Church's Heart for Foster Families Inspires Extraordinary Gift

Home to two traditional churches, but no Assemblies of God congregation, no new congregation had been planted in Edgar, a central Wisconsin farming village, for more than a century. A few dozen believers with hearts for the community, especially area foster children, launched Edgar Community Church (AG).

They envisioned a gathering place of their own. But how could a church body of 40 in a town of 1,400 ever afford a mortgage?

For seven years, congregants prayed, even as they rented the few available Sunday morning venues—the high school cafeteria, its auditorium, the town hall—or met in a park.

After an anonymous Christian couple with no ties to the church or community learned of the congregation’s burden to help orphans and families caring for them, the couple donated more than a quarter-million dollars to fund Edgar Community Church’s permanent location. Later, that same couple wrote a second check, this time for $500,000, to help construct its building.

“It’s beautifully unique—an unprecedented, beautiful miracle of God in a small community,” says John Davis, 73, superintendent of the Wisconsin/Northern Michigan Ministries Network. In Davis’s decades of ministry, including eight years as district superintendent, he says he’s never seen anything comparable to this miraculous provision.

The journey began in nearby Stratford, population 1,500, where The Mill Church of the Assemblies of God, drew congregants from its community and beyond, including Edgar some 20 miles away. Rachel Tarmann and her family were among those who commuted there Sundays. In 2015, some congregants from the Stratford church joined Tarmann, 39, who became the church’s administrator, and others from Edgar to launch a new congregation.

But obstacles abounded.

"The idea of identifying with a particular church is important to people, but in terms of regular worship service attendance or having a personal relationship with God, Edgar is a mission field," Tarmann says. At the same time, that offered a great opportunity for spiritual growth.

The notion of a group planting a church seemed odd to those raised in a community with only two traditional churches. Additionally, the town had few gathering places conducive for church services. City ordinances forbade churches building structures in commercial zones. If this small church with modest means had the money, Edgar’s sole vacant lot on its main street would be perfect. Certainly, however, its price would be beyond the church’s means, but it wasn’t for sale. Plus, the land was zoned commercial; the town charter specified that churches must build strictly in residential areas.

“Our church consistently hasn’t been enough or had enough, just on our own strength or ability,” Tarmann says. At one point, the congregation had no permanent location, no campus pastor, and no worship leader.

“We prayed a lot,” Tarmann says.

However, the church continued ministering to orphans, an act of obedience in the midst of uncertainty. Several of the church’s families engage in a “Welcomed” outreach that encourages fostering and supports foster families with meals, respite care and after-school tutoring.

Word came of the first huge donation to the church as a series of events began to unfold, enabling the church to start construction: that one vacant lot came up for sale, and the village council approved the church’s request to rezone the commercial property.

The $275,000 donation funded the land but left little for building on it. Again, the couple wrote a check, this time for a half-million dollars, empowering the church to construct according to its needs.

The congregation started construction right away, continuing to trust God for additional needs, which reflected their heart for families and children: a prayer room and a large open area to someday accommodate an indoor playscape, blessing children during long, hard winters.

When a coffee shop closed in Wisconsin Rapids, a town an hour south of Edgar, the owner donated its $90,000 playscape to the church.

Each year Edgar’s churches hold an ecumenical service in the park, signifying they’re not in competition. Additionally, the churches hold a joint vacation Bible school each summer. Kids from area churches attend Edgar Community Church’s youth group. The congregation now averages 75 on Sundays.

“We recognize every Sunday when we worship in this beautiful space that we couldn’t have afforded, that we aren’t enough, but our God is,” Tarmann says.

Amid abundant provision, Eric Jackson, 40, pastor of Edgar Community Church, points out that the church must still trust God with the remaining needs.

“Even when God provides, when we see Him do miracles, we’re still going to have to rely on Him every day,” he says. “The real blessing isn’t the money or the building but that we have a platform for ministry—a physical presence in our community where people can grow in their love of God and people.”

When superintendent Davis visits, he’s struck by the church’s beautiful, meticulously maintained building and landscaping on prime village land. He expects a bright future for the church and its impact on the community.

“They’ve just begun” Davis says. “There will be more to the story.” [PhotoGallery path = "/sitecore/Media Library/PENews/Photo Galleries/2026/Church Heart for Foster Families"]

Deann Alford

Deann Alford is a journalist and author. She attends Glad Tidings of Austin, an Assemblies of God congregation in the Texas capital.