The words "Jesus was a migrant" was projected onto the exterior walls of Lakewood Church, Second Baptist Church and Houston Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
The activists also projected the message at Houston City Hall, the George R. Brown Convention Center and at Discovery Green.
The group Indivisible Houston said it wants to remind people that the U.S. government has shut down out of a "unwillingness to accept those who are suffering and are fleeing injustice and oppression," organization president Daniel J. Cohen said in a statement.
"Many people took pictures with the image and greeted us kindly on the street downtown when we projected it. People want to help their neighbors and welcome those in need. They believe in helping other people, and so do we."