Renovations underway at new Edge Church in Fox Lake

Pastor Kim McCormick said she felt it was God's calling that sent her to Fox Lake.

However, she admits, it's going to take a lot of faith - and a few donations - to make her dream of opening a contemporary Christian Church there come true.

McCormick said renovations are ongoing at the new Edge Church at the once-shuttered Glen Pre-School, at the corner of Forest Avenue and School Street in downtown Fox Lake.

However, throwing open the doors to the public could take some divine work, McCormick said, because the church still needs to raise $20,000 to pay off the cost of purchasing the facility at 25 Forest Ave.

Dr. William Dam, who sits on a committee to raise money for the upstart church, said he's confident the community will come through.

"We are pushing forward and everyone is doing a good job, for something good for the town of Fox Lake," he said. "We are confident we can raise the money."

The hope is some progress will be made on Saturday, July 24, when Edge hosts a fundraiser at 6 p.m. at the American Legion building, 703 N. Route 12 in Fox Lake.

The main fundraiser is a $50 raffle ticket, where the winner will take home $2,500 in cash. Second prize is a 42-inch flat-screen television, and third prize is a laptop computer.

There are 25 other smaller door prizes that will be won throughout the evening.

People who purchase a $50 ticket will get dinner for free, but people attending the dinner without a raffle ticket will need to pay $10 at the door.

McCormick said the church became known in Fox Lake after starting the Rock the Fox teen night program that took place the first Saturday of every month at the village's Lakefront Park on Nippersink Road.

She said she interviewed numerous residents in Fox Lake about what was needed in the community, and the teen night won hands down.

"We spoke with people for 15 or 20 hours a week and asked them what they saw as the greatest need in the community, and the teen night was the biggest," she said. "They also want more things for teens to do, so after we open the church, we'd like to start up an after-school program and a create a place where the kids can go and talk and do their homework and work on a computer."

McCormick's commitment to Fox Lake has always been strong.

"We moved here because we felt this is where we should start the church," McCormick said. "We had a clear sense that there would be life transformation in the region."

The road to realizing the dream, though, has been a little rocky. In August 2009, the church made plans to move into a vacant storefront at 42 E. Grand Ave. But the location was within 100 feet of an alcohol-selling establishment, and per the village code, the church was finished before it even got started.

So the search for a new facility was on. Eventually, McCormick found the small, vacant, former preschool and saw potential.

Fox Lake Building Commissioner Frank Urbina said he inspected the property before the Edge purchased it, and, despite it being shuttered for seven years, it was in good condition.

It needed some work, though. And the community stepped in to help.

McCormick said the largest donation came from her husband's construction employer, Leopardo Construction, which donated labor and supplies.

"There were dozens of construction workers here over the period of a few weeks to help fix up the building," she said. "It was estimated more than 400 volunteer hours were spent to fix the church up, worth about $30,000 to $40,000. That was pretty amazing."

In addition, she said, a heating and air conditioning business has donated parts and labor, and a certified plumber has donated his time to keep he pipes in working order. She added business leaders and teens have helped with cleaning and other tasks.

In fact, she said, a member of the Fox Lake Police Explorers even donated a pool table for teens.

"Every week, it seems people come around looking to help," she said. "It's been very wonderful seeing everyone come out."

She thanks everyone, especially God, for getting her to this point.

"For the last three years before settling in Fox Lake, we had been praying and asking God where we should go," she said. "We had a sense that we were supposed to come here. And the community has truly been generous in helping us."