Holmes Bible College November 2020 Newsletter
The beautiful entrance sign with flowers, flags, and shrubbery to Holmes Bible College in Greenville, South Carolina
Remarks From The President
We continue on! The order for each day is forward! Ever forward!
None of us at Holmes Bible College knew what would be before us when the Lord said that 2020 would be a year for the College to understand that victory would be, “Little by Little – New Territories” (Exodus 23:30).
The challenges have been many. By Governor’s orders we shut down in early March and switched to online classes. We made it to semester’s end by only losing two of our eighty-one students. Graduation was postponed to August, but we made it. Many of our international students could not go home. So, we housed them, fed them, and put them to work. We had a delightful summer.
I could not travel this summer, so we have prayed the more and trusted Him more. I speak in regard to fund raising and recruitment.
We began our fall semester in August. Our number dropped to 65 students. We continued on! Our offerings have been down by 20%. We continued on! We did Vision4Education by video. We continued on! Our Vision funds were down. We continued on! Many of our donors have been out of work and donor churches could not meet. We continued on! I have preached three funerals for our Holmes Memorial seniors due to COVID. We continued on! We have had to dismiss early for Thanksgiving. This was due to COVID in the area. We continued on! We will return after Thanksgiving to finish the semester. We continue on! It might be Little by Little, but we will be victorious. God is not dead! He is not even sick! We do not understand all, but we TRUST HIM. We will be victorious. We will CONTINUE into new territories. We believe the Lord is helping us move slowly forward now; so we can MARCH in the spring. The Lord is good!
Pray for full dorms in the spring. Pray for international doors to open in the spring. We need one hundred students and a turn around in general funds received. The College is 123 years old this fall. Never has the Lord forsaken.
He is our Jehovah-Jireh!
The beautiful entrance sign with flowers, flags, and shrubbery to Holmes Bible College in Greenville, South Carolina
Remarks From The President
We continue on! The order for each day is forward! Ever forward!
None of us at Holmes Bible College knew what would be before us when the Lord said that 2020 would be a year for the College to understand that victory would be, “Little by Little – New Territories” (Exodus 23:30).
The challenges have been many. By Governor’s orders we shut down in early March and switched to online classes. We made it to semester’s end by only losing two of our eighty-one students. Graduation was postponed to August, but we made it. Many of our international students could not go home. So, we housed them, fed them, and put them to work. We had a delightful summer.
I could not travel this summer, so we have prayed the more and trusted Him more. I speak in regard to fund raising and recruitment.
We began our fall semester in August. Our number dropped to 65 students. We continued on! Our offerings have been down by 20%. We continued on! We did Vision4Education by video. We continued on! Our Vision funds were down. We continued on! Many of our donors have been out of work and donor churches could not meet. We continued on! I have preached three funerals for our Holmes Memorial seniors due to COVID. We continued on! We have had to dismiss early for Thanksgiving. This was due to COVID in the area. We continued on! We will return after Thanksgiving to finish the semester. We continue on! It might be Little by Little, but we will be victorious. God is not dead! He is not even sick! We do not understand all, but we TRUST HIM. We will be victorious. We will CONTINUE into new territories. We believe the Lord is helping us move slowly forward now; so we can MARCH in the spring. The Lord is good!
Pray for full dorms in the spring. Pray for international doors to open in the spring. We need one hundred students and a turn around in general funds received. The College is 123 years old this fall. Never has the Lord forsaken.
He is our Jehovah-Jireh!
Faculty/Staff Christmas Fund
The funds for the Faculty/Staff Christmas Fund have been coming in very well. Thank you to all who have contributed. To date we have received over $15,000.00. Our prayer goal is $10,000.00 more. I would be thrilled to receive this amount and distribute it before “Black Friday”. In the words of a special friend, “We will spend what you send”. The faculty/staff get all that you send in.
The funds for the Faculty/Staff Christmas Fund have been coming in very well. Thank you to all who have contributed. To date we have received over $15,000.00. Our prayer goal is $10,000.00 more. I would be thrilled to receive this amount and distribute it before “Black Friday”. In the words of a special friend, “We will spend what you send”. The faculty/staff get all that you send in.
Waters Prayer Garden
We are making great progress on the Waters Prayer Garden. Our prayer garden is being built for an emphasis on prayer for World Missions. It will honor the parents of former president, Dr. Richard M. Waters. Dr. Waters and his siblings raised the initial funds for this garden. We hope to dedicate it at Founder’s Week 2021.
To date we have spent $24,365.20. This includes concrete that is being poured as I write these remarks. Here is what we need to finish:
· Four more prayer stations at a cost of $4,000. (We have funds and donors for the other two). Each prayer station represents a continent. Two continents are given - Africa and South America. The four needed are: Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia.
· A map of the world to be painted by Joe McKinney ($1,000 is needed for supplies, lighting, and special altar).
· A 20 feet gazebo - $20,000
· Several loads of topsoil – approximately $2,000
· Various plants, etc. - $3,000
Grand Total - $30,000.00
This will be a beautiful addition to our campus. It will also be an aid in emphasizing world Missions. The prayer stations can be given in honor of an individual. Our plans are to dedicate the Prayer Garden and the Flagpole Complex at Founder’s Week 2021.
Founder's Week 2021
Keep these dates in mind:
Lee Grady and Doug Small are the invited speakers.
The Lord is at work!
Be blessed. It is time to seek the Lord!
D. Chris Thompson
President/Pastor
Holmes Bible College/Holmes Memorial Church
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
Holmes Bible College | 4901 Old Buncombe Road, PO Box 14188, Greenville, SC 29610-4188
We are making great progress on the Waters Prayer Garden. Our prayer garden is being built for an emphasis on prayer for World Missions. It will honor the parents of former president, Dr. Richard M. Waters. Dr. Waters and his siblings raised the initial funds for this garden. We hope to dedicate it at Founder’s Week 2021.
To date we have spent $24,365.20. This includes concrete that is being poured as I write these remarks. Here is what we need to finish:
· Four more prayer stations at a cost of $4,000. (We have funds and donors for the other two). Each prayer station represents a continent. Two continents are given - Africa and South America. The four needed are: Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia.
· A map of the world to be painted by Joe McKinney ($1,000 is needed for supplies, lighting, and special altar).
· A 20 feet gazebo - $20,000
· Several loads of topsoil – approximately $2,000
· Various plants, etc. - $3,000
Grand Total - $30,000.00
This will be a beautiful addition to our campus. It will also be an aid in emphasizing world Missions. The prayer stations can be given in honor of an individual. Our plans are to dedicate the Prayer Garden and the Flagpole Complex at Founder’s Week 2021.
Founder's Week 2021
Keep these dates in mind:
- February 24 – Wednesday night
- February 25 – Sessions all day
- February 26 – Sessions all day
Lee Grady and Doug Small are the invited speakers.
The Lord is at work!
Be blessed. It is time to seek the Lord!
D. Chris Thompson
President/Pastor
Holmes Bible College/Holmes Memorial Church
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
Holmes Bible College | 4901 Old Buncombe Road, PO Box 14188, Greenville, SC 29610-4188