Titusville Mayor Addresses Faith and Civic Engagement at Park Avenue Baptist SALT Forum
Mayor Andrew Connors spoke at Park Avenue Baptist Church’s SALT gathering on Tuesday, June 3. Held at House of Ashkelon, the event offered attendees an opportunity to meet the mayor and learn how they can serve their community with purpose and faith.
Connors, who was elected last November, answered questions about his mayoral vision and spoke to several issues in the community, including affordable housing, aging infrastructure, uncertain economic growth, and a perception that North Brevard is being overlooked in favor of cities farther south when it comes to county funding priorities.
“We are experiencing some growth, but that growth is not guaranteed,” Mayor Connors said, referencing the recent loss of $50 million in county funding previously designated for North Brevard’s economic development. He opined that bringing NASA headquarters to Brevard would be difficult without the funding, while noting that the Governor of Texas has reportedly offered NASA $250 million to move there.
Speaking to his faith, Connors expressed gratitude for the community Park Avenue Baptist has provided him and his family and was happy to share that, at his insistence, prayer was brought back to Titusville council meetings in January. He was also pleased to announce his recent appointment of Pastor Dennis Taylor to serve on the Titusville Community Service Award Committee.
All who are able were also encouraged to engage in the city through volunteer service in one of the city’s many committees. Fellow Park Avenue Baptist congregant and longtime city servant Jim Ball also gave remarks on committee service and how to get involved.
Other topics addressed include the difficult economic balance of the city, whose growth has relied on the historically unreliable space industry, the potential need for a gas tax to offset launch-tourism that is currently only costing the city in additional police presence and post-launch cleanup, and the need for Titusville to advocate for their schools and infrastructure needs in county finance decisions.
— SALT, which stands for Seasoned Adults Living Triumphantly, is a ministry of Park Avenue Baptist that provides opportunities for senior citizens to fellowship and serve the community.
Upcoming SALT ministry events include an Operation Christmas Child project workshop on June 14, a game day on June 17, and a ministry lunch on June 24. Visit parkavenue.org/salt to learn more and find other upcoming events or reach out to ministry director Rick Unrue at rick.unrue@parkavenue.org.
— 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
