The Holmes Family: January/February '13

20 March 2013

The dateline on this update is significant to our family for it is the day we moved into our new house! The ten-month process of building a home that we could own in Abuja has been trying, yet we have been aided along the way with skilled men within our membership, generous offerings of supporting churches, and invaluable help from our sending church. Our seminary students and some volunteer church members helped us to get all our belongings from the rental house in a single day, and several from Truth Baptist Church have blessed us with housewarming gifts.

The first two months of this year were also momentous as on the 8th of January we welcomed thirteen new students to our seminary, including the first four female students. Two of the ladies are members of our church, and the two from other cities are living in a separate quarters on our property and helping my wife in the house when they are not in classes. The seminary also has the following new teachers: Missionary Pastor Israel Thompsons, a dear friend who has preached with me in our pastors’ conference and has the only monthly publication amongst our independent Baptists in Nigeria, and Bro. Adewale Adesina, who is interning with us upon recommendation of his pastor and is a graduate of the only other full-time college in our movement.

In the middle of February, we welcomed back a young evangelist from the U.S. who, in late 2011, had helped one of our graduates to start a church in a neighboring state. This time he returned to purchase land for the church and lay down plans for an auditorium. The weekend before moving into our house, I traveled down to meet our visitor in Ugba, Benue State, to conduct the ordination for Pastor Victor Acka at New Hope Baptist Church [with me in the video above]. I had the adventure of baptizing several in the Benue River after the service, and we also took some time to conduct an outreach service in Bro. Acka’s home village near Ugba, where he hopes to start a church in the near future. Please join with us to continue praying for our church plants all throughout Nigeria and also for the school that is helping to equip another group of men for further church planting.

Below is a video that was used by Bro. Pete Cavanaugh, the "young evangelist" referenced above, to raise the funds for the property and future building in Ugba. (Note: we do realize there are other New Testament churches throughout Nigeria and in Benue State; however, it is significant that New Hope was the first independent Baptist church, that we know of, which was started in the state.)

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

January/February '13

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