Fox River Lutheran Church
Who We Are
Rooted in faith, united in Christ, and committed to growing together as a church family.
Who We Are
We are just like you in that we have come together to enjoy a closeness with God, worship in song and prayer, and build each other up. We recognize that we represent all degrees of spiritual maturity welcoming everyone to understand what God's will is in our lives
Meet Our Team
Our pastors, staff, and ministry leaders serve Fox River Lutheran Church with dedication, humility, and a shared desire to glorify God. Each member of our team plays an important role in worship, ministry, administration, and caring for the life of our congregation.
Kevin Garner
Senior Pastor
Pastor Kevin serves as Senior Pastor. He has been faithfully preaching God’s Word and shepherding the congregation with care and wisdom for the past 32 years. He has a heart for helping the congregation grow spiritually and for preaching truth. He has been married to Sue for 32 years.
Rich Burt
Associate Pastor
Pastor Rich serves as a support to the Senior Pastor, and has a "whole-heart" not just for Jesus, but also for people. This is evident is his devotion to discipleship and small group bible study. The champion of our "ROOTED experience, he wants to see followers of Christ deepen their relationship with Jesus. He unabashedly believes that when you set your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), and take root in the truth of God's word (Colossians 3:16), God can bring forth life-change which will last for generations to come He and Jen have been married for 22 years. Jaimee Ruth is married to Fabian and they have Rosie who is always on the go, has a sweet, sweet heart and is anxious to become a big sister in the fall.
Michael Itter
Youth Director
Mike leads and supports the youth of Fox River Lutheran Church, encouraging young people to grow in faith, fellowship, and service. He recently completed his degree from Moody, and has a heart for discipling the youth and young adults in the community. He has been married to Diana for 13 years.
Linda Ness
Secretary
Linda supports the daily operations of the church, assisting members and staff with organization, communication, and administrative care.
Pam Leiser
Treasurer
Pam oversees financial stewardship and accountability, faithfully serving the church with integrity and diligence.
Our Mission
Our purpose is to build up the body of Christ through worship, prayer, witness, education, and fellowship as directed by the Word of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Foreign Missions
Fox River Lutheran Church is committed to supporting foreign missions. At least 10% of our general offerings are dedicated to mission work, and through God’s grace we have supported missions in over 55 countries. In 2025 alone, $50,000 was given to foreign missions.
History of Fox River
Our Story
Fox River Lutheran Church was born in 1839, in a two story log cabin along the banks of the Fox River, as Norwegian immigrants were led to reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ in their new homeland. They built a church building in an area known as "The Norwegian Settlement" or "Norway" in 1843. In 1917 this congregation merged with another evangelical Lutheran body who had built a sanctuary 1 mile east and 1/2 mile south of Norway in 1861. This merged church took the name "Fox River Lutheran" in 1977.
Fox River Lutheran Church purchased property in 2003 and began construction of a new facility 1/4 mile east of the intersection of US Highway 52 and IL Highway 71. The first service in the new building was held on July 2nd, 2006. The mortgage on the new building was paid off in December of 2008. God is Good! Within a few miles, in different locations, one can find two of the other structures still standing.
Fox River Lutheran Church is part of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC). We are a multigenerational church family whose purpose is to lift up and worship Jesus Christ. We are committed to imparting sound biblical teaching, building Christ-centered relationships, and living out the principles Jesus taught and modeled among His first disciples
We desire to help equip families and all believers, from children to seniors, to become disciple-makers in their homes and communities.
Contact Us
Fox River Lutheran Church
2785 US-52
Sheridan, IL 60551
Quick Links
Sundays 9:15am · Sunday School 11:00am
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