Every year a merry band of Catholic teenagers from Christ the King parish in Ann Arbor travel over 50 miles north to Flint in order to run a summer camp for children at Saint Mary's church on the city's east side.
"So many children [here] don't have a way to get engaged during the summer, they're out of school, they're getting into trouble, they don't have a way to get a meal," explains Sister Rachel Benjamin of the Servants of God's Love who coordinates the Flint Summer Youth Mission.
"So we had this brilliant breakthrough Holy Spirit moment where we said 'Yes! Teens plus children, it's a match made in heaven," adding "that's [also] where we meet Jesus to -- they meet him in us and we meet him in them."
The Flint Summer Youth Mission helps local kids to have fun while also learning more about Jesus Christ. The mission runs one day every week for four weeks in the summer. It is provided for free and is sustained by donations and volunteers organized through Christ the King which is the sister parish of the Catholic Community of Flint.
"I've been really impacted in my life by the influence of high schoolers when I was younger and the influence of young adults -- and that's really helped me grow in my faith," says volunteer Daniel Jobst.
"So I am trying to be that for these kids. I'm trying to influence them in a positive way and help them grow deeper in their faith."
To find out more go to: https://ctkcc.net/flintmission/