Just as our slogan implies, The Philippian Fellowship is focused on being a bridge into Eastern Europe, and thereby connecting believers to one another. In 1999, the Lord brought Roland Lussier, a businessman, and Jon Bubar, then a missionary with Word of Life serving in the Czech Republic, together at a local diner in Waldoboro, Maine. Both of these men discovered that they shared a common burden, a burden for pastors in Eastern Europe. Many of these well-trained men of God had to work one or two jobs to be able to be in the ministry. It cost fifty to sixty thousand dollars to place a US missionary in Eastern Europe. While these folks have a great love to serve the Lord, most do not speak the language or know the culture and often stay a short time and return home. Jon and Roland felt that the fifty to sixty thousand dollars could make ten to twenty of the national pastors full time. They began to pray, dream, and plan. They soon came up with a plan to link churches in Eastern Europe with churches in the US in a sister church relationship centered on mutual prayer, encouragement, and financial assistance.
They were soon joined in this new ministry by Jeff Norton, a retired military helicopter pilot, who had lived and served in Europe. On a snowy day in Bremen, Maine in late 1999, The Eastern European Pastor’s Fund was born. First Baptist Church in Waldoboro was approached and asked to consider becoming the pilot church for this new ministry. The church whole-heartedly embraced this idea sharing prayer requests, pastoral support, training as well as work team and financial support with several churches in the Czech Republic. Thus began a wonderful relationship that has been a blessing to both churches.
New missions are always learning and growing. The name was changed to The Philippian Fellowship in March of 2005 to better communicate our mission and to allow for the growth of the ministry to other parts of the world, as the Lord would direct. We soon found ourselves called to minister to pastors and churches in Hungary and Romania. The Lord continues to broaden the scope of our missions as we have recently begun to minister to an orphanage and an abortion rescue ministry in Romania. Changes are always coming as the Lord directs. The Philippian Fellowship is currently guided by a 7-member board of directors.