The fact the chapel is open 24/7 might strike some as chancy. But the tradition actually has deep roots in history, the Rev. Hilliard said. While most churches today keep their doors locked to ward off vandalism and theft, that wasn't the case when the National Road, also known as the National Pike, was built in the early 1800s, drawing thousands of travelers west over the Allegheny Mountains to settle the Ohio River Valley. Considered places of safety and asylum, church buildings at that time _ especially the sanctuaries _ were always open for prayer and meditation for the passer-by, or for anyone else who wanted to find God's presence.

According to a woman known only as Tammi, that need still exists today. "Glory to God for this tiny chapel and the very big meaning behind it," she wrote March 26 in a small notebook that sits on the desk _ one of more than a dozen entries posted since the chapel opened three months ago.

To keep encouraging two-way communication and perhaps even inspire those who visit to feel more free to come to church, members place all the requests for prayer on the church's prayer list, and then leave the list on the chapel table "so they can see it's been added," Chappel said.

And if that amounts to just one person a week or even a month? The congregation will still consider the chapel a success.

"That was one person in need," Fugit-Brady said.