'An Answered Prayer': How A South Dallas Pastor’s Equitable Development Uplifts City’s Poorest ZIP Codes When Chris Simmons first came to Cornerstone Baptist Church in 1988, the congregation doubted he would last. Members were weary after chronic violence in the area led to a revolving door of leadership. Many who had been with Cornerstone for decades didn't believe they could find a pastor willing to weather the storm alongside them. “If I had known better, I probably wouldn’t have gone,” Simmons joked. “The area was called a war zone — there were a lot of drive-by shootings, a lot of gang activity and a lot of challenges in the neighborhood. “We thought to ourselves, ‘It must be difficult to be part of a church where you feel like nobody really wants to pastor to you,’ and so we made a commitment that we would stay here and raise our family.” Simmons kept his promise. Thirty-five years later, he remains head of the church. But his role has evolved to extend far beyond the walls of Cornerstone. Today, it touches nearly every block of the 75210 and 75215 ZIP codes. 
Twenty-four years ago, Simmons created Cornerstone Community Development Corp., a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting South Dallas through the transformation of nuisance properties. Cornerstone’s mission was to improve the community while keeping homeowners in place, a delicate balancing act that required an intimate understanding of what the…  Read the full story here. | 
