 In 1932 , Hensley and his family moved to Pineville , Kentucky , after a religious layman , who had seen Hensley handle snakes in Chattanooga , entreated him to come to the area . He returned to ministry and built the Pineville Church of God . Hensley established the church himself and characterized it as a " free Pentecostal " church . He continued to move frequently , a practice which Thomas Burton of East Tennessee State University attributes to " wanderlust " . In July 1935 , Irene gave birth to a child in Pennington Gap , Virginia , and a month later , they were living in St. Charles , Virginia , while Hensley performed snake @-@ handling services in the area . He successfully drew crowds to his preaching . In Norton , Virginia , 500 people attended an event , although that service was thrown into disarray after a boy in the audience killed one of the snakes . In 1936 , Hensley built a house on the back of a trailer truck and drove to Florida to hold revival services . By March 1936 , he had reached Tampa , Florida , where he drew over 100 people to a snake @-@ handling service . He traveled to Bartow , Florida , where over 700 people attended one of his tent meetings . He subsequently ministered in Bloomingdale , Florida , before traveling north to Barrow County , Georgia , in late April . During a service in Barrow , a young agricultural worker was bitten by a snake and became ill . Hensley spoke to reporters and claimed that the man was bitten because he was " not quite ready for the demonstrations of the power " . He predicted that the young man would miraculously recover , but the man died . This was the first death by snakebite to occur at one of Hensley 's services . He conducted the man 's funeral and left the area for fear of prosecution . His conduct was condemned by a local newspaper . 
