About Melissa
Melissa is a Licensed Unity Minister, inspirational speaker and art historian. Currently, she serves as Spiritual Leader and Lead Prayer Chaplain for Unity Spiritual Center of Panama City. Melissa is a lifelong spiritual seeker with an interest in the intersection of spirituality, meditation, mindfulness, and science. She is open to new ways of understanding and expressing love, oneness, and an awareness of our Divine consciousness.
Melissa is an active supporter of both interfaith and New Thought teachings. She believes in the unifying nature of love and compassion on the path of spiritual seeking. Melissa leads both the spiritual and creative direction of her ministry in her role as Spiritual Leader. Previously, she worked as a Creative Director for this ministry and as an Adjunct Instructor and Online Course Designer for Chipola Community College.
In 2025, Melissa was accepted to the ministerial program at Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute. In June of 2026, received her ministerial license, and she is scheduled to graduate and be ordained in June of 2027. Melissa is also a licensed and certified Prayer Chaplain Program Trainer through Light and Love Ministries. She currently serves as Lead Prayer Chaplain for her congregation.
In her free time, she enjoys expressing her creativity through painting, photography, and drawing. Melissa’s favorite self-care practices include weekly “reset” days, nature walks, and putting her toes in the warm sand of Florida’s beautiful beaches.
Education
2025 to Current • Ministerial & Religious Studies Program at Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute
2015 • M.A. in the History & Criticism of Art from Florida State University
2012 • B.A. in the History & Criticism of Art with Honors from Florida State University
includes a Minor in Anthropology
2002 • A.A. in Business Administration from Gulf Coast State College
Selected Quotes
“One of the most important lessons on joy I have learned is that while joy can seem fleeting, we can always return to it. At this moment and every moment, we have a choice to make. I choose to relish in my JOY.”
– Melissa Arrant, “A Christmas to Remember: Joy,” December 19, 2021
“Strengthening our relationships in the midst of adversity means using the tools of faith and communication to connect with those around us. It means trusting that their Divine nature will bear witness to our Divine nature, and that our Divine nature can bear witness to their Divine nature. For we all are interconnected in the extended family that is our human experience.”
– Melissa Arrant, “Strengthening Relationships in the Midst of Adversity,” November 21, 2021
“Now, I can’t say that I thanked the mass in my liver, but I had my own realizations during my journey. I could continue to ask, ‘Why me?’ but I will never get an answer to that question. It isn’t the question to ask. I found myself asking ‘Why not be present in the now?'”
– Melissa Arrant, “Asking: Why Not Me?,” September 19, 2021