Dr. Mark & Sabrina Holmes2023-09-07T11:01:50-05:00

DR. MARK HOLMES FAMILY

SERVING IN NIGERIA SINCE 2005

ABOUT

Mark Birthday 08/02
Sabrina Birthday 02/23
Mark & Sabrina Wedding Anniversary 08/04
Mark Jr. Birthday 12/04
Victoria Birthday 12/14
Brian Birthday 08/20
Noah Birthday 02/03
LaDonna Birthday 07/03
Aaron Birthday 09/10

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. Over 30 churches have been started by those who have been trained or ordained by their ministry, including the most recent, Grace & Glory Baptist Church in Abuja. 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 and annual youth camp; a full curriculum DVD correspondence college 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.

What We Believe

Our Statement of Faith is consistent with…

The church from which we are sent: Faith Baptist Church in Gulfport, Mississippi

The mission board with which we are affiliated: Fundamental Baptist Missions International in Hammond, Indiana

The college from which we graduated: Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, Indiana

For more details, visit fbcgulfport.com, fbmi.org, or hylesanderson.com

Faith Baptist Church
fbcgulfport.com
8467 Canal Rd.
Gulfport, MS 39503
(228)863-6993

CONTACT

234-80-532-3148-7
225.910.6337
P.O. Box 11491
Garki-Abuja, FCT 900-001
Nigeria
P.O. Box 11491
Garki-Abuja, FCT 900-001
Nigeria
missionaryholmes.blogspot.com

FIELD

GIVE

SUPPORT OUR MINISTRY

You can financially support our family and ministry by giving here online, or you can mail checks to FBMI, 507 State Street, Hammond, IN 46320, and designate your giving to Missionary #90.
GIVE

PRAYER LETTERS

Subscribe to our prayer letters.

LATEST

Mark and Sabrina Holmes Prayer Letter: Big Days and Fruitful Trips

Mark and Sabrina Holmes Prayer Letter: Big Days and Fruitful TripsOn the 14th of May, Truth Baptist Church celebrated an anniversary 17 years to the day that it was founded. It turned out to be our largest attendance on the property, with about 400. We were glad to host Evangelist Doug Neary of A Look at the Book Ministries for the commemorative service, and I used the occasion to announce the rebirth of our bus ministry, as three buses were used that day. On the last Sunday of May, one of our supporting pastors, Bro. Ben Lang of Temple Baptist Church in Muncie, Indiana, preached the 8th anniversary service for Grace & Glory Baptist Church. There were 158 in attendance, including 53 visitors.

At the beginning of May, I was privileged to have an evangelist friend pay for Noah (my third son) and me to join him in visiting Missionary Kevin Wynne’s work in Mexico City. We were truly challenged by the ministries and focus of the largest independent Baptist church in the world. It was an honor to speak in a couple of their Sunday school classes and teach in their college of nearly 300 students. The trip was special for Noah as he made some new missionary-kid friends and also won several people to Christ during their church-wide soul winning.

Other notable events of these two months included the completion of our 26th semester of Providence Baptist College & Seminary. Six students have finished their training, and 30 more are now serving in 12-week internships at their home churches and various other host ministries. Sadly, Chindo Solomon was our first student to have his schooling cut short by a disease that ended his time on this earth. On May 24, I preached to a full auditorium in Chindo’s hometown, and several hundred people who gathered for his funeral heard the same Gospel that he preached faithfully during his years as a student pastor at one of our local-area church plants. Lastly, the first two weeks of June was the survey trip for Coty and Allyson Powers, who quickly befriended our family when we “met” through social media contacts a few months ago. Please pray for them as they continue to raise support to come to Nigeria fully as missionaries.

Our June ended with another trip to Kumasi to partner with the FBMI Team Ghana in conducting their 4th Student Missions Institute for Training in Evangelism. This camp was unique, in that it was their first graduation for 12 of the students who were faithful to each of the first 4 years. There was a record total of 120 registered from several churches; they conducted 19 five-day Bible Clubs, with 1,335 children enrolled and 626 personally counseled for salvation. I was happy to have Victoria and Brian join me for this great week.

Believing God,

Mark Holmes

July 20th, 2023|Tags: , |

RECENT

ONLINE GIVING

Go to Top