“Shortly after I was saved in 1956, I saw a bit in the Linking Ring that there was such a thing as the Fellowship of Christian Magicians.”
What a Fellowship, p. 126
James B. Lake was born in England in 1920 and emigrated to Canada in 1927. He is the only non-US citizen to hold the office of President of the FCM.
Jimmy was an accomplished magician and served as I.B.M. President 1951-52. Once he was saved, he began performing gospel magic and also selling gospel magic. Jimmy was one of the founders of the FCM Conferences. The first conference was held in Montrose, PA in July of 1958.
What a Fellowship, pp. 126-127
“Oswald J. Smith, of the People’s Church, in those days brought in lots of speakers from the U.S.A. and the world…One man I took quite a liking to was Dr. Henry Grube…One day a man at church told me that Dr. Grube did magic. I decided to write to him as I was having some problems. So many people took the trouble to tell me that because I was now a Christian, I should give up my magic. I did not want to do so. I wrote to Dr. Grube for help. He …said ‘perhaps the Lord had a use for my magic…He also suggested that I write to Rev. Doug Roe.
Before I got around to writing Doug, Reg Carson, a local Christian friend asked me to a mid-week meeting… they had a special speaker…who was bringing a Gospel magician with him. The magician was Dr. Warren Filkin… I asked Filkin if he knew Dr. Grube and Doug Roe and he said he knew them both and that he would be with Doug for a week in the summer. I told him Grube said he was going to be there for a week and Filkin suggested that perhaps they would be there together…it was a summer camp.
…I arranged for a trip to Montrose so we could be with Grube and Filkin. We had a great weekend…
Doug asked the group if they would like to have a week at the conference grounds for Gospel magicians. Everyone decided it would be a good idea, so Doug set a date and booked Grube & Filkin for 1958. It was the Fellowship of Christian Magician’s first summer conference.”
Excerpt from letter in What a Fellowship, pp. 126-127
“Finally, I decided I had served as FCM President long enough and Bill Baker became President in 1970…when writing the history of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians, next to yourself, Stan one man and his wife should get top billing–Tony Birch and hsi wife Violet (Shorty)…I cannot say enough about them. The FCM owes them a great deal.“
What a Fellowship pp. 126-128
Jimmy Lake went home to be with the Lord January 15, 1985