Gulf Coast Leadership Council

Responding to pressure from GCLC-trained leaders from TMO institutions, 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.

It is with great sadness that we learned the news this Easter Monday morning about the death of Pope Francis.

Over the past three years, as GCLC-trained leaders of The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) and our sister organizations of the Industrial Areas Foundation, we were privileged to meet him three times in his Santa Marta residence at the Vatican, each an encounter of 90 minutes or more. 

On February 2nd, nearly 120 Gulf Coast Leadership Council (GCLC) leaders and community members gathered at St. James Episcopal Church for a community event celebrating both the history and future of the Columbia Tap Trail— the historic four-mile walking and biking trail that stretches through the heart of Third Ward. Participants represented St. Mary of the Purification Catholic, Pilgrim UCC, Good Hope Baptist, Friends of Columbia Tap, and several other local groups.

115 GCLC-trained leaders from five TMO institutions in Houston's Third Ward -- St. Mary's Catholic, Pilgrim UCC, St. James Episcopal, Good Hope Baptist, and Friends of Columbia Tap -- convened in early February to celebrate the history and future of the Columbia Tap Rail-Trail, a 4-mile walking and biking trail that runs the length of the neighborhood and holds deep, historical significance.

The meeting comes after half year of relationship-building amongst the congregations and multiple trips to City Hall to follow up on past promises to invest in this important element of recreation and transportation infrastructure.

In response to the passage of Texas Senate Bill 4, which requires local law enforcement in Texas to allocate resources to duties traditionally handled by the federal government, the Gulf Coast Leadership Council (GCLC) hosted "Know Your Rights" (KYR) civic academies across the Houston metro area. These four sessions attracted over 300 community and congregational ministry leaders affiliated with The Metropolitan Organization (TMO). Enforcement of SB 4 is currently suspended as a variety of groups have challenged its legality in federal courts since it creates an elaborate system of statewide  immigration enforcement by the State of Texas and local law officers that has historically been the responsibility of the federal government.

The KYR academies featured presentations of vital legal information by experienced immigration attorneys, small group discussions, and in-depth Q&A sessions. Additionally, the lawyers met with families individually or in small groups to provide information and suggest next steps about how they might address their specific legal concerns. In some cases, participants took further action by creating "Family Security Toolkits" to help families with young children prepare in case a parent or family member was caught up in immigration detention.

The sessions were held in Northeast Houston, Spring Branch, Pasadena, and Alvin in Brazoria County.

Leaders of St. Francis Assisi TMO and Gulf Coast Leadership Council (GCLC) organized a workshop led by Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, President and CEO of Harris Health System to educate members of the church and community about key health issues facing African American communities. Dr. Porsa provided an engaging and informative overview of health conditions wi such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol which undermine the health and wellness of our communities. GCLC and TMO leaders worked closely with Dr. Porsa and Harris Health to pass the district's $2.5 Billion bond election in November, 2023 that will invest over $2 Billion in the campus of LBJ Hospital which is  just across the 610 N Loop from St. Francis Assisi. 

Leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to oppose current plans to build a concrete crushing plant only 400 yards from the LBJ campus. After the bond election, GCLC and TMO leaders learned that a company is seeking to obtain an air permit from the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to build the plant. Members of St Francis, New Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic and New Hope Baptist have have led the fight and generated over 600 comments to TCEQ against granting the permit and over 2,000 letters to Gov. Abbott and Lt Gov. Patrick expressing their opposition to the plant being located next to the LBJ campus.

GCLC is educating TMO leaders about the the health risks for elderly and medically vulnerable neighbors, including those in the hospital complex itself that a plant of this sort will create. Harris County has filed suit asking a court to reverse the TCEQ decision to grant the air permit to build the plant.   

GCLC-prepared leaders of TMO speak at press conference, including Fr. Martin Eke and Sr. Maureen O'Connell, OP, director of the Archdiocesan Secretariat of Social Concerns. 

[Excerpts]

The historically African-American neighborhood inside Houston’s northern 610 Loop has held townhall meetings and protests since last year to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). But its Director approved a permit this past January for Texas Coastal Materials to build a concrete and rock crusher across the street mere yards away from the busy public hospital.

Now residents, state representatives and Church leaders hope a letter-writing campaign gathering thousands of signatures to Gov. Greg Abbott will help him to overturn the Standard Air Quality Permit 173296 given to the company.

Father Martin Eke, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in that neighborhood, said, “The company tells us it will not be a problem. But my parishioners and I live here in the community. The crushed gravel with its particulates will only add to the air pollution here.”

....[Sister Maureen O’Connell] added, “The letters reflect the commitment of the people of God and their desire to live and thrive in an environment that promotes the common good.”

Kashmere Gardens Community, Churches Protest Another Polluting Company, The Catholic Herald [pdf]

[Update: TCEQ's own Office of Public Interest Counsel (OPIC) finds that "good cause to overturn the ED’s decision exists, based on substantial evidence provided by the Movants that the entirety of the facility will not be located further than 440 yards from a school or place of worship."]

In Harris County, canvassers and leaders have knocked on close to 9,000 doors and spoken with over 2,000 households about the benefits and risks of Covid-18 vaccines in two areas with high percentages of low-income Latino and African American families and very low rates of vaccination.

In Jefferson County, leaders organized 12 different vaccination events at Beaumont ISD schools, Baptist and Catholic churches, Port Arthur libraries and a museum. Over 450 children and another 200 adults have been vaccinated in four zip codes with the lowest vaccination rates in the state.

In Brazoria County, GCLC partnered with Hispanic congregations in Manvel, Alvin and Clute to work with local clinics and pharmacies to provide over 100 vaccinations to adults and children. Both Alvin and Brazos Port ISDs agreed to educate parents about the need for vaccination through their school district newsletter and flyers distributed to parents through schools.

Over 100 clergy and leaders (prepared by GCLC and from TMO institutions) convened at Our Lady of St. John Catholic Church in Northeast Houston for small group conversations to discuss issues around safety and crime in their community.  Houston Police Department officers joined the conversation and committed to building a better relationship with the community.

Organized by The Gulf Coast Leadership Council (GCLC) and TMO, 123 participants were joined by Bishop Italo Dell'Oro of the Archdiocese ofGalveston-Houston for a two-day 'Recognizing the Stranger' training.  Ministry leaders from 21 parishes of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston participated, as did leaders from the Diocese of Beaumont. 

Recognizing the Stranger training equips immigrant parish leaders with the skills needed to make connections within immigrant communities and with non-immigrant allies, applying the tools of organizing to address issues facing their congregations and communities.

Training sponsors include the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Mission & Ministry Impact, Gulf Coast Leadership Council, TMO, and the Organizers Institute.

In photo at right, Bishop Italo Dell-Oro recognizes GCLC for teaching parish leaders listening skills through house meetings, particularly with people on the periphery.