Holmes Bible College

January 2025

Greetings from Greenville!

Thank you for your faithful support of Holmes Bible College. Your giving in 2024, especially in December, enabled us to finish the year strong and enter into 2025 debt free and ready to serve our students. We were also able to bless our Holmes faculty and staff with a Christmas blessing thanks to your generosity.

There is a lot of information in this newsletter and I encourage you to check out all of our exciting news. Next month we will be hosting our annual Founder's Week and the rescheduled Presidential Installation. I hope to see many of you there.

Holmes has a singular focus: to prepare men and women for successful ministry with top quality education at extremely affordable costs. Because we have this singular focus, every dollar you give to Holmes is directly invested in training students for ministry. We are working together to equip the people that God is calling so they can do better what God has called them to do.

Thank you for standing with Holmes Bible College. May God bless you abundantly in 2025.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Kevin D. Sneed, President

and the HBC family

First Term of 2025 Opened on January 7

Holmes Bible College began the new semester on January 7, 2025 with 45 students enrolled both on campus and on-line. We have 10 on-campus faculty teaching 26 courses and we are praying that our in-person, on-campus program will grow this year.

The term began with a powerful opening ceremony which included much prayer, repentance, rededication, and communion. We are asking God to renew our focus and unite us together as we begin a new semester.

Join us in praying that this first term of 2025 will be successful for both the students individually and the school collectively.

Volunteer Weekend - February 21-22

Attention all alumni and friends of Holmes Bible College. We are asking for volunteers to help us spruce up the campus on Friday and Saturday, February 21-22. We will begin with lunch on Feb. 21 and work until 5 pm. Then we will resume all day Saturday. You are invited to join us at any time during the weekend. We will be removing fallen trees and debris, painting, cleaning, reorganizing, and various other activities. We welcome all to join us. Meals will be provided and lodging in the dorm can also be arranged in advance if needed. If you can help us, click the link below to sign up.

Sign-Up to Volunteer

You are invited to join us for Founder's Week next month. We will send out a schedule of events next week. Many special events are planned for February 26-28 including the Presidential Installation Ceremony.

Our primary speaker for Founder’s Week will be Rev. Ron McCants. Ron is a 1979 graduate of Holmes Bible College and currently serves at In Touch Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a global trainer for Charles Stanley’s Life Principles course and will be teaching this course on campus Wednesday afternoon and Thursday of Founder’s Week. Click here or more information about this training.

Online Faculty Changes

Report from Dean Ken Young, Dean of Academics and Dean of Students:

As Benjamin Disraeli stated, "Change is inevitable. Change is constant." Education is not exempt to change. The Online Program at Holmes Bible College is undergoing updates to better serve our online constituency. Online education is the present, not the future. And although that means change for how Holmes delivers some of its courses, it does not mean that Homes is changing. What has not and will not change is our mission and vision. One of those instructors who has been upholding the mission and vision of Holmes, but who is himself being affected by change, is Dr. Matthew Turner. Dr. Turner, who has been teaching the online course in Biblical Hermeneutics for several years, informed administration that he would no longer be able to continue teaching this course. He cites family obligations and ministry responsibilities as his reasons for this decision. In his letter of resignation, he stated that “it has been a joy to teach and partner with Holmes over the last few years.” He continues, “I have cherished the opportunity to contribute to the college’s mission of equipping students for ministry and service.” Administration accepted, though reluctantly, his resignation with great sadness but also with much thanks for his service to Holmes. We understand and support his desire to put his family first. Thank you, Dr. Turner, for your sacrifice to teach at Holmes and for your example of “Living for Others.” This precipitated more change for Holmes.

Consequently, Holmes is adding a new instructor to teach this vital course. We are excited to introduce Rev. Taylor Drake as one of our new online instructors. Mr. Drake is a two-time graduate of Southwestern Christian University (SCU) in Bethany, Oklahoma where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Master of Arts in Theological Studies. He has begun doctoral work at Bangor University (Wales). He is multi-talented, serving as Director of the School of Ministries and the Director of Multimedia for the New Horizons Conference of the IPHC. He also functioned as VP of Student Services at his alma mater. He currently teaches in the Department of Christian Studies at SCU. His courses include Biblical Hermeneutics, Old Testament, and Christian Theology.

Dean Young reports that "Holmes is blessed to have an instructor of Taylor Drake’s caliber in our online program. He is one of the top ten students whom I have ever taught!"

We welcome Rev. Taylor Drake to the Holmes Bible College family!