Victory Church Celebrates Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Location in Merritt Island

By  //  January 21, 2022

new location at 4725 N. Courtenay Parkway in Merritt Island

The new Merritt Island facility, located at 4725 N. Courtenay Parkway, is a purposeful tool to help Pastor Stanley Patton and his wife, Dr. Melissa Patton reach more people for Christ. (Image for Space Coast Daily)

BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – Victory Church celebrated their new location in Merritt Island on Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new Merritt Island facility, located at 4725 N. Courtenay Parkway, is a purposeful tool to help Pastor Stanley Patton and his wife, Dr. Melissa Patton reach more people for Christ.

Encompassing of several acres, a building, and prime visibility, Victory is taking a permanent approach to fulfilling their vision of helping people find Victory in Christ and Victory in Life!

The first phase of their new Merritt Island campus will include a place to worship on Sunday’s as well as a space to hold Victory Kid Sports seasonal camps and Victory Academy which will be a daycare/preschool program.

The new Merritt Island facility, located at 4725 N. Courtenay Parkway, is a purposeful tool to help Pastor Stanley Patton and his wife, Dr. Melissa Patton reach more people for Christ.

“This is just the beginning and we look forward to quickly outgrowing or first phase to start building a next phase which will include a larger worship auditorium, additional class rooms, offices, and expanded parking to reach more people for Christ,” said Pastor Stanley Patton and his wife, Dr. Melissa Patton in a joint statement.

Religion and sports may at first appear unlikely partners in our quest for happiness, but Pastor Stanley Patton and his wife, Dr. Melissa Patton, will tell you that faith and physical activity both aim for the same goal.

“They work hand in hand,” said Pastor Patton.

“They are both about finding victory in life. They create natural pathways to building lasting relationships.”

The young couple is behind the creation of Victory Church, and of Victory Kid Sports, an award winning non-profit that utilizes sports to teach children important life tenets.

Although the two organizations are separate entities and Victory Kid Sports is not faith-based, the Pattons find that families involved in the sports program often end up checking out their innovative church and that the children of church families are eager to participate in the activities of Victory Kids Sports.

Believers In Power of Sports The connection between sports and religion has been part of the fabric of the Pattons’ lives since they were college students with track scholarships.

Both Stanley and Melissa are unashamedly and passionately in love with God and want to serve Christ through a variety of platforms. They are also always on the go and firm believers in the power of sports.

Stanley, lead pastor at Victory Church, has served in both large and small congregations. He was a former youth pastor in Chicago, conducted domestic and international mission trips and “planted” a church in Iowa before establishing Victory Church, originally in Cocoa, then moved to 150 Cypress Ave. in Melbourne and now at 4725 N. Courtenay Parkway.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in urban ministry from Moody Bible Institute and a master’s degree in religion from Liberty University and is currently working on his doctorate of ministry at Bethel Seminary.

The love of Stanley’s life, Melissa, is a 10-year faculty member at a local college, specializing in higher education, marketing and nonprofit business development. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Drake University, a master’s degree in community counseling from Concordia University, and a doctorate in education from Benedictine University. She has devoted her life to helping people better understand their purpose and potential. The couple’s Victory Church, like Victory Kid Sports, is unique in its own field.

“The mission of Victory Church is to help people find victory in Christ, which guarantees victory in life,” said Stanley. “We just want to be the type of church that shows you the love of Jesus.”

All Races and Places Many churches long to be diverse, however, Victory Church is an intentional multicultural environment that celebrates, welcomes, and is frequented by people from all races and places.

“Many organizations use diversity as a buzz word, but Victory models diversity in their sports program and Church, diversity is a way of life for us,” said Stanley.

“Victory Church attracts parishioners of all faiths and situations primarily because of its dynamic approach to religion.Going to church doesn’t have to be boring. There is always something going on in our church. Our services are high-energy with music, lights and multi-media.”

The Pattons created Victory Kid Sports because, as the parents of Micah and Mason, they saw a need to fill.

“We wanted to develop an organization for families like ours, one that provide access to sports regardless of a student’s abilities and the family’s finances,” said Stanley.

Although relatively new, Victory Kid Sports has already become the go-to group for parents and schools.

In addition to traditional after-school leagues in basketball, soccer and karate, plus winter, spring and summer break camps, Victory Kid Sports offers weekly Victory Days throughout the academic year at six public elementary schools in Brevard.

The free program is made possible through a partnership with the Brevard County School District and a 21st Century Grant.

“We impact kids through sports and we accomplish this by teaching and demonstrating teamwork, discipline and fun,” said Melissa.

“We’re in some of the lowest performing schools in the county, and some are some of the lowest in the state.”

Victory Kid Sports also works with aftercare programs in the school system to get kids ages three to 12 moving through sports.

Victory Kid Sports Summer Camp Unique Experience The Pattons will be extremely busy this summer, for not only is Victory Church a 24/7 labor of love for them, but the couple will also be directing Victory Kid Sports summer camps, which are currently accepting applications.

Melissa notes these are not your typical summer camps with trips to the Orlando parks. Yes, the students will visit places such as Fun Spot, but the camps offer much, much more.

“Our camp experience is unique,” said Melissa.

“Every week, we have a different theme and the one or two field trips we take a week are based on those themes. Part of the day is spent in movement through sports and part of the day addresses STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) subjects.”

For example, one week will be devoted to the theme of “Old McDonald Had a Farm,” so students will learn how food is grown, enjoy a horseback ride and even pick strawberries from the field. During “Geek Week,” the youngsters will be encouraged to build their own business from the ground up.

Victory Kid Sports has earned praise and support from organizations such as Eckerd Kids and Brevard Family Partnerships, as well as from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, which presented the group with the Nonprofit of the Year Award.

Taking Matthew’s directive to “go…and make disciples of all nations” to heart with an out-of-the-ordinary approach, Stanley and Melissa Patton have birthed two extraordinary organizations that help people young and old accomplish Christ’s goal for them: to be the best human beings they possibly can be.

ABOUT PASTOR STANLEY PATTON

Stanley Patton, Jr., is the Lead Pastor of Victory Church and the CEO of The Victory Corporation. He is a man that is unashamedly and passionately in love with God! He is a visionary and an out of the box thinker that serves the body of Christ through a variety of platforms. It is his purpose and passion to minister to people who need to know Christ intimately.

Stanley has dedicated his life to being a tactical change agent in the world for Jesus Christ through message, ministry, mission, and media. Gifted with the ability to communicate cross-culturally, Stanley is a sought-after preacher, speaker, worship leader, consultant and conference workshop trainer.

He has served in both large and small congregations, conducted domestic and international mission trips. He has earned a BA in Urban Ministry from The Moody Bible Institute and an MA in Religion from Liberty University. Stanley is currently completing his Doctorate of Ministry with a specialization in Organizational Systems at Bethel Seminary.

ABOUT DR. MELISSA PATTON

Dr. Melissa Patton serves as the Chief Operations Officer at both Victory Church and The Victory Corporation. She is an impassioned educator as well as an innovative and thriving entrepreneur.

Melissa has devoted a lifetime to assisting people to better understand their purpose and potential through the vehicles of education, business development, and strategic planning.

She received a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Drake University, a master’s degree in community counseling from Concordia University, and a doctor of education degree in higher education and organizational change from Benedictine University. She’s married to Pastor Stanley and they have two sons Micah and Mason Patton.