Larry Bolden
Executive Director
Larry graduated from Auburn University with a degree in English Literature. After college he returned home to Dothan, AL and spent 13 years in financial consulting and then 13 years as pastor of Dothan Christian Fellowship. In the latter part of that time God took him into a four year chapter of brokenness in which he came into a whole hearted knowing of God’s love, grace and truth that changed his life, relationships, and ministry. He began Wellspring Group in 2003 and obtained an MA in Counseling from Philadelphia Biblical University in 2004. He has done postgraduate work in Leadership Coaching at Regent University and was President of Wellspring Performance Group, an executive coaching firm from 2004-2008. He and his wife Mary have a son and five grandchildren who occupy much of their hearts and time.
Abby Mandella
Operations Director
As the Operations Director, my primary responsibilities are managing the strategic objectives of the ministry. I work closely with Larry, our Board and Staff to develop and execute the plans to reach our short and long term goals. I get to do a little bit of everything from facilitating at retreats, leading our staff and managing the ministry’s finances to reporting and planning with our incredible Board of Directors. Life is full!
Prior to joining Wellspring, I spent 6 years in Financial and Retirement Planning Services. I received my degree from Troy University Dothan in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Accounting.
My time at Wellspring has had a profound impact on my life and family. As I personally walked through the Battle for the Heart process I was finally able to see and fight the lies of the enemy and gain tremendous freedom from fears that had crippled me for so long. As I began to discover life with my whole heart I have gradually been able to release control and step into the part that God has invited me to play, trusting that it is worth the risk and he has given me everything I need to be the woman he created me to be.
If you would like to hear more about Wellspring Group, our objectives or how God has used this ministry in my life, please feel free to contact me at abbym@wellspringgroup.org or 334.714.9074
Anisa Sumlar
Battle for the Heart Coordinator
Primary responsibilities: overseeing Wellspring Group’s retreat and follow through processes and facilitator equipping
Education: Auburn University, graduated in 1997 with B.A. in Corporate Journalism.
I started with Wellspring Group in 2004 as a part-time administrative assistant and bookkeeper. Since that time, I’ve moved through a variety of roles before settling comfortably into planning and coordination for the Battle for the Heart participant process.
Before joining Wellspring, I worked for a financial planning company and in advertising.
I would say that the impact that Wellspring has had on my personal life has been far reaching. I can’t think of a single area of my life that has not been impacted by the Battle for the Heart process. My parenting, my relationship with my husband, friendships, the way I work – I have learned how to see the heart of people, not just their behaviors. I’ve learned greater compassion. I’ve learned greater trust. I have, though grudgingly at first, learned how to connect with others in a more authentic way by being willing to open up and share at a heart level. It has been the most pivotal process I’ve been through in my 30+ years of walking with the Lord.
If you need to talk to me about what I do, or the Battle for the Heart process, I can be reached at 334.791.5704
Cathy Hoffer
Executive Assistant to Larry Bolden
Primary responsibilities: assistant to Larry Bolden and coordinator of Partnership Development
Education: Furman University with a bachelor’s degree in Education.
Cathy is married to Craig and has 5 sons and 6 amazing grandchildren. Before coming on staff with Wellspring Group, Cathy worked at a large accounting firm for 10 years as an Executive Assistant in Audit. Her husband, Craig, went through the Battle for Men’s Hearts in 2014, and Cathy went through the Battle for Women’s Hearts in 2015. Being transformed by engaging from a whole heart was compelling and life-changing for Cathy. Through the Battle process, Cathy has gained many new tools to engage and invite those around her into deeper conversations about trusting God’s goodness and loving others well. She’s excited to use her organizational skills to enable Wellspring to continue to bring connection, healing, and transformation in the lives of men and women and in their spheres of influence.
Chip Demetri
Battle for the Heart Coordinator – Midwest
I’ve been in full time ministry for the past 25 years, in the local church and on the mission field. Throughout that time God has been showing me how important it is to walk closely with other men, sharing the joys and struggles of life. He has shown me that an authentic, deeper community is significant to worshiping God wholeheartedly.
Enter Wellspring Ministry and Battle for the Heart. I have done a lot of men’s bible studies and programs, but this one is different. This is not about transfer of knowledge and information, but rather about heart transformation. This is about helping men become who God intended them to be.
Over the past three years I have had the privilege to see the impact of this ministry in my life and in the lives of many men. Men are experiencing victory over addiction. Men are finding healing for their marriages. Men are learning how to be better Husbands, Fathers, and Friends.
As the Battle for the Heart Coordinator for the Midwest, I can’t wait to see what God does as more men in my community catch the vision for authentic fellowship.
Proverbs 16:9 Says: “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” This has become a life verse for me and it has never been more appropriate than now.
Dana Smith
Women’s Equipping Coordinator
Primary responsibilities: Women’s Equipping Coordinator, assisting in leadership of the Battle for Women’s Hearts retreats, equipping men and women to speak at Battle events, assisting in overseeing the Battle for Your Marriage process and managing the Wellspring blog.
Education: University of Montevallo, B.S. degree in Psychology with a minor in Counseling & Guidance.
Since my first Battle for Women’s Hearts event in 2012, I have enjoyed facilitating groups and teaching as well as coaching facilitators during the follow through process. Since joining Wellspring staff in early 2017 as Women’s Equipping Coordinator, I continue those responsibilities in addition to helping run the Battle for Women’s Hearts retreats. Other responsibilities include equipping men and women to speak at Battle events, partnering with Larry to oversee our Marriage Track, and managing the blog.
Wellspring has impacted me profoundly as I have learned who God made me to be and have silenced lifelong lies. This has transformed me from a people-pleasing fixer, bound by fear and control, into an empowered woman who can find peace in the midst of challenging circumstances while inviting others into life and rest.
