In this month’s episode, Pastor Jeff sits down with longtime friend and mentor Larry Atema. Larry is full of wisdom and has been serving Rolling Hills behind the scenes since its creation. Larry is the CEO of Commonwealth Development Group, the company that headed construction of the Music City Center, Ascend Amphitheater, and many other special projects in downtown Nashville. 

Larry has a passion for faithfully following God’s call in your own way. Larry loves building management and acquisition, and through this passion helped Pastor Jeff acquire “The Warehouse,” where Rolling Hills Franklin currently resides. We are so happy Larry joined us to kick off 2023!

To start us off, Larry tells us about his management of downtown Nashville building projects. Through many years of research and attention to detail, he built highly successful spaces for the people of Nashville to enjoy. While Larry is proud of these work accomplishments, his building management talents assisted in building God’s kingdom with the start of our church! That he is also very proud of!

Next, Pastor Jeff and Larry talk about the origins of Rolling Hills, from the moment Jeff started praying about starting the church to the acquisition of “The Warehouse,” the current home of Rolling Hills Franklin campus. Acquiring a building for ministry is not cheap, and the financials of starting Rolling Hills was nothing short of a miracle. God definitely provided! 

Finally, Larry talks about mentorship and how having a mentor as a man is vital. He had the same mentor for decades, and it was an invaluable resource to him. It helped him make better-informed decisions and allowed for outside perspective into his life. Because of culture today, men have a tendency to put their head down and work though tough times, leading to loneliness. Larry challenges the listeners to look up and get others involved in everyday life decisions. To close, Larry also challenges men to do the following: 
1. Find your passion
2. Be as good of a father/husband you can be
3. Press forward
4. Find people to pour into

Larry was such an awesome and interesting interview with a wonderful behind-the-scenes look into the life and creation of Rolling Hills. We hope you will spend 30 minutes listening to this month’s podcast!