The Holmes Family: Youth Camp

25 July 2012

Dear Pastors:

Greetings from Abuja, to where we returned on 19 June after a 6-month furlough in the U.S.A. Truth Baptist Church held its 6^th Anniversary Service and also a 4^th Annual Spirit Renewal Week in my absence. Last week, Providence Baptist College & Seminary completed its final semester for 2012. With this letter, I wish to update you on all that is being planned in our ministries.

We are pleased to announce the 3^rdAnnual Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism (SMITE) to be held 27-31 August 2011. This unique meeting equips teenagers while giving them the opportunity to practice what they have been taught. We will have teaching in the mornings on the subjects of: conducting Bible clubs, winning children to Christ, teaching a Bible story, showing a missionary story, memorizing Bible verses, leading a group in songs, and using evangelism tools. During the afternoons, every person will participate in conducting Bible clubs in our church areas, and in the evenings, everyone present will hear spirited preaching from our American visitors (Pastors—Sonny McGuffee and Jared Decker) and singing from our church and other youth groups. We are hearing great reports that several of the churches that were involved in the first two youth camps now have teenagers doing Bible Clubs in their areas, seeing many saved.

In conjunction with SMITE, Providence Baptist College & Seminary will accomplish its very first graduation service on Saturday, 25 August 2012. We would love for anyone to come early for the youth camp, or to simply attend and witness the commencement. The next semester for the seminary will begin on Tuesday, 8 January 2013, and we will welcome the editor of InTrust, Pastor Israel Thompsons, to teach in the college. Currently, our students are on break and several of them are available for internships; if you would like one of our preachers to work with you and you are able to provide housing and feeding for any amount of time, then please inform me concerning your interest in an intern. Also, I want to use our break to encourage any prospective students to prepare for our new semester in January. Please contact me about anyone that you want to have trained for the ministry, and I wish to do anything possible for them to be a part of our college next year.

I would like to express some gratitude, as many of you who are reading this have hosted me at your church for preaching a special meeting, conducting a revival, or even teaching at your institute; so far, it has been my privilege to preach in 35 of our independent Baptist churches. The Lord has allowed me to travel virtually every month for the last 4 years to try to be a blessing in Nigeria’s Bible-believing ministries. Please allow me to offer myself for preaching, teaching, or even counseling in any aspect of your ministry; in the future, I would love to especially help any church start a missions program, Bible institute, or youth ministry. Most times I can pay to transport and accommodate myself, though any offering for travel expenses would be greatly appreciated. My sincere prayer is to be a help to you through the conferences, my travels, and our seminary/institute.

Your friend,

Pastor Mark Holmes

The following is some more details for the SMITE (youth camp) on 27-31 August 2012:

It will be open to all young people who attend from independent Baptist churches and any ministers who wish to learn about youth ministry and Bible clubs. We want to welcome your best youth.

· Truth Baptist Church will provide for the housing and feeding of all the campers during the week on Sunday through Friday. Each person will need to transport himself to/from Abuja, and we do ask each young person who attends to bring N1000 to help offset the cost for the camp.

· We need confirmation (e-mail, call, or text) as soon as possible if you plan to participate in S.M.I.T.E. Please contact me of how many from your church will attend, and announce to them the fee. It will help us to be informed of which ones in your group attended last year’s camp. If your church used the S.M.I.T.E. materials to conduct Bible clubs, then we will schedule one of your teens to give a testimony of the results.

· The camp will officially begin on Monday morning by 9 a.m., so it would be best if each camper arrives sometime Sunday evening. If possible, they could leave your place immediately after your morning service, or they can come to Abuja on Saturday, and we will house them.

· Visit www.smitecamp.org for the Bible Story and Missionary Story that the campers can read through before coming—go to “Downloads” and “Lesson Guides”. Each camper should memorize the following verses:
Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, 2 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 9:22, Rev. 3:20, John 14:2-3, I John 1:9

I look forward to hearing from you, and we hope to once again be a blessing to your church

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 200 on Sundays with 36 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 14 graduates. 15 churches have been started by those who have been trained or ordained by their ministry. Mark and Sabrina have returned to the U.S. for the birth of their daughter (Victoria Noel 12/14/05), their "baby" (Brian Michael 8/20/07), and their youngest (Noah Preston 2/3/12).

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.

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