Before Wellspring, I spent 16 years in a discipleship ministry where I facilitated small groups, handled the technical aspects of the ministry, and led times of teaching and warfare prayer. I have been married to my husband Greg since 1990. Our journey through miscarriage, infertility, adoption and raising kids from hard places has provided me with continual opportunities to develop deeper trust in Jesus.
If you would like to know more of my story or want to connect regarding what I do at Wellspring you can reach me at danas@wellspringgroup.org or (205)999-8821.
Heather Barham
Retreat Administrator
I’ve been involved with Wellspring Group (WG) in various ways for the last 10 years. The best word to describe my experience with WG is FREEDOM. Freedom from perfection, doing enough, being enough. I’m no longer bound by believing lies that controlled the way I parent, the way I relate to my spouse and how I interact with others. The freedom I’ve experienced has made room for the courage to surrender to God’s grace and love, to live sincerely, but imperfectly from a whole heart.
My previous work experience includes homeschool mom, drama teacher, bookkeeper and receptionist at our local classical school. Married to Matt for 25 years, we have 4 children: one daughter (& son-n-law), and three sons.
Heather O’Brien
Communications Coordinator
I came on board with Wellspring in 2012, after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in communications and spending some time overseas. One of the greatest draws to Wellspring for me was to see the Church transformed into what she is meant to be, particularly in regards to the effective discipling of men and women. It’s been such a delight to be a part of a process that helps God’s children find the courage to step into what He has for them, to become what they were created to be. I get to be a part of seeing people come alive, be freed from guilt and shame and find hope right before my eyes!
I first went through the Battle for the Heart in the Fall of 2012 and have since gone through two additional times in 2015 and in 2018. This process continues to shape my ability to identify and overcome areas in my heart that have kept me from connecting deeper with God and others. It really has guided me as I have gained the heart and skills to grow in understanding love, accepting and receiving love and offering love to others. I am a completely different person who views myself, others and God in a new way. The result has birthed life in so many areas of my life.
How has my life been impacted by the Battle for the Heart process? I often think to myself, “how has it not?”
Laura Arnold
Experience Designer
I serve as the Experience Designer for Wellspring and currently spend my time in the role of Technical Project Manager for the Reaching the Next Generation initiative. This project is focused on increasing the transformational impact of Wellspring through increasing accessibility and reaching the next generation of Battle for Your Heart participants (e.g., adults in their 20s/30s, Battle alumni, new/smaller churches). This looks a lot like talking with Battle alumni about their experiences, analyzing responses, and leading efforts to prototype solutions to increase the Battle’s impact.
I hold a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Georgia (2011) and am a Certified Family Life Educator. Prior to joining Wellspring, I consulted on federally-funded projects as an evaluation and program planning specialist with an emphasis on healthy relationships and family processes that promote resilience. My previous 13 years of experience have focused on the intersections of research and practice through evidence-based programs to enhance families’ well-being, including evaluating programs effectiveness in bettering the lives of couples, parents, youth, and military families.
Over ten years ago I went on my first Battle retreat. I discovered that there is a difference between knowing and experiencing God. Learning the truths of God’s word in light of who He’s designed me to be blew the safe little boundaries of my thinking down. My self-constructed understanding of Christianity felt safe. Yet, the Lord was calling me to lay down my pride, to surrender, and to fully experience His love and it began and continues to revolutionize my marriage and relationships in my domain. I’ve since volunteered in various capacities from editing and proofreading drafts of women’s follow-through curriculum to facilitating at Battle events.
My husband, John, and I have been married for 13+ years and have four amazing little treasures. On most days, you can find our family having a dance party or taking adventuresome road trips as a #tightteam.
If you have any questions about our Reaching the Next Generation initiative or would like to give feedback on your Battle experience, I would love the opportunity to speak with you (lauraa@wellspringgroup.org; 706.372.6879)
Mark Guzzo
Church Partnership Coordinator
My primary responsibilities in this role are to consult with and support new and existing partners, develop materials to guide and support the partnering process and, to a more limited extent, help with overall ministry goals around marketing, recruiting and donor development.
I have been involved in lay ministry of some kind since my sophomore year at Vanderbilt University, where I majored in Math & Physics. My ministry experience includes leading & facilitating ministry teams and small groups, pastoral care & lay counseling and teaching as Ruling Elder at my local church. I completed a 33-year career in telecommunications in 2012 where I developed capacities for team building, project management, financial management & controls, software development and honed various analytical and personal relationship skills.
I married my high school sweetheart, Melany, in 1979. We have two sons and two beautiful granddaughters. Battle for the Heart has reenergized my spiritual journey and generated new and deeper avenues of connection and impact in every relational context: marital, family, friendships, ministry.
205.980.9002 landline
205.821.9002 mobile
Tim Bennett
Managing Director
I graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Professionally I am a director with thirty (30) years of experience in Telecommunications, Information Systems, Business Process Management, Building High-Performing Teams, Organizational Leadership and Strategy.
I became a Christian at an early age, and have been in church all of my life. My ministry experience includes everything from leading worship, to teaching, to leading ministry teams, to facilitating small groups, to serving in the capacity of pastoral care and shepherding as a ruling elder at my home church.
In May 2016, Laura and I celebrated our 30 year wedding anniversary. We have 5 children whose ages range from 27 to 13. We adopted our youngest daughter from China in 2010. I am truly a blessed man.
I came to my first Battle for Men’s Heart retreat in 2009, along with our senior pastor and two other elders from Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church. That first retreat was the beginning of a new journey in my Christian experience where God has been graciously teaching me to surrender completely to His love, in a way that is enabling me to experience life from a whole heart. That has changed the dynamic of my relationships, and changed the way I lead, teach, parent, and love.
