The Holmes Family: January/February '26

The new year of Providence Baptist College & Seminary saw us welcome five new students just before conducting the 9th Commencement [pictured] of our institute and college. 38 men and ladies received diplomas and degrees, bringing the total number to 237; so far, our graduates have started 60 churches. Missionary Daniel Lang’s special visitor from Michigan was our guest preacher, ministering at Truth Baptist on Sunday morning and teaching a special marriage seminar in the afternoon, something we pray will become a tradition. Also, in January, we hosted the director of Global Baptist Church Planters, Austin Reed. Our partnership with GBCP has spanned more than a decade, and it was a joy to introduce Austin to some of our new churches and have him preach in our seminary and Grace & Glory’s missions emphasis weekend.

February began with the privilege of preaching in the 22nd Anniversary of Faith Baptist Church of Ogbomoso. Pastor Timothy Ojo welcomed Missionary Evangelist Don Wattenbarger and me for the celebration and a multi-day Pastors’ & Workers’ Conference [alumni delegates from Providence pictured]. Later that same week, we traveled by road to Jos for a Soul Winning & Leadership Conference; on Sunday morning, I preached for our missionary friend, Graham Young, at his new church, and Bro. Don helped officiate the first commencement of our Hausa language Bible college. Pray for the seven graduates as most of them will soon be planting churches in the northern region of Nigeria. The same day I arrived from Jos, we were thrilled to welcome Joseph, his fiancée Joy, her mother, and my wife’s mother for a nearly two-week visit. What a pleasure it was to introduce our soon-to-become family members to our neighbors, friends, and co-laborers while we visited an orphanage, Bible clubs, house fellowships, and special services for them in both churches. As our crew of relatives were departing, Missionary Evangelist Jim Belisle was arriving to help the seminary students to do a week-long outreach to five local area churches. Each day for a full week was filled with soulwinning, street preaching, school ministries, and an evening evangelistic service with baptisms after. Grace & Glory’s new church plant was particularly blessed to see 70 people saved during the outreach.

A six-year process involving several Nigerian agencies and the generosity of various law enforcement offices in Louisiana has culminated in our ministry having 370 bullet-proof vests available to donate to officers of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) [pictured with an Assistant Inspector-General]. Using the code for “officer needs assistance, Signal 63 Ministries, founded by a preacher in Sabrina’s home church, Bill Graham, sourced for the donation and much of the money needed for shipping. Since 2019 (delayed significantly by Covid and various security designations), we’ve made efforts to link the NPF to Nigerian Customs and the National Security Administration to get the necessary documentation to bring the vests into the country. Now, we will have the opportunity to present these needed life-saving instruments in several different states where security crises have caught the attention of international news outlets. With this letter, we’re praying that you will assist us in distributing these donations. We are planning ceremonies where the vests will be officially “handed over” and the Gospel will be preached to hundreds of police officers. The estimated cost for each of these ceremonies is projected to be about $950. Please pray that we will have the funds needed and that many will receive Christ as Saviour!

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

January/February '26

No comments:

Ministry Pages

All Updates

Profile

Contact Us

Who We Are

Where We Are

What We Believe