At Bethany Village, that relationship has a face: Rev. Scott Nellis. Less than a year into his role as Spiritual Care Specialist, he has already become one of the most recognized and welcomed people on campus. He does not wait for residents to come to him. He walks through the halls, pauses to visit, remembers the names of grandchildren, and follows up.

He leads Bible studies and organizes field trips, but his most meaningful work often happens in the space between those things—whether it is a hand on a shoulder, a question asked with genuine curiosity, or a return visit that says you mattered enough for me to come back.

His aim is simple but profound: to help people recognize that faith is not reserved for Sunday mornings or chapel services. It lives in ordinary days when a good memory surfaced, a fear gently held, a laugh shared in the hallway.

Senior living ministry was not his original plan. Pastor Scott came from traditional congregational work in Ohio, where he preached, led, and engaged communities. But over time, he found himself drawn to something more personal. “I’ve been honing the skill of calling on people,” he said. “Building trust.” When the opportunity at Bethany Village came, it turned out to be less a career pivot than a homecoming.

That sense of home is, in many ways, what Graceworks’ spiritual care ministry is about. Not services rendered, but people known. Not programs delivered, but presence offered.  At Bethany Village, residents do not just have a place to live; they have a community where someone knows their name, notices their absence, and shows up.

That is what belonging looks like. And Pastor Scott is living proof of it.