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.

In 2002, we were appointed to serve with Fundamental Baptist Missions International; a 24-month deputation followed with 211 meetings in 193 churches to raise financial support. June of 2005 began our first term on the field, and the initial several months were spent with a veteran missionary. I would like to give a summary of our first two decades on the field. Any company in which you invest will usually mail an annual report of how your contributions are faring; they tend to be very detailed, full of numbers, and quite boring. On the contrary I hope that you will see our details as a depiction of our efforts to be accountable, the numbers as representations of souls and churches, and the report as an encouraging description of the return on your investments in our ministry:

Schools & Conferences

∗ Providence Baptist College & Seminary opened in August 2009; the school averages nearly 40 full-time students (from more than 70 churches over the years) who live on the church property and attend daily classes and chapel. 1- year certificates, 2-year diplomas, and 3-year degrees are being offered. 4 national pastors are teaching alongside 3 missionaries, and 8 commencements for over 80 graduates have been held.

∗ Temple Baptist Institute is a part-time ministry training school with a 3-year curriculum that meets weekly and has graduated over 100 men and ladies. Revivals Christian Correspondence College was started in May of 2013 with an exclusive DVD curriculum designed to allow for anyone to have institute training on his or her own schedule.

∗ Those who have been trained in the seminary or institute have started 50 churches.

∗ Annual Soul Winning & Leadership Conferences have been conducted for 15 years to encourage pastors and members from the more than 150 independent Baptist churches in Nigeria (Mark travels often and has preached in over 60 of those churches); around 115 churches were represented in 6 conferences each of the last several years.

∗ Student Missions Institutes for Training in Evangelism (S.M.I.T.E.) are youth camps (founded in Louisiana) operating in Nigeria since 2010, now held in 3 different regional venues. Over 5 days, youth attend classes on how to conduct a club, conduct children’s outreaches every afternoon, and are gathered for evening preaching services. Recently, S.M.I.T.E. Nigeria has welcomed 500 campers from 60 churches who take part in nearly 100 Bible clubs and enroll close to 5000 children to hear the Gospel. S.M.I.T.E. is now being held in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ghana.

∗ As a result of 10 missions conferences, Truth BC and Grace & Glory BC have helped several ministries, including a Nigerian missionary in Ghana, a deaf ministry, and several seminary interns, at one time giving over $300 per month.

∗ Partnerships have included Bible Education And Missionary Service and other likeminded ministries for the shipment of scriptures into West Africa, Christian Media International for a fully-equipped studio and two weekly half-hour television programs that air in the 2ⁿᵈ and 3ʳᵈ largest markets, PAI for prison evangelism, and several ministries that help to support national pastors and also two orphanages.

∗ The Holmes family has hosted over 90 American visitors who have taken part in annual special church meetings. They are now pleased to keep these guests in the house the Lord allowed them to build in 2013.

Truth Baptist Church

∗ Truth Baptist Church, with an opening attendance of 95 on 14 May 2006, is currently averaging about 330 in attendance. The Sunday evening Bible study and the Thursday prayer meeting, in addition to preaching and teaching in the auditorium, include children’s choir, AWANA programs, institute classes, and discipleship programs.

∗ The ministry owns 1 ½ acres of land in a suburb of the capital city; already on the property were 2 buildings designed to be a hotel that are now used for the church, institute, college, a Christian day school (Foundations Baptist Academy, which was started with daily lessons during Covid lockdown and now is a full primary school).

∗ Over a million tracts have been printed and distributed, and over 2000 converts have been baptized. At least 50 members have been called into the ministry. Evangelistic efforts include house-to-house soul-winning and Bible studies, street preaching, weekly children’s Bible clubs, the Bible Proclaimers Student Fellowship (government school outreach), and ministries to hospitals, widows, and prisons.

∗ Other ministries include soul-winning times for men, ladies, and church-wide; Sunday Bible classes for married adults, singles, teens, discipleship, evangelism training and 3 children’s churches; choirs for adult, youth, & children; fellowship groups for men, ladies, and youth; ushers and greeters; library with books, music, and sermons; bus ministry running a church-owned van and a seminary van weekly; a youth drama group; and a growing deaf ministry.

∗ The church officers consist of a co-pastor, assistant pastor, youth pastor, 3 ordained deacons, and 2 trustees, along with 2 other men, considered junior staff, who go out for soul-winning and visitation virtually every day.

∗ Truth Baptist Church is the home of all the ministries listed above. In November of 2014, Grace & Glory Baptist Church was started as a Bible study which grew to 13 families inside the city limits of the capital; the attendance is now regularly around 120. Mark & Sabrina continue to be involved in both churches.

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

CONTACT

Phone Number
234-80-532-3148-7
Phone Number
228-209-4625
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 11491
Garki-Abuja, FCT 900-001
Nigeria
Website
missionaryholmes.blogspot.com
Email Address
mark.holmes@fbmi.org
Email Address
holmesfaith@hotmail.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: Graduations and MilestonesOn the first day of May, Sabrina, along with Victoria, LaDonna, and Aaron, arrived back to the U.S. Joseph and Sabrina’s mom were joyfully waiting to pick them up in Louisiana. Brian, Noah, and I enjoyed an extended layover for a couple of days to do some sightseeing in London for Brian’s senior trip. The rest of May was filled with two graduations and a senior recital for Brian and another music recital in which all of my kids participated. For the first time, every member of my family was involved in the Summer Missionary Institute for Training and Evangelism at the end of May in Louisiana.

    As soon as S.M.I.T.E. ended, Sabrina and I departed for several meetings in the Midwest, while Brian and Victoria started a four-week Bible Club Blitz with over 20 other S.M.I.T.E. graduates and staff. A highlight for Sabrina and me was to meet Juliet, the Langs’ new baby; please pray for this dear family that works with us to have a safe transition back to Nigeria in July at the conclusion of their furlough. Also in June, I had the opportunity to participate in a Pastors’ Conference at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Mexico City after a couple of meetings in California.

    June 1 marked 20 years since Sabrina and I started our first term in Nigeria. Both Truth Baptist and Grace & Glory celebrated their anniversaries (19th and 10th respectively) in the month of May, and Providence rounded up another semester in time for our students to begin their required internships during the break. Our television ministry also added another program in June, which now makes 8 weekly half-hour programs in 6 languages airing to a potential audience of 100 million people.

    June 22 became a milestone for Truth Baptist Church, as it was the first Sunday for regular services in our new auditorium. We were waiting for the ceiling to be completed and the full public address system to be installed; thankfully, we had already celebrated a few special services (a dedication, Easter Sunday, and our Pastors’ Conference) before my family’s furlough. We wish to especially thank everyone who has given so generously up to this point. Please continue to pray that the remaining works (bathrooms, baptistery changing rooms, an office, floor tiles, and benches) will be accomplished soon.

    Believing God,

    Mark Holmes

    Written 5 July 2025; WhatsApp +1.228.209.4625
    vimeo.com/missionaryholmes has a brief video update based on this letter’s events

    Published On: July 19th, 2025Tags: ,

RECENT

ONLINE GIVING