The Holmes Family: May/June '22

The main reason for this furlough, Joseph’s high school graduations, took place during the third week of May after a brief “senior trip” in our nation’s capital upon our arrival from Nigeria. Mark Joseph, Jr. [pictured with our sending pastor] walked with Abeka Academy and also took part in our sending church’s school graduation. On the second day of May, I was happy to receive my Master of Education degree from West Coast Baptist College through their online program. Our family took the opportunity to have a vacation in California that week, including revisiting the area where Sabrina and I honeymooned over twenty years ago. In the middle of the month, our family enjoyed time in Houston with Sabrina’s father and his family.

Our furlough travels have been productive for the ministry and pleasant for my wife and kids. I have taken solo trips to Florida, North Carolina, and Iowa [host pastor and guest preachers pictured] to preach missions conferences and emphasis days. Our kids have taken part in the Summer Missionary Institute for Training and Evangelism in Louisiana, along with three weeks of Bible club blitzes, and different members of our family traveled for junior camp and youth camp with Sabrina’s home church in Baton Rouge. Sabrina and I were thrilled to travel alone to take part in three mid-week services and a training class for Vision Baptist Missions in the Atlanta area at the end of June.

In my absence, our Nigerian staff completed the 3rd Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism in Kumasi, partnering with FBMI’s Ghana Team. Also, in partnership with our new missionaries, our deacons and staff have conducted several big days in Truth Baptist: Police Appreciation Sunday with 30 visiting officers [pictured], Friends of the Deaf Anniversary with over 20 visitors, the church’s 16th Anniversary with many special activities, and a Friend Day with around 115 guests! For Grace & Glory Baptist, a Family and Father’s Day brought many visitors, our first Vacation Bible School is scheduled, and a month-long Sunday School program has promoted outreach and faithfulness.

As this prayer letter is being written, I have sent off the money needed to buy the materials to add the roof to the second floor [pictured] of our Providence Baptist College & Seminary. God has allowed for most of that money to be raised during our furlough, and we are trusting him for the $8000 remaining to pay for labor and any remaining materials. Our mission board still has a special page for this project if you wish to learn more: fbmi.org/mpg/holmes.

Missionary Ted Speer included and update on Ghana S.M.I.T.E. in the following prayer letter:

One aspect of Missionary Mark Holmes’ ministry is training young people how to evangelize children through the use of Bible Clubs. This training ministry is called SMITE, which stands for “Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism.” Camps are held to train teens and young adults how to conduct these Bible Clubs. Mornings are filled with teaching and training. In the afternoons of the camp, the campers go out, organized by groups, to conduct Bible Clubs in the local neighborhoods. In the evenings, they have singing, games, and preaching. Camps are held yearly, and there are different levels of instruction based upon how many years a camper has participated.

In 2018, our church first partnered with Missionary Mark Holmes’ ministry to conduct a SMITE camp in Ghana. This was a great help to our church and to all who participated. We held our second SMITE camp the following year. Due to COVID restrictions, we were unable to host a SMITE camp in 2020 or 2021. But then last month, we had the joy of conducting our third SMITE camp. Brother Holmes sent three men from Nigeria to help us conduct the camp: Pastor Adewale Adesina, Pastor Peter Akinwumi, and Evangelist Babatunde Ajayi. Our team missionaries, Charles Osgood and Micah Christiansen, were also involved in the teaching. Brother Osgood and our staff man, Stephen Opoku, helped organize the entire week.

Seventy-one of our own teens and young adults attended SMITE camp. They were joined by 39 more campers from Lighthouse Baptist Church in Tema, pastored by Missionary Fredrick Kearney, and from three of our daughter churches, which are led by our graduates Jonas Osei-Owusu, Rexford Aning, and Kingsley Addai. In the afternoons, these 100 campers divided into teams and conducted 18 Bible Clubs all throughout the community. Because of their efforts, about 971 children attended the various clubs, and 427 children made professions of faith. In one of the featured images above is one of the campers, Felicia Owusuwaah, with some of the children who have started coming to our church as a result of one Bible Club held during SMITE camp.

In addition to God blessing the efforts of these campers, He also worked in their hearts during the week. Many of the campers made life-changing decisions for the Lord. Several Bible Clubs have already been started as a result of the training that was received. Thank you for your continued prayers!

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

May/June '22

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