“H” is for Holmes, Nickels John (1847-1919)

“H” is for Holmes, Nickels John (1847-1919). Clergyman, educator. Born in Spartanburg, Holmes was licensed as a Presbyterian minister and served several churches in Spartanburg County. In 1893 he formed a school that in time became known as Holmes Bible College. In 1895 after experiencing entire sanctification or holiness, Homes became an itinerant evangelist--preaching sanctification and divine healing. He soon withdrew from the Presbyterian Church. Holmes organized the Brewerton Independent Church in Greenville as a base for his ministry; it later became Tabernacle Pentecostal Church. In 1907 he reported that he had experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and first spoke in tongues. From then on his revivals carried the Pentecostal message. When the Alabama Pentecostal Association expanded to become the Southern Pentecostal Association in 1908, John Nickels Holmes was elected its president.