Hundreds of defenders of LIFE took a stand for unborn babies at the annual...

Life Chain of Melbourne, Florida

(including West Melbourne, Palm Bay, and the beaches)


Sunday, October 2, 2016


Updated December 12, 2016



What is a Life Chain?


The LIFE CHAIN is a peaceful, prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans standing in honor of 55 million lives lost to abortion. The Life Chain is an opportunity to pray for our nation, for people in crisis situations, and for an end to the killing of unborn babies. The Life Chain is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the Church upholds the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Ours is one of over 1500 Life Chains taking place across the U.S.A. and Canada on the first Sunday in October, proclaiming the pro-life message.

The annual Life Chain of Melbourne, Florida, was held on Sunday, October 2, 2016, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. This year over 500 people held pro-life signs for one special hour for nearly six miles along the north side of U.S. 192 in Melbourne to silently, prayerfully, and peacefully show our support for the innocent unborn babies and their mothers.

A big THANK YOU goes out to the numerous volunteers who worked very hard for a successful 2016 Life Chain! A total of 38 area churches were represented at the 2016 Life Chain.

We thank Florida Today for covering the 2015 Life Chain. Click on the link below to see the article:

Florida Today Article


We had a nearly 6-mile-long chain mapped out along the heart of Melbourne's busiest thoroughfare, New Haven Avenue and Strawbridge Avenue (U.S. 192). Everyone held a sign proclaiming one of the following messages to thousands of passers-by:

Some of these messages may sound harsh, but as we know, abortion is a serious matter, and it does indeed kill children. We also request that the "Jesus Forgives and Heals" signs be reserved for clergy.

What does a Life Chain look like?

Like this -- Here is a link to a video of the 2016 Melbourne Life Chain (opens in new window): Click Here


Links in the 2016 Life Chain:


The Melbourne Life Chain extended about 6 miles along the north side of U.S. 192 (Strawbridge and New Haven Avenues) from 1/2 mile east of U.S. 1 (west end of Melbourne Causeway) to about 1 mile west of Wickham Road. Nineteen churches gathered along their own "adopted" sections of the Life Chain (see table below), due to large turnouts last year or significant commitments this year. Participants from other churches, and anyone not affiliated with a church, were invited to gather in front of the Melbourne Square Mall. If you would like your church to be a link in the 2017 Life Chain, please volunteer to be the Life Chain contact person at your church -- e-mail us at LifeChainSouthBrevard@yahoo.com.


The churches with their own adopted sections at the 2016 Melbourne Life Chain (east to west) are listed in the following table. Next to the name of each church are the section boundaries and approximate location for picking up signs to spread the message of LIFE to our community! The right-hand column contains links to customized handouts and maps for each section. Everyone is encouraged to print the handout and give copies to all your pro-life family members, friends, and any pro-life people you may encounter.


CHURCH
Section EAST to WEST
Sign Pick-up / Parking (approximate)
GPS (approximate)
More Info
Strawbridge Ave.: West end of Melbourne Causeway to Riverfront 2 blocks east of U.S. 1 (along riverfront); park at Front Street Park 1 block south (Melbourne Causeway shoulder)
Strawbridge Ave.: Riverfront to U.S. 1 1 block east of U.S. 1, (Sooner Investments) 1228 E. Strawbridge Ave.
Strawbridge Ave.: U.S. 1 to Waverly Pl. (Morgan & Barbary) 1 block west of U.S. 1 (City Hall) 1002 E. Strawbridge Ave.
Strawbridge Ave.: Waverly Pl. (Morgan & Barbary) to McQuaid St. (Valavanis Financial) 4 blocks west of U.S. 1 (Trinity Towers West) 650 E. Strawbridge Ave.
Strawbridge Ave.: McQuaid St. (Karr Realty) to New Haven Ave. fork Vacant lot at Hickory St.; Park at church 3 blocks north 500 E. Strawbridge Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Strawbridge Ave. fork to Stockton St. (First United Methodist Church) In front of Church 110 E. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Stockton St. (First United Methodist Church) to Babcock St. Vacant lot at Bryan St., 1 block east of Babcock St. 22 E. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Babcock St. to Airport Blvd. Vacant lot at Elizabeth St., 2 blocks west of of Babcock St.; Park at church 3 blocks north 114 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Airport Blvd. to Abington Dr. (Speedway) 2 blocks west of Airport Blvd. (Florida Prep Academy) 616 W. New Haven Ave.
Christ's Family Fellowship
 New Haven Ave.: Abington Dr. (Greenwise Motors) to Dairy Rd. (Eyeglass World) Vacant lot at Poinsettia Blvd., 3 blocks east of Dairy Rd. (Tranquilo Cigars) 900 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Dairy Rd. (Cumberland Farms) to NW Irwin Ave. (H&R Block) 1 block west of Dairy Rd. (Mica & Molly's); Signs and parking at Knights of Columbus hall on Dairy Rd. 1 block south 2150 Dairy Road
New Haven Ave.: NW Irwin Ave. (Wall St. Pub) to Piney Branch Way (Amscot) Court St. (near U-Haul); Park at West Ct. / East Ct. fork, 1 block north 1298 W. New Haven Ave.
All others
 New Haven Ave.: Piney Branch Way (Amscot) to Evans Rd. (Melbourne Square Mall / Melbourne Financial Center) Melbourne Square Mall: East Table (near Outback) and West Table (near Red Robin) 1600 / 1900 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Evans Rd. (Melbourne Square Mall / Friday's) to Woodland Dr. (Cheddars) Northwest corner of Evans Rd. and New Haven Ave. (Best Buy) 2000 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Woodland Dr. (Cheddars) to Maybeck Pl. (Olive Garden) 1/2 mile west of Melbourne Square Mall at the Lighthouse Church (just west of Arby's) 2330 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Maybeck Pl. (Wendy's) to Wickham Rd. East Table: 1/4 mile east of Wickham Rd. (Target); West Table: Corner of Wickham Rd. and New Haven Ave. (Walgreens) 2790 / 3000 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Wickham Rd. to Hickory St. (Thunderbolt Fireworks) 1 block west of Wickham Rd. (Fiesta Azteca) 3170 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Hickory St. (Sky King Fireworks) to Katherine Blvd. (Patio Depot) Vacant Lot west of Gray Rd. (Antonelli's Furniture) 3400 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Katherine Blvd. (Patio Depot) to Elm St. (west of Tractor Supply) Vacant Lot in front of Tractor Supply 3660 W. New Haven Ave.
New Haven Ave.: Elm St. (west of Tractor Supply) to Vista Lake Circle (Meadow Lake Subdivision) Vacant Lot between Antique Mall and In Joy Thrift Store 3830 W. New Haven Ave.


