Earnest Hemmingway’s novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, published in 1940, immortalized the closing line of an abstract poem, No Man Is an Island, by John Donne: “…never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.” In his unique way, Donne was referring to the practice of “funeral tolling,” which was common in his time.
However, instead of “tolling” for those facingphysical separation through death, a Pentecostal Holiness Church in the Appalachian Conference rings a bell each time a person in their congregation surrenders his of her life to Christ.
When Jeff and Tammy Pickett accepted the pastorate of the Hillsville congregation, the church had no bell. Actually, there wasn’t much of a need for one. Their first service included only eleven people in a building in desperate need of renovation.
Pastor Jeff admits to being reluctant to accept the role of pastor in his own hometown. “Everybody knew me and could remember my past,” he says. “I was a drunk; a functional alcholholic.”
Jeff married Tammy Ashworth in 1985 but he took the addiction and abuse with him into the marriage. Their relationship went smoothly for a few years; however, by the end of 2001, the couple’s homelife had become so toxic and intolerable, Tammy packed her bags, took their two daughters and walked out.
Tammy’s decision served as a wakeup call for Jeff. You might say God rang a warning bell somewhere in his conscience, nudging him into thinking seriously about the direction of his life and the losses he stood to encounter, unless he made some serious changes. He knew what he had to do. So, on Christmas day, sitting alone at a picnic table, he had a heart-to-heart conversation with the Lord. God told him he was at a stop sign and he need to make a decision, not only for his marriage and family, but also for his soul.
That was the turning point for Jeff’s life. He vowed that, with God’s help, 2002 would be more than a new year. It would be a second chance for him and his family. He enrolled in a local rehab center for recovering addicts and attended the daily meetings faithfully. He never missed a session for over a year.
He began serving the Lord every way possible, knowing that a deeper calling awaited his surrender.
God, who had confirmed that Jeff had a pastor’s heart, restored the Pickett’s marriage and set them as a team on a course of service in His kingdom. When the family began attending the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Galax, Virginia (Tammy’s hometown), Pastor Ron Fredericks asked Jeff if he would be willing to preach at the local rehab center. He accepted the challenge. That ministry helped prepare him for God’s plan for his future.
Jeff was ordained as a minister of the gospel in 2008. A year earlier, in January 2007, as Jeff and Tammy sought the Lord on a Danial Fast, their conference superintendent, Bishop Ray Kingrea, approached Jeff with a pastoral opportunity: three congregations in the conference were in need of pastors: Pine Mountain, St. Paul, and Hillsville.
Though the St. Paul church building had been renovated recently to accommodate a growing congregation, Jeff’s desire was to pastor Pine Mountain. “So, I ‘tried out’ for the church and was not chosen,” he says. But Bishop Kingrea was persistent, urging him to pastor in his hometown of Hillsville. Jeff finally relented and agreed to minister there for three weeks. “If it isn’t a ‘fit,’ he said, “I will wait until another opportunity appears.”
That was 18 years ago, and the Picketts are still leading the Hillsville Pentecostal Holiness Church. Under the hand of God, the building and the congregation changed quickly. From ministering to a group of 11 people, Pastor Pickett found himself preaching in two Sunday morning services by 2010. Two years later, he knew the church must purchase property for a new building that would serve his growing flock and their vision and goals for reaching the lost.
The Hillsville congregation dedicated their new facility in 2014. Then in 2016, they added a gymnasium. Today, in a small town with a population of 2400, the church ministers to over 1200 members, some of whom drive an hour-and-a-half to worship at the Hillsville PH.
Pastors Jeff and Tammy Pickett give all credit to the Holy Spirit for the church’s growth and progress. “Anything that’s outreach,” is how the they describe the church’s mission statement. Addiction recovery and counseling services and the purchase of a thrift store are just samples of outreach ministries provided by this Place of Hope. In 2025 alone, the congregation contributed over $700,000 to world and local missions.
Now, about the bell: one day, a local farmer contacted Pastor Pickett and made him an offer for consideration. “Pastor, I have a large bell in my barn,” he said. “It has been there for years gathering dust. If you want it, you can have it for the church.”
What would I do with a bell? Jeff wondered. Then, God gave him an idea: Why not ring the bell every time someone is saved in one of our worship services?
The bell tolls often now in Hillsville, not as a gimmick or even as a ceremonial gesture but as a declaration of hope to the surrounding community and to the world that another sinner has traded death for eternal life.
