We extend thanks again to the family of Edna (Roughley) Beales for supplying further information to give us a clearer picture of who Edna was. Now we have a lovely studio photo of Edna, courtesy of her granddaughter Caryn. The photo was probably taken a dozen or more years before Edna represented Australia at the second assembly of the Asian Church Women’s Conference (ACWC) in 1962, but it’s still really nice when we can put a face to a name and the person becomes more real to us.
It was at the 1962 ACWC assembly that the delegates voted enthusiastically to continue supporting the Fellowship of the Least Coin (FLC) prayer movement and adopt it as their main project. This prayer movement had already travelled beyond Asia and the USA, and more countries around the world were wanting to take part.
The brief minutes available of that 1962 assembly tell us it was decided the FLC programme would be expanded to all countries desiring to participate in this movement, and the amount of coins gathered from each country would not be made public. This was so the emphasis would remain on the covenant of fellowship and prayer rather than the amounts given, and that all FLC members would be on an equal footing and not begin to compete with one another for gathering the most coins.
As an expression of recognition to Shanti Solomon for having started the idea of the Fellowship of the Least Coin, and in appreciation for her efforts in this fellowship, a collection of coins from each country represented at the 1962 assembly was made into a bracelet as a gift for Shanti.
The ACWC members have continued to work hard to promote this prayer movement, and the close association between the ACWC and the FLC is stated in the By-laws of the Asian Church Women’s Conference.
2.6.1 All members of the General Committee shall:
2.6.1.1 work for the promotion of the ACWC and the FLC programmes and projects in their respective countries.
