Dr. Mark & Sabrina Holmes2023-10-06T10:59:06-05:00

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

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
Email Address
mark.holmes@fbmi.org

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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.
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LATEST

Mark and Sabrina Holmes Prayer Letter: Growth Points for Truth Baptist

Mark and Sabrina Holmes Prayer Letter: Growth Points for Truth BaptistThe two months of summer opened with an American Independence Day celebration among our missionary families, joined by a friend and fellow college administrator as our special guest. Pastor Ezra Owolabi of Blue Mountain Baptist College in Ogbomoso preached for us on the first Sunday of July, and we were privileged to have his entire family stay in our home and join us for the 4th of July festivities.

Since Truth Baptist Church’s 17th Anniversary in mid-May, our staff has focused on six areas of growth that have helped to bring our average attendance to around 300 for the first time ever. We have baptized converts every Sunday except for one, added two new Sunday school classes, consistently run two (and sometimes three) buses into the local areas, revived a Saturday workers’ meeting, and gotten more men involved in doing a visitors’ meeting after the services (so that each man can focus on one or two visitors). The sixth area of emphasis is having several men do soul winning every day; each of our staff members have picked a day to go out with two of our recent graduates and a couple of interns we had during the seminary break. These focus items culminated in a Friend Day in July, where we had 522 people on property—another attendance record!

Other highlights included a new semester of Providence Baptist College & Seminary beginning in the middle of August with 7 freshmen, bringing our total enrollment to 36 resident students. Grace & Glory Baptist Church installed a baptistery; before, we were using a church member’s swimming pool for baptisms. Our biggest family high point was hosting my oldest son Joseph and my mother-in-law for nearly two weeks while he was on break from studying aviation at the local community college in my wife’s home area. He took part in our Abuja S.M.I.T.E.; I will give the totals of the three camps in our next letter.

We have the following updates on our two building projects: floor tiles have been laid for the dormitory building, and the next step is the two bathrooms and ceiling fans in all rooms; the church property has been fenced, an access road has been added, and we’ve gotten a detailed estimate on what it will take to add pillars and a roof to our foundation for a new auditorium.

Please allow me to add two other major prayer requests for your consideration. Our Foundations Baptist Academy is now in its third year and is needing several things in order to expand to a full grade school. About $7,000 could buy necessary furniture, bookcases, playground equipment, and teaching materials. Lastly, the City of Refuge, our ministry that houses and trains former Muslims affected by persecution, needs about $5,000 to complete kitchen and bathroom facilities. In January, this unique ministry will witness its first three seminary graduates receive their degrees, potentially to start churches in states where there are no independent Baptist churches; six currently enrolled seminary students were originally reached by the City of Refuge, so we feel this work is truly worthy of your investment!

View a short video update here.

Believing God,

Mark Holmes
Written 20 September 2023

September 28th, 2023|Tags: , |

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