 Hensley was short , normally soft @-@ spoken , and friendly with churchgoers . Most attendees at his services were miners or farmers from the Appalachian Mountains ; congregants typically arrived at services on horseback or in a Ford Model A. Many were from Holiness Pentecostal backgrounds , but unfamiliar with the snake @-@ handling practice . Hensley 's sister Bertha , who lived in Ohio , was also a licensed minister with the Church of God . In 1922 , he conducted services with her in Ohio . Around that time , more articles documenting his ministry were published in the denomination 's newsletter , and by the early 1920s snakes were regularly handled in Church of God services . 
