The Center for Faith + Work Los Angeles is delighted to welcome Melissa Spolar to the team as our new Development Coordinator. Below are a few questions we asked Melissa to allow you to know her better as she steps into this new role at CFWLA.
Melissa is an LA native who oversees programs, events and fundraising for the Center for Faith + Work Los Angeles. She has a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Azusa Pacific University and a Master of Divinity degree from Azusa Pacific Seminary. Since 2018, she has been involved with Made to Flourish, a pastors’ network for engaging faith and work, which sparked her passion for this work. Melissa is also on staff part-time at Pasadena Mennonite Church, and has previous experience in event management, marketing and the film industry.
What are ways that you see the Lord at work in your daily work now?
Even before entering into this season of quarantine, most of my work has primarily been done remotely. Over the past couple years as I’ve been wrestling with the ideas of faith and work, I’ve found it challenging at times to answer this question when I can often feel disconnected from others. In this wrestling, I’ve felt God encouraging me that my work matters in ways I often don’t see. When I do quality work, I honor him and bless others by making sure to contribute my piece to the bigger puzzle. Stewarding the work that I’ve been given is truly a way to love those I work alongside, and the work I do makes space for people to connect, grow, and learn, so that we can continue working toward positively impacting those around us. When I seek God’s leading and honor my work, he continues to guide me and open doors to seeing the beautiful things he’s up to in LA.
2. What appealed to you about the mission of CFWLA?
I grew up in the church, so in many ways I felt caught between two messages: a notion from the church that the holiest and best thing you can do for work is be a pastor or missionary, and the notion from society that the best thing you can do is to get a high-paying, secure job. Neither of these felt like the whole picture, and CFWLA is helping people understand that there is so much more to vocation. God calls us into so many different sectors, not just pastoral or missionary work, and I am a believer in CFWLA’s dream that God can use those of us in every field to work together to do good things beyond our imagination.
3. What makes you most excited about the future direction of CFWLA?
I can’t wait to the see ripple effect of more and more Christians understanding a fuller picture of vocation. I have so many friends and family in secular types of work—airline pilot, retail, nursing, accounting, teaching—who can view themselves as a sort of second-class in the church. The extent of their understanding of serving the kingdom is volunteering at church or maybe sharing the Gospel with coworkers. While these things are both incredibly important, I want to see the lightbulb go off as more people realize how important their work is, as they realize they are shoulder to shoulder with pastors to do God’s work, and how they can use their work and collaboration with others to positively impact LA.