Located just outside Port Canaveral. The Space Coast Seafarers Ministry is part of the Brevard Baptist Association. Our mission is to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the international crewmembers that visit Port Canaveral. Port Canaveral is the second busiest cruise port in the world.

First Baptist Church of Rockledge has a part in ministering to the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical needs of the crews of both cruise and cargo ships which call at Port Canaveral. In collaboration with other churches in Brevard county, the Space Coast Seafarers’ Center serves as a “home away from home” for seafarers from more than 100 different countries. Volunteers from our church as well as other congregations relate to these men and women who are far from home.

Some of the ways that the Seafarers Ministry meet physical needs:

1. provide free transportation to shopping centers, local tourist

attractions, banks and other businesses.
2. provide recreation and relaxation activities such as ping-pong, pool, basketball, cable TV and reading material.
3. provide a free donated clothes closet.

Some of the ways that the Seafarers Ministry meet emotional needs:

1. Providing free Internet and e-mail, providing telephones and low cost phone cards so that the seafarers can communicate with their families and friends so far away.
2. Serving free home cooked meals on cruise days. You may think might fit under physical needs, but sitting down with the crew at lunch is a great way to make friends and connect with people emotionally.
3. Bringing our cell phone to cargo ships when the crew members have no shore passes and can't get off the ship for any reason. We let the crew use our free nights and weekends which works out fine since many crew members families live in time zones from 5-13 hours difference.

Some of the ways that the Seafarers Ministry meet spiritual needs:

1. Have non-denominational chapel services for the seafarers on cruise ship days and by request for other ships in port.
2. Provide free Bibles, Jesus videos and other material in over 50 languages.
3. Provide free private and confidential counseling.
4. Share the gospel of Jesus Christ when we have the opportunity and encourage Christian seafarers in their walk with the Lord.

The third Thursday of each month, our church provides lunch for the seafarers.

Those who are crew members on the Disney, Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise ships calling at Port Canaveral, as well as the two gambling ships speak some English so you don’t need to speak another language to be a volunteer and make friends with them. Of course, if you speak another language besides English, you will find seafarers who also speak that language. But the main language of the seafarers’ ministry is love.