The Holmes Family: March/April '25

September of next year will be three decades since I enrolled in Hyles-Anderson College. During my time as a college student, two names were continually put before us as modern-day missionary heroes, Rick Martin and Kevin Wynne; God has graciously allowed me to “rub shoulders” with both men. During my last college year, part of my first missions trip was to visit Rick Martin’s work in the Philippines; in 2014, First Baptist in Hammond gave me the high honor to preach with Dr. Martin in FBC’s first-ever missions conference. Just two years ago, I had the privilege to visit the ministries of Dr. Wynne in Mexico, and, in the middle of March this year, he sent staff members [Bro. Honorio pictured beside Missionary Christiansen and Saka village chief] for a special two-week trip that involved Truth Baptist Church, our PBC&S students, and seven church plants. After breakfast each day, one of the seven churches hosted the guests and seminary students for several hours of soul-winning, street preaching, market evangelism, school ministries, and Bible clubs; an early dinner was served around 3pm and then an outreach service was held for those invited earlier. It was amazing to see the involvement of scores of church members who showed up during regular working days to join our Bible college students in reaching the people of their area; each church got to see immediate results with dozens of adults visiting in the evening services and several baptized each night, and everyone rejoiced as an average of 200 people were saved daily in the total efforts of the services and other activities. In the middle of the two weeks, we had Evangelist Hector Avila, Dr. Wynne’s son-in-law, preach a special Police Appreciation Day where over 100 adult visitors were present, and four were baptized. Grace & Glory Baptist followed up their outreach day with a Spirit Renewal Meeting preached by Evangelist Bill Stafford [pictured with our seminary students]. Many who were reached the previous week returned to the revival services with visitors of their own!

Additional highlights for Truth Baptist Church were experienced over these two months, starting with a one-day retreat conducted by our newly formed men’s fellowship and featuring the Christiansens’ sending pastor, Bro. Chris Droullard, who visited for over a week. On Easter Sunday evening, the church did a send-off for our second son, Brian, as he will be staying back in the U.S. this summer to enroll in Pensacola Christian College. Easter Monday (a national holiday in Nigeria) began our 16th Soul Winning & Leadership Conference, keynoted by Missionary Evangelists Denton Bell, who brought his family and a friend, and Curtis Hall [pictured with Missionary Israel Thompsons], who also brought a friend to visit our ministries.

Still more high points included the 6th S.M.I.T.E. held in Kumasi with FBMI’s Ghana Team at the end of April; this camp continues to grow, with 150 campers this year and 19 graduating. The results from 26 Bible clubs were 1846 enrolled and over 800 being counseled for salvation. On the 13th through the 15th of April was a Soul Winning and Leadership Conference held in Aba; I had the privilege of traveling with one of our college faculty members (and his wife), co-founder of Grace & Glory Baptist, for this special meeting. Please continue to pray for our auditorium building project; the doors and entrance steps have been completed, and we are still hoping on funds for the ceiling, floors, pews, and P.A. system.

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

March/April '25

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