Our Story
“God is faithful…” (1 Corinthians 1:9)
The story of Edgar Community Church is a story of God’s faithfulness.
Launched in 2015, Edgar Community Church was originally The Mill Church Edgar, a church plant of The Mill Church of Stratford, WI. For over seven years, Edgar Community Church was a mobile location with no permanent spot to call home, setting up and tearing down in a variety of locations throughout the Edgar community. Many hard-working, dedicated church family members helped haul crates, set up equipment, pray, volunteer on Serve Teams, and sacrifice their Sunday mornings week after week to help make Edgar Community Church possible, united in their desire to love God and love people in the Edgar community.
During these years, the Edgar Community Church family prayed and sought a permanent church home. Despite much searching and seeking, no viable option was found. However, God was faithful to this little church family, and His plans for it were only beginning.
In late 2020, an anonymous couple with no previous connections to Edgar Community Church reached out to the church, inquiring about its foster care ministry and how they could help support it. Through conversations with Pastor Nick Bancuk, this couple asked to hear more about the church’s story. A few weeks later, a check arrived in the mail...for $275,000 for a permanent Edgar Community Church location!
But there’s more.
The Village of Edgar had very few properties available that would work for a church building. Edgar Community Church approached the owners of the vacant lot across from the Edgar IGA, the last empty lot in downtown Edgar, and learned they were just about to put the property on the market. Talk about perfect timing! God was faithful.
But there’s more.
The property itself cost $190,000, leaving $85,000 for a downpayment on the actual church building. After putting together the initial building plans, the leaders of Edgar Community Church estimated that they would need to raise an additional $600,000 to be able to sustain the remaining mortgage payment, quite a large amount for a small church in a small village.
But then came yet another anonymous check in the mail...this time for $500,000 for the building of Edgar Community Church. No, we didn’t accidentally add any zero’s. You read that correctly. Half a million dollars, given by an anonymous couple who didn’t attend Edgar Community Church or have any connection to it. Unreal. God is faithful.
But there’s more.
The leaders of Edgar Community Church purposely designed the new church building with the Edgar community in mind. They wanted this building to be regularly used by multiple community groups. As such, thinking about the young families in Edgar, they designed the church building to include an indoor playground space. An individual from the Wisconsin Rapids area -- again, completely unconnected to Edgar Community Church -- reached out and offered his gently used indoor playground set completely free. He originally purchased it for $90,000. Unbelievable. God is faithful.
In September 2021, Edgar Community Church family members were asked to pledge an additional $100,000 on top of their regular giving to cover the remaining initial building costs. People were generous, giving above and beyond the goal of $100,000, and on November 1, 2021, construction began on a permanent church home. God is faithful.
The story of Edgar Community Church is one of God’s faithfulness. We have witnessed miracles here in Edgar, Wisconsin -- miracles that we cannot explain and do not deserve, short of the amazing goodness and grace of God. God is faithful.
The Edgar Community Church family is excited to follow God’s leading in the next chapter of our story as we seek to love God and love people within and beyond the Edgar community.