Baptist Women Accuse Church Leadership of Illegal Land Sele, Church Denies Allegations 

Monrovia – The Liberia Baptist Women Missionary Union has accused the leadership of the Liberia Baptist Mission & Educational Convention of illegally leasing the church’s property to a foreign national, a claim the church leadership has denied, calling it false and misleading. 

Over the weekend, the women gathered at the national headquarters of the Liberia Baptist Mission & Educational Convention in Congo Town to protest the alleged lease of the church’s property. 

Addressing reporters during the demonstration, the President of the Liberia Baptist Women Missionary Union, Madam Marion Grace Wesseh, alleged that the church leadership had leased a portion of the property for 20 years to a foreign national for US$26,250. She argued that the deal undermines the integrity and purpose of the property, which she described as essential for the church’s future. 

“It has come to our attention that our lone property has been leased for 20 years,” Madam Wesseh stated. “We wrote to the Executive Committee and the President of the Baptist Church urging them not to lease the land, but our concerns were ignored.” 

Women Decry Continued Property Sales 

Madam Wesseh lamented that this is not the first-time church property has been sold. She warned that further loss of assets would jeopardize the church’s legacy and deprive its youth and children of critical resources for the future. 

“We have come to inform the people of Liberia and members of the Baptist Mission that our property has been sold. If you enter the compound, you’ll see construction ongoing, including four 44-foot containers already on the site,” she claimed. 

Dressed in matching yellow t-shirts and black trousers, the women held placards expressing their disappointment in the church leadership, specifically targeting the President of the church, Rev. Samuel Reeves, and the Executive Secretary, Rev. Morris Siah. 

The women accused the two leaders of allowing foreign nationals to erect structures on church premises without proper consultation. They vowed to involve the church’s four auxiliaries—men, women, youth, and Sunday school—to protect the property. 

Calls for Emergency Action 

With the church’s annual convention scheduled for February 2025, Madam Wesseh emphasized the urgency of their protest. She criticized the Elder Council, headed by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, for failing to resolve the issue. 

“We gave Rev. Samuel Reeves and his associates two weeks to address our concerns, but they failed to respond. Since October 29, 2024, Rev. Reeves has not engaged with us regarding our request,” she said. 

The women called on Rev. Reeves to convene an emergency board meeting before the convention to resolve the matter. 

 Church Leadership Denies Allegations 

In response, Executive Secretary Rev. Morris Siah dismissed the allegations as baseless, stating that they were intended to disrupt the church’s upcoming convention. 

“At no time did the church leadership sell or lease land to any foreigner,” Rev. Siah said. “These allegations are false and only meant to tarnish the image of the church.” 

Investigation Underway 

FrontPageAfrica observed that the property in question, located opposite former President Charles Taylor’s residence in Congo Town, is undergoing construction, with a fence erected and containers placed on-site.