With this ministry update, I am completing 20 years of writing prayer letters; we sent out our first mailing four months before starting full-time deputation. Throughout our initial two years of fundraising and communicating in the U.S., we made it clear that our goals were ministry training and church planting, but we certainly could not have predicted that we would be able to report that 47 churches have now been started through those trained in our ministry. Twelve more potential church planters received their degrees and diplomas as Providence Baptist College & Seminary conducted its 7th commencement in January, bringing the total number of graduates through our institutes and college to 160. Missionary Evangelist Curtis Hall of BEST Missions did us the honor of being the keynote speaker at the graduation, held at Truth Baptist Church, and then preaching a Missions Sunday for Grace & Glory Baptist Church.
Bro. Hall also helped us to put on the first of 6 Soul-Winning & Leadership Conferences planned for this year. Independent Baptist Church of Calabar welcomed 18 different ministries for their semi-annual Sunday – Wednesday meeting. In February, Missionary Evangelists Jim Belisle and Don Wattenbarger conducted a Pastors’ and Workers’ Conference in Ogbomoso. There is no host church that works harder than Faith Baptist Church, and they always have the most preachers present. Lastly, our Truth Baptist Church in Abuja held the 13th Annual Soul Winning & Leadership Conference with both guest preachers. We were thankful to have about 35 churches represented; and, unique to this year, each session was interpreted into both sign language and Hausa.
Right after Christmas, I traveled with our co-pastor, Adewale Adesina, to conduct the funeral service of a trustee and founding member of Grace & Glory Baptist Church. The family was very happy that we were able to make the flight and additional two-hour drive into Abia state for the burial. That weekend, I had the privilege of preaching at a fairly new church plant of one of our graduates. Then Pastor Thomas Adesoye gave me the honor of preaching at his Grace Independent Baptist Church in Uyo. Finally, it was a joy to visit the home villages of Truth Baptist’s co-pastor and his wife, Bro. and Mrs. Emmanuel Okoh, before flying back the next day.
Believing God,
Mark Holmes
Written 30 March 2022
