The Holmes Family: July/August '12

Our 3rd Annual Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism (SMITE) was held at the end of August with 120 young people attending from 9 churches; they were taught in the mornings and were sent out in the afternoons to conduct 15 Bible clubs where over 1000 children were enrolled and more than 400 were individually dealt with for salvation. We are thankful for the help from SMITE in Louisiana and the great efforts from Pastor Sonny McGuffee and Pastor Jared Decker to make this possible [they are pictured with Pastor Israel Thompsons, who will be teaching with me next year in the seminary].

The Saturday before our youth camp, the first commencement of Providence Baptist College and Seminary was held for 14 graduates [12 pictured]. Please be in prayer for several who have already started churches, others who are helping with churches, and a unique ministry that has started, which will have one of our graduates going to a church plant for at least six months to start a Bible institute and serve with the pastor. The potential success of this program may open many more opportunities for him to do the same ministry in other churches.

Last year, my pastor sent a letter to our supporting churches and other contacts with the purpose of raising funds to help us build a house for our family. We are excited about the progress of the work, as shown by the picture below, and hope to be in the house by Christmas. Several contributions from those who received the letter, a timely loan through our sending church, and a sizeable offering sent by Toledo Bend Bible Baptist Church (Anacoco, Louisiana) allowed us to purchase the land with cash, complete the foundation with walls and fencing, and be ready for the roof next month. At this time, I wish to make a plea for the finishing of the house. Once we conclude the roofing, there will still be the necessary plastering of the walls, installing of electrical and plumbing, tiling of all the floors, and fitting of windows and doors. Any contribution you could make towards this (to our mission board address) will be a great help to us. Sabrina and I truly appreciate the donations we have received thus far, and we thank you for considering this need again. It is thrilling for us to see the delight from our church members here and many of those familiar with our ministry as they express their gladness for our taking this step to ensure that we will be in Nigeria for years to come.

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. 35 churches have been started by those who have been trained or ordained by their ministry, including one of the most recent, Grace & Glory Baptist Church in Abuja, in which the Holmes family is also involved. 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, an annual youth camp, a full curriculum DVD correspondence college, and the City of Refuge 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

July/August '12

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