The Holmes Family: November/December '24

November began with a successful Soul Winning & Leadership Conference held in Ibadan; I was thankful to have Missionary Evangelist Denton Bell with me. Just a week later, I was again in Nigeria’s second largest city to welcome a fellow board member of Christian Media International along with a pastor friend of his. These two men came and saw our media studio [pictured], introduced a pastor from Malawi to the potential for getting the Gospel out on television and social media, and explored ideas on how to plant more sustainable churches. Evangelist Tunde Ajayi joined me to help host the men in both Ibadan and Abuja; we had a wonderful time “showing off” our ministries and brainstorming on how to increase our effectiveness.

November was full of highlights for Truth Baptist Church. Besides having the CMI visitors as guest preachers, our missionary and staff wives successfully hosted a two-day ladies spectacular. Then, on the 24th, we experienced the biggest Sunday ever in our ministry. TBC’s pastors, staff members, missionaries, deacons, and other faithful men partnered with our seminary students to conduct 18 outreach services in areas where we have Bible clubs, bus routes, or house fellowships. In all, 882 attended, and 55 were saved! The evening service [students and pastors pictured] was a victory celebration filled with encouraging testimonies.

My family had some memorable times together after (and in the midst of) the busy season of ministry. Our Thanksgiving included a five-hour drive to Jos, fellowship with other missionaries, and a stay at the Youngs’ home in their new place of service. Graham and Olivia served with us for nearly two years and are now focused on learning a language and planting a new work in Plateau State. December included more chances to have missionary fellowships, a cantata and Christmas service at Truth, and a family tradition of a hotel stay around New Year’s Eve. The climax, though, was an unforgettable two-week trip to Tanzania [family pictured].

The Holmes Family has now been a part of conducting a Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism (in the U.S., it is “Summer Missionary…”) in six countries. During the first week of December, the Christiansens joined us to board two flights, a taxi van, and a train to work with fellow FBMI Missionaries, the Wyatts and the Morrows, along with their great families, excellent staff, and spirited teens to host the first-ever S.M.I.T.E. in Morogoro. After some meetings and training on Saturday and enriching services with a joyful Christmas fellowship on Sunday, the S.M.I.T.E. was held with more than 50 people involved [pictured], 523 children enrolled in five-day clubs, and 212 saved! The next week, two adventurous nights at a safari camp were enjoyed by our family and the Christiansens. At almost the same time, our Nigerian staff was laboring for the 4th S.M.I.T.E. and first graduation in Kenya; they had nearly the same results with 50 campers for 10 clubs, over 500 enrolled, and more than 200 saved.

From Jerry Wyatt III, veteran FBMI Missionary in Tanzania, and our host for S.M.I.T.E.:

The second week of December, Missionary Mark Holmes and his family along with Missionary Caleb Christiansen and his family traveled from Nigeria to Tanzania to help us hold our first ever SMITE training camp. The Devil fought hard the entire week but we also saw God’s hand at work. During the course of the week, over 500 children were registered as having attended one of the 10 Bible Clubs around the city. We ran these clubs from Monday through Friday. What a blessing it was to see our young people being trained to lead these clubs and being taught how to win children in their neighborhoods to the Lord. After the second night of the camp, one of our young men came up to me and said, “Pastor, it was amazing! When we went to our Bible Club this evening, children who were at the club yesterday and were saved were waiting for us to arrive. They had gathered some of their friends and had a whole group of children waiting for us so we could tell them how to trust Jesus as their Saviour. These children were excited to bring their friends to hear the same Good News that they had been told. The young man told me that he had never seen anything like it in his life! There were actually several amazing stories just like this one. Please keep these young people in your prayers pray that they will continue with this same zeal for reaching the lost with salvation. All 10 of the clubs will continue on a weekly basis. [pictured: Bro. Wyatt and Victoria share the same birthday]

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 '24

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