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 the longest 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 be held on Sunday, October 7, 2018, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. We held signs for this one special hour 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. We can stood, sat, or knelt, as we displayed to the community our dedication to the sanctity of human life. Thus, the Life Chain is one Sunday afternoon event where kneeling is strongly encouraged!
A big THANK YOU goes out to the numerous volunteers who worked very hard for a successful 2018 Life Chain! We were also honored this year by having among our participants Fr. Frank Pavone, President of Priests for Life who came down from their Titusville, Florida, headquarters to join us.
What is our Pro-Life Message?
We had chain of over 5 miles 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:
- Abortion Kills Children
- Adoption, the Loving Option
- Jesus Forgives & Heals
- El Aborto Mata Niños
- Pray to End Abortion
- Life - The First Inalienable Right
- Pregnant? Need Help? 800-712-HELP (New this year)
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 is *not* a Life Chain?
The LIFE CHAIN is not a "March for Life". These are huge and very uplifting events held every January near the anniversary of the infamous Supreme Court decision that took away the right to life of innocent unborn babies. Washington, D.C. holds the largest of these Marches, as does (closer to home) St. Augustine, Florida. All Pro-Life people are encouraged to attend these Marches, as they greatly energize everyone involved with the the Pro-Life cause. Here are the links:
The LIFE CHAIN is also not a "Walk for Life". That is very fun and worthwhile event held annually in the spring to raise funds for Pregnancy Resources in Melbourne, to help them with their very effective life-saving work:
What does a Life Chain look like?
Like this -- Here is a link to a video of the 2018 Melbourne Life Chain (opens in new window). We were blessed with nice weather -- sunny and 88 degrees! -- as thousands witnessed our life-affirming messages. We pray that many hearts were changed to be more accepting of the value of human life.
Click here for a photo gallery of the 2018 Life Chain.
Where to go to be a link in the Life Chain:
The Melbourne Life Chain extended over 5 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. Eighteen churches gathered along their own "adopted" sections of the Life Chain (see table below), due to large turnouts in the past, 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.
The churches with their own adopted sections at the 2018 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 so that we spread the message of LIFE to our community! The right-hand column contains links to customized handouts and maps for each section.
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) |
Vacant area just west of Trinity Towers (Livingston St.) |
650 E. Strawbridge Ave. |
|
|
Strawbridge Ave.: McQuaid St. (ValaVanis Financial) 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 Babcock St. |
Vacant lot at Bryan St., 2 blocks east of Babcock St. |
102 E. New Haven Ave. |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Babcock St. to Airport Blvd. |
Vacant lot at Elizabeth St. (Singer O'Neill), 2 blocks west of Babcock St.; Park at church 3 blocks north |
114 W. New Haven Ave. |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Airport Blvd. to Central Blvd. (Berube Dental) |
2 blocks west of Airport Blvd. (Florida Prep Academy) |
616 W. New Haven Ave. |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Central Blvd. (Speedway) to Dairy Rd. (Eyeglass World) |
Vacant lot at Poinsettia Blvd. (Tranquilo Cigars), 3 blocks east of Dairy Rd. |
900 W. New Haven Ave. |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Dairy Rd. (Cumberland Farms) to Court St. (UHaul) |
Knights of Columbus hall on Dairy Rd. 1 block south of New Haven Ave. |
2150 Dairy Road |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Court St. (UHaul) to Melbourne Square Mall (Shells) |
A la iglesia, 1/2 cuadrada al sur de New Haven Ave. |
79 Park Hill Blvd. |
|
All others |
New Haven Ave.: Melbourne Square Mall (Shells) to Evans Rd. (Chase) |
Melbourne Square Mall: East Table (near Outback) and West Table (near Red Robin) |
1600 / 1900 W. New Haven Ave. |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Evans Rd. (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. (Wendy's) |
1/2 mile west of Melbourne Square Mall at Pentecostal Lighthouse Church (between Arby's & Salvation Army) |
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: East side of Wickham Rd. (Walgreens) |
2790 / 3000 W. New Haven Ave. |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Wickham Rd. to Hickory St. (Jason's Produce) |
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. (east of Tractor Supply - avoid construction zone!) |
Vacant Lot east of Mattress Barn |
3530 W. New Haven Ave. |
|
|
New Haven Ave.: Elm St. (west of Tractor Supply - avoid construction zone!) to Vista Lake Circle (Meadow Lake Subdivision) |
Vacant Lot west of Tractor Supply |
3730 W. New Haven Ave. |
|
Other Brevard County, Florida, Life Chains:
There were two other Life Chains in Brevard County, also on October 7, at 2 p.m. For contact information on the Cocoa Beach and Titusville Life Chains, please visit these links:
- National Life Chain - Click "Florida" on the left side of the page, and scroll down to Cocoa Beach or Titusville.
