Where are those early FLC Reports?

As mentioned in last month’s blog post, the East Asia Christian Conference (EACC) administered the Fellowship of the Least Coin (FLC) Fund from 1958–1970. Regular reports were provided to the Asian Church Women’s Conference (ACWC) so that more comprehensive reports could be prepared and distributed to contributors to the Fund.

In the National Archive of Australian Church Women (ACW), there is a copy of the first three pages of the 1966 report — the title page and the two-page foreword. Unfortunately, we do not have the full report. *

The foreword was written by Kyaw Than, Associate General Secretary of the East Asia Christian Conference, and he briefly explained the operation of the FLC in those early years. He wrote:

            In 1962 when the second Asian Church Women's Conference was held at Petchburi, Thailand, a printed report entitled "The Fellowship of the Least Coin" was prepared to assist the members and all those who had contributed toward the Least Coin Fund their desire to gain more information as to how far the members around the world had helped to meet the challenges for relief and evangelism in all continents of the world.

In 1964 another report entitled "The Gifts of Prayer" was published mainly dealing with the accounts and administration of the Fund and the relation between the East Asia Christian Conference and the Fellowship of the Least Coin.

The present report [1966] prepared by the Chairman of the Asian Church Women's Conference is helpful and timely particularly for sharing available information with the members of the Third Conference of Asian Church Women to be held at Tokyo, Japan in July 1966. The gifts reported cover the period 1964 to 1966 though the gifts in 1966 could be indicated in terms of the allocations so far agreed upon by the Working Committee of the East Asia Christian Conference in consultation with the officers of the Asian Church Women's Conference.

… The Planning Committee of ACWC is the Central Committee of the Fellowship of the Least Coin (FLC). The ACWC is attached to the EACC Committee on Cooperation of Men and Women in Horne, Church and Society of which the Planning Committee of the ACWC is a functional Committee. The Central Committee of FLC receives proposals for the allocation of funds and draws up recommendations for submission to the Working Committee of the EACC which makes final approval of allocations on the basis of procedures agreed upon.

In spite of occasional difficulties of flow of international correspondence, one cannot help but give praise and thanks to the Lord of the Church every time the work of the Fellowship is surveyed, for providing this instrument to His children around the world to serve Him as He identifies Himself with the needy, the hungry, the handicapped and the weak in all the continents. It is hoped that through this brief report, those who have shared in the Fellowship and who are interested in its ministry may learn more about the projects which they have supported in prayers and gifts.

June 1966

14 Pramuan Road, Bangkok.

Kyaw Than, Associate General Secretary,

East Asia Christian Conference.

I would like to know what else was in those reports, as they allegedly contained more than 20 pages each, and if the information is additional to what we know about the FLC. Even more importantly, does it correct any of the minor conflicts that have crept into the histories of the FLC and ACWC?

I have been able to track down a reference to those reports in an old article compiled by an Indian woman, but the location of the reports is not given. I'm hoping to locate those reports closer to home, and in the meantime the hunt must wait for another day.

History Hounds paused. Public Domain image

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*If you have or know the whereabouts of the 1962, ’64 and ‘66 Fellowship of the Least Coin Reports prepared by the Central Committee of the FLC for the ACWC, please contact me donna.bryan@salvationarmy.org.au

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