Page 159 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Molding a Church
ing that God had impressed him to tell the brothers to start many churches in Addis instead of staying together in one group. Addis could not be reached without evan gelism.
When Tekle read the letter to the board members, they scornfully rejected the counsel of Brother Harris. In answer to a query from Brother Harris about their reactions, Tekle had to relay their refusal to do as advised. Brother Harris then asked Tekle to prepare an agenda for a meeting to settle the problem.
In May 1975, Brother Harris and Brother Donald Ikerd (who began a missionary term in Kenya in 1974) came to help untangle the snarl. When they showed Amare the agenda that Brother Harris had asked Tekle to prepare, Amare became angry and the board members walked out of the first service. Brothers Harris and Ikerd both preached that evening in the rented church. On the second day, thirteen preachers who had come from other districts found the door locked and a notice posted by Amare which said that no meetings would be held in that room with foreigners. Boycotted by the board members, the preachers moved the gathering to Tekle's residence, where both missionaries preached again on unity in the morning service.
The agenda Tekle prepared had three points:
1. The school must be turned over to the church and changed to a Bible school. The preachers should stop teaching children to read; they should develop their ministry in God's Word.
2. Theevangelistsshouldnotconfinetheireffortsto the Addis church but should start evangelizing.
3. Thedutiesandtheauthorityofthesuperintendent 157