The Holmes Family: January/February '20

In the last decade, Providence Baptist College & Seminary and Temple Baptist Institute have averaged conducting a graduation every two years. Another one of these special occasions occurred on the 11th of January, with twenty-one students from both schools [seminary staff and graduates pictured] receiving diplomas, degrees, and certificates. We were honored to have as the guest preacher, Missionary Ted Speer [pictured with Ms. Pat and our correspondence college graduates]—the pastor of Fundamental Baptist Church International of Kumasi, the host of our Ghana Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism, and my good friend in the ministry. Just before the commencement, seventeen students (including three new ones) attended the orientation to begin the twentieth semester of our seminary.

When we had our first Soul-Winning & Leadership Conference in 2008, I only hoped that we could continue to have it every year in Abuja. Because the Lord has allowed several of our thirteen different keynote speakers to make multiple visits, various doors have been opened for us to bring the conference to other influential churches. The largest of these, as far as the number of independent Baptist churches represented, is a Pastors’ & Workers’ Conference [evening service pictured] at Faith Baptist Church of Ogbomoso with Missionary Timothy Ojo. Over fifty Bible-believing churches had pastors, staff, or members attending the third annual meeting, where the guest preachers were Evangelist Jeff Walters of America for Christ and Missionary Evangelist Don Wattenbarger of Bibles Beyond Boundaries. During the first two weeks of February, these two men preached with two great national missionaries in Ogbomoso and then joined me to Aba for another conference at Trinity Baptist Church, pastored by George Kamalu. We preached in three independent Baptist churches on Sunday and welcomed ten pastors to the services on Monday and Tuesday. Evangelists Walters and Wattenbarger ministered in multiple schools during their visit and saw hundreds raise their hand for salvation.

On this blog, please take a look at our 2020 Conference and Camp Schedule. Also, our mission board recently helped us announce a building project that will expand our college dormitories, give us needed Sunday school and meeting space, and make it more feasible for our church to start a Christian day school. Please go to fbmi.org/holmes/biblecollegebuildingproject for more details.

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 '20

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