There was no real walk out, members had decided that rather than attend their regular Sunday service at their church that they would become the sermon in their community.

Sunday clothes were left hanging in closets as bright orange T-shirts replaced blouses and collared shirts for the work day ahead.

Patty Thomas, David Kelly, Jake Herndon and Christian Breen formed a committee to organize the event. Members approached Temple’s code enforcement department to get a list of houses that needed cleaning up to comply with city ordinances.

“We were given a list of places that needed cleaning up, the lady that lives in this house doesn’t speak English and can’t afford people to tend to her yard,” Jim Thigpen said.

“One of our staff members heard that Lubbock had completed community work successfully,” Thigpen said. “This is our first attempt at a large-scale cleanup, it’s really a trial to work out the kinks of an event like this. Eventually we would love to see other churches in Temple join us, this doesn’t have to be a denominational thing, it doesn’t even have to be a religious thing, and anybody can start a group. We just want to share the love that we receive.”

The congregation often helps members who have lost life partners, but this is the first time they have moved out into the community to those that are not regular churchgoers. Eventually they would like it to be something they can do three or four times a year.

Members signed up and checked locations for tools that would be required for the job at hand, and then it was a matter of organizing the groups.

“People just started working,” Thigpen said. “I am so proud of our younger members, they just got in and did the work, we have some fine young people in our community.”

tcooper@temple-telegram.com