FOXBORO - When a person wants to get involved with their church's ministry, there are numerous ways to do it. Some volunteer at food banks, shelters, or even sing in their church's choir.

Foxboro residents Phil DiCanzio, 20, and Pat Drew, 19, however, decided to get on their bike and ride.

Both Phil and Drew, along with Phil's sister Julia are involved with Spoke Folk, a summer ministry in which volunteers and counselors bike around a state, going from church to church performing contemporary Christian and secular music.

The program brings volunteers from all over the country, Phil and Pat said in an interview.

"The best part is just the people that you get to meet," Drew added. "You just get to meet people from all walks of life that have different backgrounds from the way you grew up. You just get to talk to different people after the concerts and just meet all new people." The groups, which can number as high as 40 people between riders and counselors, sleep on the floors of the church, wherever they can find space, and perform a concert each night, usually for a week, at each stop.

The two were best friends before becoming involved in the program, with Phil getting Pat involved over the last few years. For those who don't know one another going in, though, the close quarters brings the group together quickly.

"It's kind of unreal how close you get to people over the trip just spending time right on top of one another and sleeping all on the same floor," Drew said.

"There are people from my first (Spoke Folk trip) in Minnesota that I still call on the phone weekly," said DiCanzio, who has been involved with the ministry for five years.

Despite the camaraderie and experiences, the trips can be grueling as they average over 250 miles over the course of the week, with as much as 75 miles in a day.

"Riding a bike is hard, but it isn't all that complex. It's great to have someone next to you to talk to so you can be keep yourself entertained," DiCanzio said of the longer rides. "Along those lines, you'll help people get up a hill, sometimes physically helping push them up the road."

"It's hard, and I'd say we're middle of the road [in terms of fitness]. There's people better than us and there's people worse than us [at riding] but you all work together," Drew added.

The rides, which take place in states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and here in Massachusetts, allow the riders to get up close and personal with nature, and not always on the best of terms.

"In Wisconsin there were bears, and we have seen a lynx and other animals. Basically things that you probably don't want to see when you're not in a car," Drew said, adding that he once helped a fellow rider re-attach a bike chain and continue on, only to find out later from other riders a bear crossed right where they had stopped a few minutes later.

Still, the unique summer experience has provided for the two boys many more good memories than scary ones. "I'd say there's about a million (good memories), but there's always a moment when you're playing a concert and somebody just looks at you and smiles. That's special," DiCanzio said of his experiences.

"One time we got the chance to play for autistic children at a camp. We haven't had a lot of experience dealing with autistic children and didn't really understand (the disease), so that was a really heartwarming experience," Drew recalled. "It was just nice to be involved."

The program ultimately has changed them for the better, according to the two boys. Both credit their experience with Spoke Folk as adding to their faith and making them more sure about the people they want to be.

"To think back of the way I was before, I can't even imagine it," Drew added.

Both plan to continue to be involved with Spoke Folk, although they have elected to not participate in the ride in Massachusetts, which took place earlier this month.