In 2014, the Chicago Sun-Times called the 6400 block of South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive the most dangerous block in The Windy City.
It’s in the heart of this Southside neighborhood, referred to by locals as ‘O Block,’ that Pastor Corey Brooks planted the flag of New Beginnings Church with a vision of radical, Gospel transformation.
The sprawling metropolis was a shocking antithesis to his West Tennessee roots. But an opportunity to do ministry in a hurting neighborhood soon became a life calling for Brooks.
“I’m so grateful that I didn’t know much about Chicago,” Brooks said. “Because if I did, I probably would’ve never taken that opportunity that God was leading me to.”
Hear how God has used Pastor Corey Brooks and Project H.O.O.D. to restore in one of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods in our full conversation:
The neighborhood has been an unfortunate microcosm of the city’s struggle with pronounced gun violence, drug abuse, and broken homes. For 10 years, Brooks pushed against what lived just beyond the church doors.
It was, and still is, tough ground, Brooks says. Few receive a quality education, many are raised in splintered or abandoned homes, and most live under an oppressive hopelessness that the days will get better.
“I could just name issue after issue. Not only do you have so many absent fathers, but you also have a lot of young black men who have been incarcerated or involved in the justice system. You have not just the criminal element of gangs, which are plentiful, you have a lot of young people who don’t have much to do because they’re afraid of being shot,” Brooks explained.
“And you add to it that people are hopeless, they don’t have faith in God, they don’t have faith in their neighbors. You put all that together... It’s a powder keg waiting to explode at any time.”
Rooftop revelations
In late 2011, following the funeral of Carlton Archer, one of the church’s young men who had been shot and killed, Brooks knew the circumstances demanded a new approach.
He looked across the street at what he called the House of Satan – a dilapidated motel controlled by gangs that housed illicit activity like black market gun sales, prostitution, and drug activity.
Brooks climbed the motel roof, set up a tent, and decided he wouldn’t come down until everyone knew what he could no longer ignore.
94 days later, the pastor climbed down. The neighborhood wasn’t transformed, but the spotlight had been fixed on O Block, and a path had been cleared for real change.
“I realized we’ve been in this neighborhood [for 10 years], but apparently we have not been doing the work that needs to be done,” Brooks said.
Funds were raised to one day replace the abandoned, crime-infested motel with a new community center that would offer mentorship, resources, and practical, faith-based solutions to the deep-seated systemic issues that had taken root in Southside.
A few months later in 2012, Project H.O.O.D. was officially formed with that mission in mind. It stands for “Helping Others Obtain Destiny,” a call to marry the hope of the Gospel with the tangible life change only eternal transformation can bring about.
“We wanted Project H.O.O.D. to be different... We want Jesus Christ to be the focal point, the center of everything we do. We want to show people as much love and grace as we possibly can,” Brooks said.
“Our focus is opportunity. We believe that every person deserves a chance at the American dream. We want people to be spiritually strong, but we want their families to be strong too, and we want them to be individually strong. When that happens, it makes everything better.”
True hope, lasting change
Just a few of the initiatives driven by Project H.O.O.D. include a carpentry program, financial literacy classes, mentorship for all ages, summer camps, job training, and affordable housing programs. All of it set on a Gospel foundation.
The work has since flourished and is growing every month. Thousands are now walking with real hope of redemption, both eternal and practical.
Little more than 10 years since ‘O Block’ was labeled a death trap and hopeless corner of Chicago, it doesn’t even rank in the top 40 most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. Project H.O.O.D. and New Beginnings Church serve as a cornerstone of that transformation.
Perhaps the greatest symbol of the community’s restoration is the 90,000-square-foot Robert R. McCormick Leadership & Economic Opportunity Center, set to open within the year.
The sleekly designed, awe-inspiring facility is a shocking juxtaposition to the ramshackle structure that was once a haven for crime and violence. The new center stands in exactly the same spot where Brooks first made his rooftop stand.
“Being in Chicago has taught me so much about the love of God and the grace of God in the midst of so much pain. I’ve experienced people who have gone through tragedy, and learned how to forgive, and learn how to love, and learn how to reconcile,” Brooks said.
“When I look at that building, I say, ‘Man, God must really love us. God is so gracious. God gave us the grace and the love and the resources to get it done. I know it’s nothing but the grace of God.”
To learn more about Project H.O.O.D.’s ongoing work, click here.