“Brevard Is One County Under God”: Christian Business Chamber Celebrates Official Launch

BREVARD COUNTY — Christian business leaders from across the Space Coast gathered Tuesday evening at The Tides on A1A to celebrate the official launch of the Sunrise Coast Christian Chamber of Commerce, marking the occasion with the announcement of its 50th founding member.

The Sept. 29 celebration, organized under the theme “One Nation Under God,” brought together business owners, ministry representatives and community leaders for an evening of networking, worship and presentations on integrating Christian faith into the workplace.

“As Brevard, we are one county under God,” said Nancy Farrington, the chamber's founder and president, reflecting on the evening's theme and the organization's vision for the Space Coast.

The new chamber joins a growing national network of Christian business organizations focused on advancing what its leaders call “Kingdom commerce,” an approach that encourages Christian entrepreneurs to integrate biblical principles into business practices, develop relationships with other believers and use their businesses to serve their communities.

Among the evening's attendees were West Melbourne City Council member Helen Voltz, Tom Graver of the Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce, Kristy Stuart of Love INC of Brevard, Christ College President Todd Bates, Dwight Bell of Wings of Grace Ministries, and Tanya Salter of CITA Rescue Mission.

Unlike a traditional chamber of commerce, the Sunrise Coast chamber places an explicit emphasis on Christian faith, offering its members business referrals, professional development, educational resources and opportunities to collaborate on community outreach. The organization also plans to collaborate with existing chambers and business associations rather than compete with them, according to Farrington.

The celebration opened with an invocation by Paul Rosbury, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Palm Bay, followed by praise and worship. Featured speakers included Bob Dudley, president of WISE Bible College in Orlando, and former NBA player Walter Bond and his wife, Antoinette, who spoke about integrating Christian faith into business and entrepreneurship.

The evening concluded with a keynote address by Krystal Parker, president and founder of the U.S. Christian Chamber of Commerce, who placed the local launch within a rapidly expanding national movement.

In 2023, the Christian chamber network consisted of just five chapters across the country. Three years later, the Sunrise Coast chamber is the coalition's 33rd chapter, illustrating the growing interest in Christian business associations.

For Farrington, the launch represented the culmination of months of preparation and the beginning of a broader effort to connect Christian businesses and ministries across Brevard County.

The chamber currently hosts a weekly Tuesday morning 'Walking in the Word' gathering at CITA Rescue Mission's Helen's House in Melbourne. Plans are underway to establish a second gathering in North Brevard, along with networking events, educational programming and opportunities for partnerships between local businesses and ministries.

“This is our launch. This is a huge milestone,” Farrington told attendees. “We've got a lot of momentum going.”

Learn more about the chamber at sunrisecoastccc.org

View more photos from the launch on Facebook:

— Christians of Brevard is a multi-church initiative that seeks to amplify the voices of local churches and ministries for the purpose of encouraging the local body of Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God. Join our Facebook community @ChristiansOfBrevard