Other Brevard County, Florida, Life Chains:


How to be a link in the Life Chain:


Welcome! It's as simple as:
  1. Find the location for your church in the above table. If it is not listed, please meet in front of the Melbourne Square Mall.
  2. Bring water, sunscreen, and a chair to sit in if you like.
  3. Please car-pool to the Life Chain, as parking is often limited along the route.
  4. Go to a table where the signs are handed out. The Life Chain committee provides all the signs.
  5. Sign in on one of the clipboards (helps us in planning the 2017 Life Chain); all information is kept confidential!
  6. Pick up a Pro-Life sign to hold. And a drink of water, if available, as Life Chain Sunday temperatures are often in the mid- to upper- 80s!
  7. Spread out 20 feet apart along the north side of New Haven and Strawbridge Avenues. The better we cover the entire route, especially near major intersections, the more people will see our life-affirming messages!
  8. If you can, walk to the east or west end of your section (see links to maps in the above table), to prevent gaps in the Life Chain. Standing near major intersections (Safely!) is most effective as this promotes our Pro-Life message to north-south traffic.
  9. Stand (or sit, if you prefer) for one prayerful hour, and trust in God to use the Life Chain to increase respect for human life, from conception to natural death, in our community.


What not to do:


  1. Please do not respond to hecklers, except with smiles and prayers.
  2. Please do not politicize the Life Chain; we are there to support unborn babies, not parties nor candidates.
  3. Please do not stand in intersections, entrances, or construction areas.
  4. Please do not park in tow-away zones.
  5. Please do not stand in the median nor on the south side of the street.
  6. Please do not "bunch up" near the sign distribution table, but instead try to fill in your entire section (see links to maps in the table above), especially in spots visible from major north-south streets. We do not want anyone to miss our Pro-Life message due to gaps in the Life Chain!
  7. Please do not bring your own signs, unless the message is the same as, or similar to, the list at the top of the page. Graphic images of aborted babies have their place. But in the interest of safety on a busy street, we ask that the Life Chain consist only of signs with simple 3- or 4- word Pro-Life statements.


Dedication:


We would like to dedicate the 2016 Melbourne / Palm Bay Life Chain to Fr. Joseph Nolan, longtime pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Melbourne Beach, Florida. Fr. Nolan was a strong supporter of the Pro-Life cause for decades, until his being called home the day after the 2015 Life Chain, October 5, 2015.


Contact us:


Please feel free to contact the Life Chain Committee with any questions or suggestions! Here is our E-mail address:


LifeChainSouthBrevard@yahoo.com


Inspiring words from Scripture:




Congratulations to the 2016 Top Ten Churches in Life Chain turnout, based on sign-in sheets:


Place
Church
Count
1
Holy Name of Jesus
72
2
St. Joseph
55
3
Central Baptist
37
4
Chapel of the Holy Family
33
5
Ascension
30
6
Our Lady of Lourdes
28
7
Calvary Chapel Melbourne
26
8
Christ's Family Fellowship
24
9
St. John the Evangelist
23
10
Immaculate Conception
21



Links for more information:


http://www.nationallifechain.org : National Life Chain -- Manuals, Publicity, Materials, Press Releases
http://lifechain.net : Where all the other Life Chains are held across the nation
http://www.nrlc.org : National Right to Life -- Tirelessly working to protect all human life
http://www.lifenews.com : Independent news agency devoted to reporting pro-life news