“Ralph has a concern…in our desire to do a good job, to practice and perfect the surface aspects of technique, dress, presentation, mannersim, showmanship, etc. that we never forget the original purpose of FCM and that is to present the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must be careful not to lose our first love-that being the salvation of souls. If we ever got to the place where we are more concerned with presentation and performance than we are with passion and prayer we are in for trouble.”
Stan Adair sharing from a 1996 letter from Ralph Mills in What a Fellowship, p. 133
“Ralph Mills was a successful businessman, a family man, good husband and an all around nice guy. But down deep inside, Ralph knew something was missing…In 1967…he picked up a Gideon Bible in his motel room, flipped a few pages and discovered Hebrews 11:6 “But without Faith it is impossible to pease God…” Ralph realized that what he lacked in his life was a knowledge of God and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. By faith Ralph Mills became a child of God. Ralph had a long time interest in magic, but he never became involved until he bought a few small effects to use with his Sunday School class…Soon he was doing his gospel magic in larger churches and youth rallies and was traveling almost 10,000 a year in his Christian work…One special place Mills visitsseveral times a year, year after year, is the Youth Detention Center where he conducts a full two-hour show. Ralph says he has the opportunity to present the gospel to a new set of faces each visit.
Ralph first heard about the FCM in 1968 while attending one of the Abbott’s functions when John deVries mentioned us…He attended his first FCM Conference in 1972.”
What a Fellowship, p. 132
.
During his presidency, the FCM
–became a non-profit Corp. under the laws of Indiana
–membership grew steadily
–the mail center was set up
–the goal of having 12 issues of the Conjurer in 1976 was attained
he was the first magician to give a gospel lecture at the Texas Association of Magicians
What a Fellowship, pp. 132-33
Ralph was instrumental in the Annual Conferences moving to Winona Lake in 1973. He made the motion to move to Winona Lake at the 1972 conference (the very first conference he attended)
What a Fellowship, p. 132
.