Page 163 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Molding a Church
ing a Sunday morning service. From the confused look on his face, they surmised that he meant to say "Hands up!" but he said, "Get out!" Everyone trooped outside and stood before him. He shook his head as if dazed, and lowering the gun, he turned away saying, "I'll comeback another day and take action against you." The next day, the authorities transferred him to a different job, and he fell dead at this new post.
A few weeks later, his well-armed partner came to Erkenesh and threatened, "My late friend told youto stop holding church, and you disregarded his warning. If I find you gathered together again, praying in this house, I will kill all of you." An enemy of his shot and killed him that evening.
In those perilous days, men often misused their authority to settle old grudges, pretending they were wip ing out government opposition. One of those decided to kill all church leaders and especially the "Pentes." The night he waylaid Tekle, something happened to his usually accurate aim. The bullet only fanned Tekle's hair. Found to be antigovernment a few days later, the man and his accomplices suffered the fate that he planned for Tekle, who was safe in the care of Jesus.
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Tekle's vision of the church as a tree.