Atlanta Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians
March 9, 2023
The March 9, 2023 meeting of the FCM was held at the home of John and Julia Jefferson. The following were in attendance: John and Julia Jefferson; Leland Davis; Joe Turner; Lynn Fox; Eugene McBrayer; Mark Childers.
Our next meeting is scheduled to meet on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at the home of John and Julia Jefferson. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will start at 7:15 p.m.
The following is a summary of our meeting.
Keep the “SON” Shining…
John and Julia Jefferson
MINUTES:
John welcomed all and mentioned each member who was not able to attend. We do hope all will be able to come to the meeting in April. Eugene opened our meeting with prayer.
We were so pleased to have Joe Turner who joined our group in November of 2013, back with us!! Joe is a past president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and is a full-time magician and motivational speaker. We do hope he will be able to attend future meetings.
John reminded us that Leland Davis will be the new secretary of the FCM and will take office in September after having been recognized at the international conference in July/August of this year!
John noted that Steve Varro has a new list out of his new and estate magic that he is selling. Have a look!!
John explained that the FCM website has all of our past local chapter meeting notes starting from March 10, 2011. To access the notes, go to the first page of the FCM website. Click on local chapters. Then click on Atlanta, GA.
Remember the FCM Convention is July 30-August 3, 2023 in Danville, IN just outside of Indianapolis, IN.
Also, in the fcm.org website, there are many resources: Voice Magazines; Christian Conjures; books; documents; forms, etc.
Before I begin writing about our meeting, I would like to share with you that it is a joy for us to host our monthly FCM meetings. It is hard to believe that our first meeting was in 2011!! I looked back at our minutes and realized how many Gospel Magicians have come through our doors. We would love to have those who have moved on to return and bless us with stories of your adventures as you have spread the Word through Gospel Magic.
Now, let the fun begin!!
John began the fun with several jokes?
— “He is trying to lose 10 pounds and only has 17 more to go!”
–The five-legged monster bought a pair of jeans that fit him…like a glove!
John then showed us the very first Gospel magic trick that he first performed 50 years ago—Cups on a Rope. He had Mark and Eugene as helpers. John tied two ropes onto a magic wand. He then had his helpers thread the ropes through the “ears” of two metal cups. The cups were labeled, SIN and EVIL. At this point, the wand, which represented Jesus, was surrounded by the sin and evil of the world. He then tied a knot in the rope to insure that sin and evil could not escape. Next, he had his helpers thread the ropes through the ears of two plastic cups which were labeled, GOD and MAN. Sin and evil are now separating God and man! He then pulled wand out from the ropes, stating that Jesus rose from the grave. The metal cups representing sin and evil fell off the ropes onto the floor thus allowing God and man to come together!! A great message made from household items!
Leland, our resident “mad scientist” decided to entertain us with lots of one-liner jokes!! He gave each of us a copy which I am sure we will repeat!! Here are a few examples: 1. What to elves learn in school? The elf-abet. 2. Why did the math book look so sad? Because it had so many problems. 3. I have no legs. I will never walk but always run. What am I? A river! 4. It belongs to you, but your friends use it more. What is it? Your name! I could write more but…!!
Joe was next. His Jumping Bars silk effect was great. He showed us a silk that had black bars on it in a horizontal position. In the twinkle of an eye the bars became vertical! It was a “reely” good trick!! Joe shared several methods of presentation as he is in the process of perfecting the moves. He is also working on a gospel message to go with the effect. Joe then showed us a small metal rectangular plate with three cut-out shapes in it: triangle, circle, square. He then showed us an object that was a triangle. It fit perfectly in the triangular shape in the plate. Next he put that same object through the circle and then the square, each fitting perfectly into the holes in the plate!! The object could represent the trinity as it is 3 shapes in one. We just have to emphasize that God is always 100 percent each member of the trinity! Thanks, Joe, for sharing two unique effects! Our members are always looking for ways to turn household items into magic effects and Joe showed us his wilting flower made from the zip lock part of a sandwich bag and a pretty flower! This could be a great way to get children involved in making a magic trick!
Lynn reminded us of the joke about the fish with no eye! Of course, it is a fsh!!! He then demonstrated the rope trick which is the fastest knot in the world. He showed us the William Tell Knot and he SHOT the rope through the small, smaller and then smallest loop in the rope!! He related it to the story in Matthew 19:24 where Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! What a great twist on the effect!! Thanks, Lynn. Love your creativity!
Mark brought out a giant tube and told the story of 3 appearances of Jesus after he arose. As he did, he produced a beautiful “Jesus silk”. He then produced a small sleeve bouquet and finally a magnificent, huge flower! The Massal Tube is a good three feet long and can hold several wonderful surprises!! Before producing the flower, Mark told how Thomas needed to put his hands on the scars on the body of Jesus before he could be sure it was Jesus. Mark said that the Bible tells us that because we have not seen but we still believe, that we are even more blessed! The flower was a beautiful surprise that represented our blessings because of our belief. Nothing like a large stage effect to get the attention of the audience!! Thanks, Mark. Your dedication to presenting the gospel is always your top priority.
Well, our meeting was officially over and Mark closed in prayer. We were all blessed with the wonderful Christian fellowship and sharing that our club always gives us.
But…that was not all!!! Joe began sharing some card tricks. I was so busy watching and being amazed at his expertise that I did not take any notes! Thanks, Joe. We do appreciate your hours and years of persistence and practice. We do hope you will be able to attend our future meetings. As you said, we never stop learning.
Remember, our next meeting is Thursday, April 13, 2023!!
May God grant you Grace and Peace, Julia Jefferson
Keep the “SON” Shining,,,
John Jefferson