Looking to make his summer productive, Will Murphy of Williamsburg, Va., discovered a unique church program in Ypsilanti on a website for volunteer services.

The idea behind Catholic Urban Project, a blend of performing community service and working in ministry outreach programs, appealed to him so much he decided to come to Michigan for eight weeks.

Murphy is one of nine young adult missionaries living and working at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. The young missionaries have coordinated children’s day camps, made home repairs for the elderly and ministered through door-to-door outreach.

Catholic Urban Project originated in 2006 when the Rev. Bob Roggenbuck, now pastor at St. John the Baptist, noticed the lack of the church’s presence in certain urban areas.

“It was really his dream to be able to serve the community in this way, inviting young adults who have a heart for serving to go out into the community,” said program director Rachel Thelen.

“It’s been an idea in his heart for even longer than just this year. When he became pastor of this parish, he saw it as an opportunity. There was a need in Ypsilanti.”

Thelen joined the parish staff in September and saw the program’s appeal spread among young adults through national Catholic conferences and online forums.

“A lot of young adults were expressing a deep interest in doing this, and there was this sense that Father Bob’s hunch was right,” Thelen said. “There are a lot of people out there who want to be involved and to serve in this way. It was a big affirmation.”

The diversity of the program, which concludes Aug. 1, appealed to Murphy and his fellow missionaries.

“It’s very direct and faith centered and diverse,” said Murphy. “There are a lot of volunteer programs that a person can do for the summer.

“They might go somewhere and do some general repairs, and there’s some entirely religious retreats and removed from that kind of work. This is very balanced.”

Nick Pobocik of Swartz Creek saw Catholic Urban Project as an opportunity to be pushed beyond his mental and physical boundaries.

“The Lord said give me eight weeks and I’ll help you grow, I’ll make you uncomfortable, I’ll make you tired and joyful, but at the end I’m going to bless you and reward you,” Pobocik said.

“I’ve been surprised in the way I’ve seen Christ in strangers. You never know what’s going to happen when you knock on someone’s door or stop them in the street. It could be one of the best moments of the week or a terrible experience. Thankfully, we haven’t had anyone that’s been outright rude to us. Some people are so overwhelmingly joyful that we are on their front stoop.”

Thelen views this summer’s success as the start of a wide-reaching campaign. Catholic Urban Project has its sights on spreading to Flint, adding more missionaries for St. John the Baptist and possibly operating year-round.

“One of the biggest things we’ve talked about is we’ve really seen this growing beyond Ypsilanti,” Thelen said. “We’ve seen the gift these young adults have been to the community and what they’ve been able to offer. We hope that we can do something similar in other areas.”

Brian Vernellis is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-4617 or brianvernellis@annarbor.com.