Once a week, the Rev. Dennis Cornelius takes his guitar to work for a little praise music.

The residents of Trinity Living Center in Grove City and Chicora Medical Center in Chicora, where Cornelius is chaplain, look forward to that day, even those who suffer from Alzheimer's disease.

Actually, what is now a hymn sing evolved from his work with those patients.

"I started at the Alzheimer's Unit at TLC using the guitar because those folks really were drawn to the music," he said. "(The other patients) found out I play the guitar and they asked me to bring (it) and play and sing."

Now he has 20 to 25 residents who show up weekly for some inspiration through music.

Fifty-four-year-old Kathryn Kirkwood is one of the regulars who is reached by the music ministry.

"We sing along with him," she said. "Oh my, yes! I feel cheered up."

After working for 20 years as a pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Western Pennsylvania Conference in Cranberry Township, Cornelius, 49, of Grove City, decided to embark on a journey into a territory very different from the traditional role he had held. He took a job as the chaplain for two nursing homes.

His position is unique, different from church pastor, because he focuses on caring solely for the spiritual needs of his congregation.

"I don't have to deal with the nuts and bolts of running the church," he said. "I just help (the residents) live out their days the best they can in reference to their spiritual journey, and hopefully give them that peace of mind that they someday will be in the Church Triumphant."

Cornelius' new job offers different challenges from pastoring a church. Foremost are the health concerns of the residents, followed by memory loss.

"Some of (the residents) are just a lot slower to pick things up than when they were involved in their local church," he said. "They were much healthier, much more alert (then).

"But then there are some that just amaze me. You think they're not with the subject and all of a sudden someone will come up with, 'Well, Jesus and the disciples were doing this', and 'this is why he said this,' and I'll just sit and look at them like, 'Where did that come from?'

"That's happened a number of times, which is a positive indication that their faith-base, their up-bringing, really took hold."

Since health issues and memory problems are a normal part of his dealings as nursing home chaplain, Cornelius has to be creative about how he can bring God into the lives of his flock.

To get his message to stick, Cornelius uses a variety of approaches to engage different learning styles.

He distills the gospel message to its essence, combines various sensory techniques, and utilizes a gentle and friendly approach toward each person. He also meets the people where they are in their spiritual journeys, using that point as a foundation in helping them grow in their relationship with God.

"I'm not going to grab them and say, 'Are you saved,'" he said. "That's not my style. I just think that's not a good approach. I don't want to scare anyone into the faith.

"I can talk with them about that kind of thing, (but) they have to make that decision, a one-on-one decision, and then ultimately, God has the final say."

One of the things that make his job easier than it first seems is Cornelius doesn't do his work alone.

"I'm part of a team," he said. "Our motto is 'TLC,' which is tender loving care, which is also Trinity Living Center.

"The staff, as they do therapy with the residents, as they pass the meds, as they do their nursing, they also provide the tender loving care."

The staff helps Cornelius provide spiritual care to the residents in numerous ways.

They give him a heads-up on patients' problems, telling him which people are having a rough day or are going through a hard time. They assist him in getting interested residents to the services and Bible studies he provides. They even assist at his hymn sings.

Kirkwood is currently a resident at the Chicora Medical Center, receiving rehabilitative services from an injury. Since moving out of her Meridian home she has experienced many frustrating and lonely moments. To Kirkwood, Cornelius is a pick-me-up.

"The days he's here, he's always available," she said. "He gets to know us personally and care about us personally, not just a group of residents. He is our pastor."

Cornelius is always thinking about how to better reach his people. In the works is a Bible study called "Lesson in a Lunchbox." The premise is to present a Bible story using five or six items tucked away in a lunchbox. Each item in the box relates to the lesson being studied. As the items are presented, they will hopefully trigger a sensory image pertaining to the story, and provide the residents something to grasp onto to remember the passage.

Kirkwood appreciates those kinds of things, which show Cornelius' enthusiasm towards his job. She wishes he could be available to the residents five days a week instead of the two he is assigned to CMC. She's not the only one who feels that way. Not long ago, another patient told her, "I just love that preacher, and we seem precious to him."

Kirkwood wholeheartedly agrees, and added, "He's precious to us too."