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Only What Matters.
Three simple words printed on T-shirts for outdoor ministry expos at Selwood Farm capture the purpose of Dell and Carolyn Hill’s life — one refined through hardship, providence and service.
“Sharing the gospel is the bottom line,” said Dell, who received the Alabama Farmers Federation Service to Agriculture Award at its annual meeting today in Montgomery. “I pray fervently we are good stewards of what God has entrusted us. It’s a business, so income has to exceed expenses, but our purpose is to help people.”
More than 10,000 visitors trek to Alpine annually for guided hunts, sporting clays and the Hills’ trademark hospitality ‘neath the towering trees of Talladega County. Among guests are dozens of charities that hold fundraisers, including the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation Skeet Shoot.
The 82-year-old entrepreneur is being recognized for his leadership. This includes four years as Talladega County Farmers Federation president, six years on the Federation state board, seven years as a state senator and two years as probate judge. He also was instrumental in establishing the Federation’s Wildlife Division.
Encouraging young farmers’ engagement distinguished Dell as a strong proponent of term limits.
“There is a wealth of young talent in this organization, but if they are stymied, you’re going to lose them,” he said.
The Hills’ commitment to service is rooted in lessons they’ve learned through almost 60 years of marriage, including seasons of successes and struggles. Dell said understanding the farm’s history is critical to appreciating their journey.
Dell’s father, O.V. Hill, bought the farm in 1948. The ensuing years saw the Hills raise everything from hogs to cattle and establish a thriving mail-order smoked turkey business, which operated until 2006.
But in 1984, the couple encountered a crisis. High interest rates and lean years in the stocker cattle business had the farm facing foreclosure. The week the land was to be sold on the courthouse steps, a man the Hills knew got a speck of trash in his eye and visited an ophthalmologist, who was the couple’s friend. Believing the man could help, the doctor shared the Hills’ story with his patient. In a matter of days, the gentleman met with Dell, evaluated the potential of Selwood and purchased the bank note. The Hills established Selwood Hunting Preserve later that year, followed by Selwood Sporting Clays in 1990. Within a decade, they paid off their debt.
In a book of testimonials titled “My Struggle, His Glory,” Dell cited Ephesians 3:20 in recounting God’s provision over their lives and that of their children and grandchildren.
“In the years since those early difficulties, Carolyn and I have seen God do ‘immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,’” he said.
For Dell, “Only What Matters” is about being open to how God might use them each day.
“Ministry is out there if you look for it,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t have to look for it; it just falls in your lap.”
