“Friends, let us always remember where our gifts come from, and let us always let the Gospel be first and foremost, and our talents in the background, something with which to enhance the Gospel, and to be a tool for bringing men and women, boys and girls into a right relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Ed Jarvis in The Christian Conjurer, Jan/Feb 2004 Vol.48-1
“The FCM is an organization that is available to help people in ministry to be able to learn how to use Visual Aids to help enhance their ministry. In these days, we need more than just the spoken word. We need tools that will keep people’s attention, and FCM offers these tools to those who would take the time to learn. These tools are offered by professional people who have been using the same tools for years. After over 50 years as a member, I can say that it was due to joining the FCM as a young man that I was able to learn to use many tools in my ministry…”
Ed Jarvis in email April 2022
Ed Jarvis was born the son of a preacher…in 1948 they moved to Appleton, WI where Harry Houdini lived and there he met his first magician. During a youth rally for children, he met Joe White, billed as the “World’s Smallest Magician” and he was doing Gospel Magic. Ed describes it this way “As I sat there in the front row, I know that my eyes were as big as dollars. Joe White was sharing Bible Stories and using magic to illustrate his points. I became entranced with his dexterity and I can remember thoughts running through my mind that maybe someday I could do that same thing.” After the show, Mr. White told Ed to practice, practice, practice if he wanted to learn. He did. He received much help from a small joke shop in town, joined the Houdini Club of WI and attended his first magic convention in 1956. He met Jack LaWain who quickly became his mentor…
In 1961 he met his wife, Marge, who was a puppeteer/ventriloquist, and together they built a successful program. Ed was Commissioned/Ordained as a Salvation Army Officer in June of 1959 and Ed & Marge were able to use their talents as they pastored and traveled as Itinerant Evangelists for the Salvation Army. They traveled under the stage name of Jarona and Company. Their program included magic, ventriloquism, puppets, story telling, ballooning, rag pictures, drama, music, and dynamic preaching
Ed Jarvis article in the Christian Conjurer, Jan/Feb 2004 Vol. 48-1
“My goals for the FCM during my time as President were to try and build up our membership; to bring better quality to the evening shows [at the convention]; and to provide the best classes possible for those who were new in order that they would learn and return to their ministries with new tools. It was very important to me that every day began with and ended with prayers that the Holy Spirit would have his way as I tried in my humble way to lead.”
Ed Jarvis-April 2022
“We all have a wonderful talent with which to serve the Lord, be it Magic, Ventriloquism, Puppets, Storytelling, Ballooning, Chalk Talk, Clowning, Drama, or any of the other performing arts. Let us do all in our power to make our talent the most excellent that it can be so that it will bring only Honor and Glory to His name.”
Ed Jarvis in The Christian Conjurer, Jan/Feb 2004 Vol. 48-1
For three and a half years, the Jarvis’s hosted their own television show entitled, Sal’s Corner, where Ed was ‘Sparkles the Clown’.
Ed was honored as runner up in the Peoples’ Choice Awards in 1986. Ed has also authored a number of books on the subject of Gospel Magic including Gospel Magician’s Digest.
