November 2024

Dear Friends,

The end of September brought Hurricane Helene to us and many others. You can see our report below but we can give testimony that God protected us in the storm. No one was injured and no major structural damage occurred.

While we were shut down for 10 days, we were able to reopen for students on October 10 and the second half of the term has been going well. We will wrap up this term on November 26.

The Presidential Installation has been rescheduled for February but Vision for Education (Feast of Ingathering) will take place on November 18 at 11 am. We invite you to join us for both events.

In this newsletter you will also find a letter from the chairman of our Board of Trustees, Rev. W. A. Mills. He is leading this year's Christmas offering for our faculty and staff. We appreciate your giving for this great blessing to our campus.

We appreciate your faithful prayers and generous support for Holmes Bible College. You are helping us to prepare men and women for successful ministry and this will certainly have an eternal impact.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Kevin D. Sneed, President

2024 Christmas Offering for Faculty and Staff

Letter from Chairman W. A. Mills

Dear Alumni and Friends of Holmes:

Holmes began its Fall Term on August 1st with excitement and energy as President Kevin Sneed took the helm of leadership following the retirement of President Chris Thompson. President Sneed and newly appointed Academic Dean Dr. Ken Young hit the ground running with the full cooperation of our faculty, staff, and student body.

The faculty, staff, and students continue to model Holmes' motto, "Live For Others," demonstrating in recent days the spirit of our founders as all hands have been on deck in the wake of damage sustained to our campus from Hurricane Helene. President Sneed has served with courage, humility, and unwavering resolve, leading clean-up efforts in the college neighborhood and on campus while simultaneously reopening the college for its normal operations.

Our faculty and staff serve sacrificially, receiving less compensation than they could elsewhere, investing their time and very life in the students called to further their education at Holmes Bible College, and preparing for a lifetime of ministry. This school term, they have gone over and above ensuring the ongoing ministry of the college amid a literal storm with subsequent challenges.

We are encouraged to bless our Holmes faculty and staff annually with our Christmas fund offering. Last year's offering of $43,660.00 was another record year for our Christmas fund. Thank you for your generosity. We are sending this letter later than usual due to delays caused by the storm. I trust we will give our best offering yet, expressing our deep gratitude and genuine thanksgiving for these extraordinary and deserving servants of Christ, lightening their load as they continue giving themselves in the spirit of our founders.

Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. (Ephesians 6:23).

For Holmes,

W. A. Mills, Chairman

Holmes Bible College Board of Trustees

Click here to give to this special offering

Click Here to RSVP to Attend!

Hurricane Helene Hits Holmes

God kept us safe in the midst of the storm. Even though Greenville was hit very hard, we did NOT have any injuries or major structural damage on campus or among our faculty and staff who live off campus. The area around Holmes had a swath of devastation. Hundreds of trees struck many homes, powerlines, and roads. Power was out for days and the phones and internet were out for weeks.

On campus, we had over 20 trees down along with numerous large limbs. One large oak fell on the Waters Prayer Garden. We worked together to clear this tree and had our Sunday worship service in the prayer garden on the Sunday after the storm. The gazebo was untouched but we lost one bench, several flower pots, and the statue of Jesus. The other fallen trees did not fall on any of our buildings.

There was some water and wind damage on campus. Water came into the bottom floor of the Beacham building but only reached the front of the library, the receptionist’s office, the dean’s office, and one classroom. We are working to repair the damage this month. The student activity room inside the Ellenberg building experienced flooding as well as the music room. The church office, foyer, and Litchfield classroom had water to come in but no damage was found. Most of the flooding happened from the sheer amount of water that flowed through our campus. Other water damage was due to faulty windows allowing water inside.

Two outside lights were damaged (one at the entrance and one on the Beacham building). The Leggett Way sign was blown down but recovered. Some shingles from the men’s dorm were blown off.

The insurance company has estimated that the total damage was well over $20,000. Thankfully, some funds have already come in to start making repairs and restoration.

During the hurricane we continued to "live for others." We were able to house one family from the local community who lost their home due to tree damage. We also housed several other people who were without power for extended periods of time. We were also able to provide ice to many families. We provided some hot meals to neighbors. We also opened our campus for charging devices and Wi-Fi use to many people.

The storm briefly hindered our classes but did not stop our mission. We reopened even with damages to the main building and will have all repairs completed by early next year.