The Holmes Family: September/October '24

Through our affiliation with Christian Media International, we have been operating a fully equipped audio/video studio in the southwest region of Nigeria for three years and are now televising seven weekly Gospel programs in six languages. As a way for CMI to fulfill humanitarian efforts through missionary partners, Impact Others explores more unique ways to spread the message of salvation. Working with Impact Others, multiple widows’ meetings have been conducted, often bringing in over 200 ladies for a Gospel message and a gift of various foods and toiletries; furthermore, the ministry of benevolence has funded a new business for several of these ladies to help support their families. An orphanage with which we partner has received assistance through IO, and, recently, we were given support to enable three churches to do boreholes on their properties; as a result of these mechanized wells, not only is clean water provided to parishioners but also a tap is opened for the public to use, and we are regularly hearing testimonies of people gladly listening to the Gospel and receiving Christ when they come to freely draw water from the church. At the end of September, one of the beneficiary churches held a commissioning service [pictured] in our honor to thank CMI for their new borehole. Also, Sabrina and I had the privilege to make a quick trip to Egypt [dinner along the Nile, pictured below] in the middle of October to see more Impact Others projects with CMI’s founder and their CFO.

In the middle of September, my son Brian and I honored the invitation for me to preach the missions conference at Colorado Springs Baptist Church. Pastor Jason Brockman and I were roommates during my freshman year at Hyles-Anderson College, and we have kept in touch for nearly thirty years. I hardly saw Brian throughout our week in the U.S., as he thoroughly enjoyed himself with the pastor’s family and the church’s youth group, while I had several great opportunities to fellowship with men of God during meals and church services [missionaries pictured with the pastor]. We went home with suitcases full of gifts and snacks, checks for our building projects, and delightful meditations of a friendship rekindled and potential partnerships established.

Truth Baptist Church’s working relationship with Port Harcourt Independent Baptist Church provided the remaining highlights of the last two months. Just days after the S.M.I.T.E. at PHIBC, our TBC members and seminary students conducted a Vacation Bible School during the second week of September before schools here began a new year. A high attendance of over 500 was recorded during the three-day event. Two of our longtime members were married [ceremony pictured] on the third Saturday in October, and, on the third Sunday of October, as the founder of Truth Baptist, I encouraged our members to hold the first ever Appreciation Day for the three pastors on our church staff. Each Sunday School class came up with their own gift and presentation at the end of the Sunday morning service; the great participation of the church and obvious delight in the pastors has ensured that this day will become an annual tradition at TBC. A Soul Winning and Leadership Conference at PHIBC capped off the month of October as Missionary Evangelists Jim Belisle and Denton Bell joined me for the special meeting of churches with a missions emphasis; for this particular conference, there were a record number of churches (25) represented.

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

September/October '24

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