Hi gang, I am a member of the FCM and have been for almost two years. I have enjoyed it very much and met some terrific folks. I have the added bonus of being privileged to meet at The Magic Castle for our Los Angeles chapter monthly meetings. I have yet to receive a copy of the Christian Conjurer magazine so I will be inquiring about this at our next meeting. Aside from that it's been great.

I think it is great that magic can be a tool as well as a talent that can be used to reach people with the message. I hope to be able to reach more through this means.

I also enjoy performing magic purely for the fun of it and to entertain and if I can make a few extra bucks now and then...well, that's great too.

GlenD

Glen; If you have been an FCM member for two years and have not received any magazines, there is something wrong with their database.

You can send an email to mailcenter@fcm.org with your membership number and they should be able to fix the problem.

Best wishes,
Doug

Sorry for the delay Guardian,

I was one of the starting members of the Wisconsin chapter, it came out of an International convention when a small group of Wisconsinites ran into each other in (I think it was 1997). Not knowing there were more of us, we all decided to start our own group. I believe a gent by the name of Anderson pulled it together. I went to the first few meetings but that was about it.

According to my parents they sit around and talk about their shows and that is about the extent of it. That's all I know.

There used to be a group of Christian magicians/clowns in Fond du Lac as well, the Found-u-laffin clown/magician club but I do not believe it is around anymore.

If you want to know more I can PM my parents' email address to you for further information.

Shawn

What a thrill to read all these posts from members of the the FCM. I've been a member for 26 years and consider the other members as family in the strongest sense of the word.

If someone has been a member (GlenD) and not received a Christian Conjurer I can only think of two possibilities:

1. There is a problem with the database as Doug stated above. This can be corrected with a simple email to Mike at the FCM mail center.
2. Although it is not proper, sometimes people attend a local chapter and feel they are members of the organization. In order to be a member you must fill out an application and pay a fee of $25 per year in the U.S. (higher outside the U.S.). If you do not have a membership card with a number (the last two will be the year you joined) then you may not be a member. Contact Kif at the LAFCM and he should be able to help you straighten this out.

I encourage all Christian magicians to join the FCM and be part of the family, you'll be glad you did.

In HIS service,
Steve Varro
Immed. Past International President
Fellowship of christian Magicians
http://www.fcm.org

P.S. Terry gave a web address that will get you to the FCM site, but the one I listed is just a little easier to remember and more current.

I guess I should investigate. I never received a membership card. I did fill out the application and paid my dough. I have been attending most of the meetings ever since.

I will get in touch with Kif at the next meeting on the 26th if not sooner and find out what is up.

GlenD

I'm a member and have been for years. I don't do gospel magic, well maybe one or two shows a year, but I am surprised how many people talk to me about booking my act and when I say member of Magic Castle, IBM, etc. they say that's nice. But when I say FCM I book people become much more friendly and interested in finding out more about my act.

I was told that being a member of the Magic Castle would lead to more bookings, but it hasn't paid off nearly as much as the FCM!

Hey Gang,

I have been a member of FCM for over 20 glorious years. Attended over 15 of the international conventions and many regionals. I learned a lot of my magic at these conventions and made some great friends. Attending a FCM convention is a must if you are a member.

I too joined The Castle and I enjoy them both.

Again I am working The Magic Castle in the parlour the last week in February. I am not doing gospel magic but I am doing what God created me to do. I am giving a gospel magic lecture for the local FCM chapter there on Monday night, February 23rd. Please come visit me Steve.

Steve Hart
Cape Canaveral, FL USA

I have been a member since I was 10 I believe so that would be around 16 years. The past couple years I've been in charge of and MCed the late shows for the International Convention. I look forward to doing it again this year and seeing old friend and meeting new ones.

Joey Brummett
Ft. Myers, FL

My name is Allan. I became a member of FCM-S (Scandinavia) last autumn.

I too am an FCM member in Wisconsin. The group meets in Milwaukee on the first Monday of every month at the Theophilus Magic Shop.

So far I've only been to the national convention once. I found it worth the trip to Marion. There is plenty to see, do, learn and buy there.

Scott

I want to join the FCM but there's none here in Malaysia.

Find others who are like-minded Christians and start one!

The FCM is an international organiziation and would no doubt welcome you!

I just got my latest copy of the Christian Conjuror and was again reminded of how great it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ with the same interest in using our gifts to glorify God and draw others to Him.

BroDavid

None in Chicago either

Wow! Andini, I was sure that you must have just missed them since Chicago is such a great big place. (I lived in the area there for a couple of years.) But in checking the FCM website, I see that are NO CHAPTERS in Illinois. And that is still hard for me to believe, but I guess I had better believe it, since it is true.

There must be enough Christian magicians in Chicago area to pull together three to four guys to start meeting on a regular basis? You don't need to start with a lot, nor do you need a fancy place to meet. You can get together at a pizza place on a slow night for them, they will welcome you to stake out an area where you can talk, and share magic. Many churches also have space they will permit meetings, but if all else fails, libraries have meeting rooms for community meetings.

We find that our group in Akron has started to grow a bit as we got more regular with our meetings, and put up a web site with our schedule/time and place of the meetings.

And although the International is in Indiana, and I know a lot of local folks who show up for it, there doesn't seem to be an Indiana chapter either..

Go figure...

Good Luck,
BroDavid

BroDavid, there isn't a FCM chapter in Singapore either, which is actually quite near to Malaysia.

I'm wondering, what does it take to start a chapter? Type of procedures, commitments etc. See if something can be worked out.

Hi I am a member of the FCM.UK we just had our convention great fun.
http://www.streetcredmission.co.uk

Amen BroDavid.
It is awesome to see brothers all over the world that belong to Christ and FCM.

I can't believe there is no chapter in Illinois.
Something must be wrong!
There is a chapter in Milwaukee but it has gone limp after the passing of Fred.
I am starting a chapter in Appleton Wisconsin. Home town of Harry Houdini.
Actually the new international FCM president lives in Menasha not 5 minutes away!

Just joined the FCM this month. I have been performing gospel magic for a very small congregation for quite a few years. Very interested in attending the international convention this year for my first time, but living a great distance from it (in Northern Canada). As a teacher, I have been trying to convince our principal for me to use my professional development money to go. A bit of a difficult sell since we are a public school, but I really think that many of the workshops would be inspirational and could include transferable skills and ideas to the classroom. I also think it is one of the best valued conventions I have ever seen. Hope to see many of you there.

Actually, we do have one in Peoria. The FCM is part of the IBM Ring and SAM Assembly here. I believe that the Peoria Magicians' Association is the only joint venture between the three organizations in the country. Our bylaws state that all of our officers (I am the secretary) must be dual members of IBM and SAM, and that a representative of FCM must sit on our board.

I belong to all three.

I realize that Peoria is a three hour drive from Chicago, but all you Chicago guys are welcome at our meetings. PM me or email me and I'll be glad to give directions and specifics. I used to drive to Elmhurst once a month from Galesburg for IBM meetings.

-Jon

Thanks for sharing. I may wish to join this group.

Scott