom, the former slave obtained the 80-acre plantation hed worked on all his life. The plantation remained in the familys possession for years. Beauford himself was raised there until he was 15.

Though 79 acres has since been sold, Beaufords great-great grandfather donated one acre to the Sunrise Missionary Baptist Church on Wilmont Road in Greenville. When the church relocated just over 20 years ago, that acre of land, as the deed required, became the property of Grooms heirs.

Beauford and his wife, Melinda, are now in the process of reclaiming the property and relocating from Mirmar, Florida to Greenville, Mississippi.

One half of the reclaimed acre of land will become home to The Mattie and Fleming Groom and Morman Museum, which will honor the sons and daughters of slaves. Beauford and his family are now collecting artifacts, photos and other items to display about the experiences of individuals and families who once lived on the property as slaves.

The other half-acre will accommodate the headquarters for World Baptism Mission, Inc., which Beauford founded in 2000. The organizations mission is simple: to baptize the world.

World Baptism Mission, Inc. collects baptismal waters from various locations around the world, including the Jordan River, where Christ was baptized.

By offering baptism in emergency rooms, intensive care units, AIDS camps, and prisons, World Baptism Mission, Inc. works to bring baptism to people who are ill, near-death, confined, or otherwise incapable of traveling to baptismal locations on their own.

World Baptism Mission, Inc. is currently organizing a mission to the All Saints AIDS Camp in Nassau, Bahamas where the organization will spend three days counseling the AIDS-stricken residents, raising awareness of the Camp and its needs, and baptizing those individuals who wish to be baptized.

The retreat, which will take place from July 23 to 25, 2005, will close on the heels of the International AIDS Societys (IAS) 3rd Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where 6,000 health and science experts will gather to discuss the global responses to HIV and AIDS, identify continued scientific challenges, and feature the latest developments in HIV treatments.

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