The Holmes Family: April, May, June '12

These last three months met us with a flurry of activities and also an abundance of plans for our eighth year in Nigeria. Within twelve days of returning to Nigeria in the middle of June, I embarked upon three full weeks of teaching daily in our college [students pictured during class] in order to complete a semester that had begun in our absence. That brings us to the exciting news of announcing our first graduation for Providence Baptist College and Seminary that will be held in conjunction with our 3rd annual youth camp (the Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism) during the last week of August. In October, Sabrina and I will again have the privilege of traveling together with our family to see our friends, the Maskeys, in Port Harcourt and be a part of their ladies’ meeting and preaching conference. Our own 5th annual Missions Conference in November will round out our church calendar, and we hope to be in our new house before Christmas. For 2013, plans are already in place for our 5th annual Soul Winning and Leadership Conference in February. Also, we are praying that our sending church pastor can join us for Truth Baptist Church’s 7th anniversary in May and for the founder of our youth camp to visit during our fourth such meeting next August. In the midst of all of that will be the hopeful growth of Temple Baptist Institute (meeting every Saturday), our church planting efforts, and my monthly opportunities to preach for national churches.

Sabrina and I are still counting blessings from our six-month furlough, the ultimate being the safe delivery and subsequent good health of our fourth child, Noah. There was nothing I enjoyed more than traveling at least three different times with each of our three older children. [whole family pictured at Sabrina's sister's wedding in June] In all, we had the opportunity to present our ministry in 73 total meetings from Christmas of 2011 through the second Sunday of June. I was remarkably treated like a “veteran” this time around with several unique privileges to be the featured speaker at missions conferences and Bible colleges. June was extra special as I had the honor to preach with my pastor (Bro. Dan Carr, who has been a father to me) for the first time on a conference platform (at the Louisiana SMITE), and, at our sending church, I was thrilled to be one of the preachers at the Deep South Youth Conference, where the Faith Baptist auditorium was filled to overflowing. Between those two meetings, I journeyed up to Hammond, Indiana, for FBMI’s annual training school. During that week, I enjoyed fellowshipping with old and new friends, preached a summer school chapel at Hyles-Anderson College, and taught a few classes for our mission board’s new candidates.

Our Temple Baptist Institute in Nigeria is named for the school of the same title in my hometown that first gave me the opportunity to teach preachers when I was a staff member for two years at our sending church. TBI in Gulfport, Mississippi, has now grown to be a Bible college, led by Pastor J. Stephen Crane. In May, I was asked by Bro. Crane to preach a Christian school graduation and was surprised with a special ceremony as Gulf Coast Baptist College awarded me an honorary Doctorate of Divinity. I wanted to take a moment in our ministry update to thank Temple Baptist Church (who started our sending church almost 30 years ago) not only for the faithful support of our family and institute, but also for the accolade that so obviously reflects what they feel about our service in 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

April, May, June '12

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