The Holmes Family: November/December '23

In four out of the last five years, we have been privileged to conduct six pastors’ conferences in the three main regions of Nigeria. The last two conferences of 2023 were completed successfully at the beginning of November in the cities of Port Harcourt and Ibadan with the help of two great host churches and our guest missionary evangelists, Jim Belisle with FBMI [pictured teaching a church workers' sesssion] and Denton Bell with International World Wide Evangelism.

Every once in a while, the Lord allows us to have visitors just for our family and to remind us of all the sensations we first experienced when we came to Nigeria nearly 19 years ago. Such was the case hosting the Fitzpatrick family in the middle of November. Kyle [pictured speaking at Truth Baptist] was one of my members in a young adult Sunday School class that Sabrina and I started at our sending church before we began deputation; he and his wife, Emily, are friends with whom we do not fail to get together during every furlough, and their son, Silas, became fast friends with our Noah on this trip. We had a wonderful time fellowshipping together and introducing them to fellow missionaries, two churches, seminary students, children’s Bible classes and clubs, and our academy.

Just after Thanksgiving, I was able to make a brief trip to the U.S. to help my brother to move our mother [pictured with Joseph in her new place] into an assisted-living apartment in Gulfport. This was something that had been “in the works” for several months but was hastened by a fall that Mom took in the beginning of November. We’re thankful that she was not wounded, that she has a great long-term care policy, and that we’ve already seen improvements from a few previous injuries through a physical therapy program that is much more convenient from her new apartment. I returned a couple of weeks before Christmas, in time to take part in the cantatas at both of our churches, share in two staff fellowship meals, conduct the Christmas Day service at Truth Baptist, have a New Year’s Day barbecue with Grace & Glory Baptist, and enjoy a multi-day hotel stay for a family vacation.

For nearly two years, the co-pastor at Grace & Glory Baptist and faculty at our seminary, Adewale Adesina, has been partnering with Robert Smith, former missionary in Nigeria serving in Barbados, to raise funds for every independent Baptist church in Nigeria to receive a three-year illustrated Sunday school curriculum that we are printing “in house” through Pastor Adewale’s Great Company Multimedia. Miraculously, at $180 per set, 97 churches have joyously received the teaching material [a recipient, one of our graduates, pictured]. There are at least 20 more churches, who are represented annually in our pastors’ conferences and youth camps, that we would like to assist with your help and support. View Bro. Smith’s video www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YeepDRO1pI (testimony of project begins at 2:15), or get in touch with me for more details.

Missionary Evangelist Doug Neary of A Look at the Book Ministries, details the investment he made in a recent container of Bibles that was sent our way:

During my last Nigeria trip, I was able to visit with Pastor Mark Holmes in Abuja, Nigeria. Paster Holmes told me about a ministry in Statesboro, GA that sends him a container every year. I told him that I could send Bibles if I knew when the next container was being sent. In October, Pastor Holmes called and said that Direct Line Ministry was ready to order the container and that if I wanted to send Bibles, I could. I felt led to order 25 cases of Bibles from Bibles by Bulk and have them shipped to me with free shipping. Each case contained 24 Bibles and cost $120.00 per case. In total, we received 600 Bibles for a total cost of $3,000.00. We have a separate Bible fund and we had received monies towards that fund. During our trip to Nigeria, we divided these funds and gave a portion to each of the cites that I visited. Once we received the Bibles, my wife and I loaded them in our van and took them to Statesboro, GA. We are still able to receive used Bibles to ship to Nigeria. Your gift towards the fund or Bibles (used or new) are much appreciated in our goal to spread the Word to the people of Nigeria.

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

November/December '23

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