In a costly hit to a neighborhood congregation, thieves stripped four air-conditioning units from First Metropolitan Church's campus in northwest Harris County, leaving volunteers and the church's food pantry to sweat it out without critical cooling. The loss has put serious strain on a ministry that already runs on a tight budget and leans heavily on older volunteers, and church leaders say the suspects clearly knew how to get around security to reach the units.
Leaders Say Thieves Worked Methodically, Killed Cameras
Evelyn Ogletree, the church's executive pastor, told ABC13 that surveillance video captures suspects hauling ladders onto the property, climbing up to unscrew lights, then turning cameras away from the action before cutting locks on an iron fence to get to the four outdoor units. "They are just cutting the locks off, and cutting the gate and coming on in, so that's never happened to us before," Ogletree said. She added that the thieves appeared practiced at what they were doing and that the church is now going through the footage for any usable leads.
Food Pantry And Volunteers Take The Heat
First Metropolitan lists a "YB Food Pantry" among its ministries, according to First Metropolitan Church, and leaders say the loss of cooling will make it tougher for volunteers, many of them older, to work during food distributions. The congregation's online information notes its Northwest campus and provides contact details for outreach, and replacing several commercial air-conditioning units will be a heavy financial lift for a church that is still trying to recover from the economic fallout of the pandemic and recent freezes.
Why AC Units Keep Vanishing
Thieves frequently go after air conditioners for the copper and other metal components inside, which can be sold for quick cash. It is a persistent problem in Houston and far beyond the city limits. Reporting in the Houston Chronicle has documented how the scrap value of coils and wiring makes units a tempting target and, in turn, drives up repair and replacement costs for small nonprofits and churches that can least afford it.
What Church Leaders Say Comes Next
"I know God is looking out for us and I know God is going to make sure they get caught," Ogletree told ABC13. Church leaders say they plan to pursue security upgrades while they tally up repair and replacement costs, all as they keep working to serve neighbors who rely on the church for food and support.
