Each week, the sound of familiar hymns fills the memory care neighborhood at Trinity Springs. Pastor Dick Wolters, a volunteer assistant chaplain, leads residents in songs, prayer and conversation about Jesus. These moments bring joy and connection to hearts and minds alike.
“When you do church with memory care residents, it’s very informal,” Pastor Dick says. “I play hymns, say prayers and take a Bible story and make it interesting to them. We spend an hour or so together talking about Jesus, praying and singing hymns. When they hear the old hymns, they come alive.”
Pastor Dick visits Trinity Springs, a faith-based senior living community near The Villages, several days each week to minister to residents through music, prayer and companionship. What began as an act of service has become a deeply personal calling.
“I’ve found I really enjoy volunteer work at Trinity Springs,” he says. “I feel like I’m part of the family … I’ll continue serving until He takes me home.”
A Calling to Care for Mind, Body and Spirit
At Trinity Springs, spiritual care is part of everyday life, and something Pastor Dick believes is essential to well-being.
“Just like any place where you want to be able to encourage people and help them out spiritually, a chaplain is so important to be able to offer that as part of the community’s staff,” he says. “Just as much as you need a person in the medical field, a person in the financial field and a person in the activities field, you need a person in the spiritual field, as well.”
To Pastor Dick, faith-based care means tending to the whole person.
“We are mind, body and spirit,” he says. “The body, mind and spirit need to be cared for. Having a chaplain to care for the spirit of who we are, for the caregiver which is the family and for the resident; they need God in their life as much as anyone.”
Through prayer, Scripture and conversation, Pastor Dick helps memory care residents and families find comfort and meaning.
“We spend time in prayer and in the Word of God,” he says. “We spend time talking about heaven and how precious life is, and how important it is for family to be there when a loved one is getting ready to go home.”
How His Ministry at Trinity Springs Began
Before volunteering, Pastor Dick was already a familiar face at Trinity Springs. As a local pastor, he often visited congregants who had moved there and quickly noticed something unique about the community.
“As a pastor, I visit many senior living communities in and around The Villages,” he says. “Trinity Springs was the only one that had a chaplain on staff. That spoke volumes to me. It showed this is a place that truly cares about the spiritual well-being of residents.”
During one of those visits, he met Pastor Chuck, the community’s chaplain.
“I really connected with him,” Pastor Dick says. “We have a similar understanding of what it means to be a Christian and the importance of reaching out and helping people going through difficult times in life.”
That connection deepened when his wife, Yuka, moved to Trinity Springs Senior Living Community following an injury.
“I was so impressed with the community,” he recalls. “I was so delighted she could be there. The care she received was wonderful.”
As Yuka’s health declined, Pastor Chuck became a source of strength and friendship.
“He would sit down with me and talk about his ministry experience, and I would talk about mine. We really connected,” Pastor Dick says. “He was there for me to help me as I was going through the grief of losing a loved one.”
At one point, Pastor Chuck invited Pastor Dick to be his assistant chaplain, specifically serving memory care residents. Just as Pastor Chuck had served Yuka when she had Alzheimer’s during her time at Trinity Springs, Pastor Dick was ready to serve others with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
“He said, ‘I’ve been looking for an assistant chaplain for a couple years and have not been able to find the person. Would you be willing to become assistant chaplain?’ I said it would be an honor.”
A Ministry of Friendship and Faith
Since that time, Pastor Dick has continued to share God’s love with memory care residents, often using hymns and prayer to spark joy and connection. He says those moments are deeply rewarding.
“I tell all my friends and people I associate with that it’s a wonderful community,” he says. “If you love the Lord and want your loved one to continue being connected with the Lord, it’s a great community to be a part of. You can take your loved one where they’ll get good care and be able to stay connected with the Lord and be in an environment that is faith based.”
He’s especially grateful for his friendship with Pastor Chuck. “He’s like a mentor, a big brother, a pastor and a person I look up to,” Pastor Dick says. “He’s a special man and Trinity Springs is blessed to have him as their chaplain. He does it because he truly loves God and loves people. You can see it in his heart.”
Through his ministry, Pastor Dick Wolters continues to remind everyone at Trinity Springs Senior Living Community that spiritual life flourishes at every stage. In memory care, where music and faith open doors the mind may have forgotten, his ministry helps hearts remember what truly matters.