- Click here for more information about the Life Chain in Cocoa Beach.
How to be a link in the Life Chain:
Welcome! It's as simple as:
- Find the location for your church in the above table. If it is not listed, please meet in front of the Melbourne Square Mall.
- Bring water, sunscreen, and a chair to sit in if you like.
- Please car-pool to the Life Chain, as parking is often limited along the route.
- Go to a table where the Pro-Life signs are handed out. The Life Chain committee provides all the signs.
- Sign in on one of the clipboards (helps us in planning the 2019 Life Chain); all information is kept confidential!
- 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!
- 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!
- If you can, please 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 very effective as this promotes our Pro-Life message to north-south traffic.
- Stand, sit, or kneel, 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:
- Please do not respond to hecklers, except with smiles and prayers.
- Please do not politicize the Life Chain; we are there to support unborn babies, not parties nor candidates. (Though feel free to block the view of any campaign signs for pro-abortion candidates!)
- Please do not stand in intersections, entrances, or construction areas.
- Please do not park in tow-away zones.
- Please do not stand in the median nor on the south side of the street.
- Please do not "bunch up", but instead try to fill in your entire section (see links to maps in the above table), especially in spots visible from major cross streets. We do not want anyone to miss our Pro-Life message due to gaps in the Life Chain!
- 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.
History and Background of the Melbourne Life Chain:
Melbourne Life Chain Timeline: The Melbourne Life Chain was held from 1989 until 1993. During these years, we lined up along the Melbourne Causeway. The organizer took a new direction when the Lord led him to do missionary work abroad. Unfortunately, that meant the Life Chain went dormant for a few years. It was re-started in 1999 with a new team of organizers and has been going strong ever since. We decided that the most passers-by could be reached by holding the Life Chain in front of the Melbourne Square Mall. The 1999 Life Chain saw about 100 people gathering in front of the Mall. In 2007, we expanded the Life Chain by letting churches with high attendance "adopt" their own sections of the Life Chain. Now we have one of the longest Life Chains in Florida, with over 5 miles of dedicated people lining up in support of the protection of human life.
Life Chain on the Radio: Our local Catholic radio station,
WDMC Divine Mercy Radio 920 AM has been kind enough to feature the Life Chain in interview programs over the past couple of years.
Congratulations to the 2018 Top Ten Churches in Life Chain turnout, based on sign-in sheets, photos, and on-site reports:
Place |
Church |
Count |
1 |
Holy Name of Jesus |
106 |
2 |
Holy Family |
43 |
3 |
St. Joseph |
41 |
4 |
Ascension |
33 |
5 |
Our Lady of Lourdes |
29 |
6 |
Iglesia Bautista Calvario |
21 |
7 |
Grace Brethren Suntree |
19 |
8 |
Calvary Chapel Melbourne |
18 |
9 |
Immaculate Conception |
16 |
10 |
Lighthouse Assembly of God |
13 |
It should be noted that many of the churches with relatively small memberships often bring a larger
percentage of their congregations to the Life Chain than do some of the larger churches. Big or small, we welcome everyone!
Contact us:
Please feel free to contact the Life Chain Committee with any questions or suggestions! Here is our E-mail address:
Inspiring words from Scripture:
- "You knit me in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13)
- "From my mother's womb you are my God" (Psalm 22:11)
- "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5)
- "God ... from my mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace" (Galatians 1:15)
- "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" (Proverbs 31:8)
- "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government." (Thomas Jefferson, 1809 -- OK, this one is not from the Bible, but how right he was!)
Links for more information: