The Fellowship of the Least Coin (FLC) was envisioned by Shanti Solomon, a Christian woman from India, in 1956. Shanti was part of an international mission team led by Presbyterian women from the United States. The team travelled throughout Asia to meet with and listen to women who had been touched by injustice during the Second World War. The team heard stories of violence and trauma, deep pain and distrust.
When Shanti and the team went to Japan, three Japanese women met them at the airport. They brought garlands for Shanti and others, but they brought none for the Americans. They said, “We have had enough of General MacArthur… we do not welcome the American women on the team.” On that visit, Shanti saw destruction all over Japan, especially in Hiroshima, where, in 1945, the United States military dropped an atomic bomb that instantly killed 80,000 people and later killed tens of thousands of people due to radiation exposure.
When Shanti and the team went to the Philippines, they met with Filipinas who were selling their jewelry in order to rebuild their church. It had been reduced to rubble during the Japanese occupation. When Shanti asked the women if they would receive a mission team from Japan to have conversations about reconciliation they said, “Not during our lifetime.”
When the team went to South Korea, Shanti had to stay behind in the Philippines; her visa application had been denied. At that time, India and South Korea had tense diplomatic ties. After the Korean War, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru accepted the United Nation’s request to be the neutral world leader to settle the boundary between North and South Korea. Prime Minister Nehru settled the boundary at the 38th parallel. However, most Koreans did not want their country to be divided at all. So, as an Indian citizen, Shanti was not welcome to visit South Korea.
After hearing these stories of hurt and resentment and experiencing divisions and borders herself, Shanti prayed for justice, peace, and reconciliation between all countries and peoples. She believed that if individual Christian women could pray about these issues, they could create ripples of justice, peace, and reconciliation that could flow to people and places all around the world.
When the team reunited with Shanti, she told them about her vision. She asked them if they were willing to pray whenever they had a conflict with another person - pray for the person who hurt them and pray for themselves, that they would seek understanding and offer forgiveness. Shanti asked them if they would also pray for justice, peace, and reconciliation for women and girls around the world. Finally, she asked the team if they would give a token - a least coin in their currency - whenever they prayed for justice, peace, and reconciliation.
Sixty-five years ago, a small group of women pledged their commitment to prayer and prayerful action for justice, peace, and reconciliation. Today, the FLC continues to invite and partner with women to pray for justice and peace . . . and then put their faith in action.