The Holmes Family: January/February '08

March 7, 2008

Last night was the final service of the first ever week-long gathering among our four independent Baptist churches in Abuja. Truth Baptist Church conducted a Revival Meeting with missionary-evangelist Yinka Fasinro, who has newly arrived from the states to begin his full-time ministry in Nigeria. Our church showed their excitement on the very first night by setting a new record for Sunday evening attendance with 98 present. The next four nights were capped off by a crowd of 180 at our Thursday mid-week service as three sister churches brought vanloads of their members to be a part of the conference. In the thirty-three months of being here, I’ve never experienced a better spirit than we had for the preaching, praying, and singing during this first week in March.

During the revival, Missionary Ron Gensaw and I brought the evangelist to a village church with two recently added chapels that have been growing. It was a two-hour drive through dirt roads [and creeks, on video] to reach the first village. The results were worth the trip, however, as Bro. Fasinro was able to baptize 27 that had been saved through the outreach ministries.

At the beginning of last month, I traveled eight hours to Ogbomoso with the two independent Baptist national pastors in our city where I was privileged to conduct the 4th Anniversary

Service for another national pastor. The day after, a pastors’ fellowship was planned, and I was able to preach to over twenty pastors after telling them about our work and future ministries. My goal is to schedule a meeting like this at least once a month to encourage our Nigerian pastors and also “spread the word” about our Bible College plans.

With the success of our Revival Meeting, our church members are already anticipating the other conferences we have planned for this year. I had a church calendar printed mainly to serve as a reminder for our faithful folks to pray for the ministries and upcoming Pastors’ School (July), Missions Conference (August), and Music School & Revival (November). My family is definitely looking forward to hosting the

American pastors and evangelists who will be coming for those meetings. The kids [pictured] and I have already been encouraged by the good news we received from Sabrina’s doctor about last month's appendectomy (the test results showed that the procedure was definitely needed), and she is feeling much better.

Who We Are

Mark Joseph Holmes was called to the ministry at the age of fifteen, five years after he was saved. He went to Hyles-Anderson College to receive his training and graduated summa cum laude in 2000 with a degree in Pastoral Theology. During Mark’s senior year, God placed on his heart the desire to reach the people of Nigeria, so he spent an extra year in preparation by taking missions courses. Mark served on the same bus route each college year, as captain for three years.

Sabrina Michelle (Hopkins) was saved at the age of eight and surrendered her life to God five years later. While at Hyles-Anderson College studying music education, she served in the Bible Club and deaf ministry and also traveled one summer with a tour group. After graduation with a Music Education degree, during the year before their wedding, Sabrina taught fourth grade at her home church’s Christian school—Central Baptist in Baton Rouge.

As newlyweds, Mark and Sabrina served at their sending church where Mark oversaw the bus ministry and helped in the youth department, Sunday schools, and junior churches. He was privileged to start a children's church and young adult class during his two years of service, and he also regularly preached at a prison ministry and taught for a local Bible institute. Sabrina taught private piano for two Christian schools; she played often in the church services and also taught the beginner Sunday school class. Mark and Sabrina started full-time deputation at the end of May, 2003. Mark Joseph, Junior was born on December 4th of the same year.

In June of 2005, the Holmes family began their first term as Fundamental Baptist Missions International missionaries in Nigeria. Soon, Truth Baptist Church along with Temple Baptist Institute was started, the church now averaging 220 on Sundays with 42 graduates from the ministry training school. Property with buildings was purchased, and Providence Baptist College & Seminary opened its doors in August 2009 and has now produced 30 graduates. Over 30 churches have been started by those who have been trained or ordained by their ministry, including the most recent, Grace & Glory Baptist Church in Abuja. Mark and Sabrina have returned to the U.S. for the birth of:

Victoria Noel 12/14/05

Brian Michael 8/20/07

Noah Preston 2/3/12

LaDonna Elizabeth 7/3/14

For nearly a decade, Truth Baptist Church has been the home of a national pastors' conference and annual youth camp; a full curriculum DVD correspondence college recently became their newest ministry.

Where We Are

The Niger River is Nigeria’s most remarkable physical feature, as well as the source of its name. Formerly a British colony, Nigeria gained its independence in 1960 and became an independent nation of three culturally distinctive regions and at least 250 different language groups—more than any other African country. Home of the world’s largest black population, it is estimated that almost one out of every six Africans resides in Nigeria.

Upon independence, Nigeria inherited a currency that was more valuable than the U.S. dollar at the time. Yet the country has consumed itself with the sell of oil and other natural resources and all but abandoned its agricultural sector, leading to Nigeria’s diminished currency value and heightened reliance upon imports and aide from other countries. Military coups, ethnic tensions, a thirty month “civil war” that claimed over a million lives, and economic corruption have been the driving forces behind Nigeria’s instability of the last forty years. In 1998 a democracy was established, ending fifteen years of military rule.

Baptists have enjoyed a presence in the country for over 150 years with the Southern Baptists growing their own national convention and an estimated Baptist population numbering more than 3.5 million people; the former President of Nigeria was a claimed Baptist. However, Muslim influences are growing greater, indigenous beliefs are still popular, and many existing Baptist churches have abandoned biblical doctrines. There is a great need to reach the rest of the more than 170 million people of Africa’s most populous and possibly most influential nation.

The Holmes Family

January/February '08

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