During his U.S. tour, Fr. Mattia Ferrari, Coordinator of the World Meeting of Popular Movements at the Vatican (an initiative of Pope Francis), met with TMO, EPISO, CTI, COPA, and One LA leaders to hear stories of organizing and discuss the importance of popular movements being led by poor and working-class people. They were joined by César Piscoya, Pastoral Advisor for the Latin American Episcopal Council, and Luca Caserini, Founder of Mediterranea Saving Humans.

Houston Chronicle Op-Ed by Bishop John Ogletree, Jr., senior pastor of First Metropolitan Church, and Rabbi David Lyon, senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo left home Tuesday before dawn to spend another day building homes for future Houstonians. Instead, during what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement described as a “targeted enforcement action” on Houston’s east side, the 35-year Houston resident and small business owner was killed.

We are Houston faith leaders, and our congregations belong to The Metropolitan Organization, a nonpartisan group that seeks the justice that so many of our faith traditions demand. We mourn Salgado’s death. And we demand an independent investigation into the enforcement strategy that led to it.

In response to widespread power loss during extreme weather events like Hurricane Beryl, The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) secure $250,000 to construct Houston’s first Community Lighthouse at New Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

The project comes after repeated outages left millions without reliable access to electricity, exposing gaps in disaster preparedness—particularly in neighborhoods already facing longstanding infrastructure challenges.

This week, Harris Health approved a proposal to name the chapel at the new LBJ Hospital The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) Chapel—recognizing the role TMO leaders played in advancing the $2.5 billion bond that made the new facility possible.

TMO receiving the Garnett F. Coleman Health Equity Award from Harris Health

Weeks after securing a path forward for the expansion of Ben Taub Hospital, The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) was recognized by Harris Health with the Garnett F. Coleman Health Equity Award.
The award acknowledges the role TMO leaders played in addressing long-standing overcrowding at Ben Taub—work that spanned multiple years and required public education, accountability, and negotiation.

The award acknowledges the role TMO leaders played in addressing long-standing overcrowding at Ben Taub—work that spanned multiple years and required public education, accountability, and negotiation.

After nearly three years of organizing, The Metopolitan Organization (TMO) leaders are celebrating a major victory for access to life-saving healthcare. The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to acquire 8.9 acres in Hermann Park to expand Ben Taub Hospital and address dangerous overcrowding at one of Houston’s most critical trauma centers.

TMO recognizes the County Commissioners for their vote to help meet the increasing demand for inpatient care in Harris County.

This win follows sustained organizing by TMO leaders, including securing nearly 2,200 petition signatures in support of the expansion online and in person at congregations throughout Harris County. Leaders educated their communities, held a press conference, delivered public testimony, and conducted behind-the-scenes negotiations and meetings with county commissioners to move the project forward.

The Metropolitan Organization of Houston (TMO) is mobilizing communities across Harris County to win what voters already approved: a critical expansion of Ben Taub Hospital that would add 100 new patient rooms and relieve dangerous overcrowding at one of Houston’s most essential emergency care facilities.

TMO leaders and others in their communities have been detained and deported while at work, after dropping their children off at school, and upon calling the police for help after experiencing domestic violence. In response, TMO organized 27 Know Your Rights and Family Safety Workshops and Immigration Civic Academies with over 2,000 community members from 21 congregations in Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Harris Counties. 

Responding to pressure from The Metropolitan Organization (TMO), the City of Houston has issued demolition orders for two long-vacant buildings, one of which is a strip mall that has been abandoned for over 30 years.

Over a year after Hurricane Beryl and a derecho windstorm made thousands of homes uninhabitable, TMO (The Metropolitan Organization) leaders and allies persuaded the City of Houston to boost funding for home repair from zero to $100 Million, using federal disaster recovery dollars.