COCOA, Fla. — Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Cocoa is celebrating a special honor for the church’s late Pastor Melvin Chatman — after months of work, Brevard County commissioners voted unanimously to rename a street in Pastor Chatman’s honor.

  • Brevard Commission approves renaming road to honor pastor
  • Pastor Melvin Chatman passed away in 2015 from cancer
  • Mobil Avenue will turn into Melvin Chatman Way
  • Get more Brevard County coverage

The Cocoa church celebrated a labor of love that took months to make a reality and thanks to commissioners voting unanimously to approve a resolution to turn Mobil Avenue into Melvin Chatman Way.

Chatman passed away in 2015 after losing his battle to cancer.

The pastor youngest child Kimberly Chatman says she drove from Jacksonville to attend Tuesday’s resolution reading and is so proud of her father and all his accomplishments.

“Proud is an understatement, but dad loved park memorial and they loved him. He helped them build a bigger church and is was very active in the community. Needless to say, I’m so proud,” Kimberly Chatman said.

Kimberly Chatman walked through the church doors for the first time since her father passed away. She said being in the church brings a lot of good memories of when she was a teen.

“I have a lot of ‘firsts’ memories here. I remember my dad standing (here). He would preach, every now and again. He would get an inkling to sing,” Chatman said. “And you would hear him sing, ‘I have you’”

Pastor Chatman for more than 20 years called Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Cocoa his second home. He was considered the guiding light for many community members. He left a legacy behind.

Bernadine Franklin, a Parker Memorial Baptist churchgoer, worked for months to get the street Mobil Avenue renamed to Melvin Chatman Way to honor her pastor and friend.

“Someone in your family going before the courts, he would be there. He would go visit them if they are local once or twice a week,” Franklin said.

The community is invited to attend a special street renaming ceremony on March 1 at 3 p.m. ​