He’ll be outside with the rest of his congregation, mewing the lawn and trimming limbs.

“It’s turning into a tradition,” said Patty Thomas, events coordinator at Western Hills Church of Christ in Temple. “It’s a fall clean-up day. Instead of a sermon, we’ll be cleaning up yards that need it.”

The church locates the yards it cleans with aid from the city of Temple and Love of Christ Food Bank.

Last year Western Hills members cleaned eight yards.

“There was painting and minor carpentry work that needed to be done,” Ms. Thomas said. “There was also a lot of debris cleared away.”

This year, the church plans to unleash its cleaning arsenal on 1200 E. French, 1121 Pima, 5220 Berger Road, 3925 Loop Drive, 401 E. Lamar, 1407 S. Seventh St., the Ronald McDonald House, Thornton Elementary School, and homes in Troy and Copperas Cove.

“We’re able to a bit more this time,” Ms. Thomas said. “More locations across a wider area.”

For Western Hills members like Mike Stirman, the project is a chance to share God’s love with others.

“It’s a humantiarian thing to do,” Stirman said. “And it’s a way to show the community that Western Hills can step in and help.”

The Oct. 5 clean-up day will replace the morning sermon.

The congregation will start Oct. 5 with donuts and time for worship, and by 11 a.m., the participating members should be at their assigned work stations.

Anyone wanting to help can call the church at 778-4246.

--tlunsford@temple-telegram.com