Former Lake County YMCA in Waukegan to reopen Sunday as Church of Joy
The building that housed the Lake County YMCA until financial troubles forced it to close in 2012 is set to reopen as a house of worship.
The Church of Joy will celebrate a grand opening Sunday of its new ministry headquarters in the renovated building at 2000 Western Ave.
Pastor Luis R. Reyes said in a news release the Church of Joy purchased the former community landmark and performed a multimillion-dollar renovation of the property. The work will be publicly unveiled during a grand opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday.
The 55,000-square-foot facility includes a state-of-the-art ministry headquarters, an expansive main sanctuary, various ministry classrooms and a youth sanctuary, he said. There also is an 8,000-square-foot gymnasium and performing arts studio and a full-service cafe, officials said.
"This is not only a win for Church of Joy, it's a win for the entire community," Reyes said. "Great things are happening for the families in this region, and Church of Joy is glad to be a part of it."
The Church of Joy previously was located in a 24,000-square-foot converted warehouse on 27th Street in Zion, said director of operations Ashley Harrell. She said the new space will enable the church to offer more programs to children, adults and families.
"We decided to move because our outreach had grown so much that we wanted to offer more expanded amenities," she said.
The church purchased the building after financial troubles forced the Lake County YMCA to close its Waukegan and Vernon Hills locations in late 2012. The nonprofit group said it had insufficient resources to sustain operations at the facilities on a long-term basis and it needed to raise at least $5 million to stay open.
The YMCA tried to partner with community or private groups to continue, but efforts fell short.
Vernon Hills officials agreed to lend the Vernon Hills Park District more than $2 million interest free to purchase the YMCA building in the village. The park district renovated the facility and now operates some of its programs there.