Fools for Christ bring laughs to J'burg church
Pastor's clown group has been entertaining audiences for 18 years
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

Clowning around in church is typically frowned upon, but some members of the Jamesburg Presbyterian Church consider it their mission.

Fools for Christ encouraged the crowd to laugh, applaud and be awed by their performance of magic and clowning Sunday at the Gatzmer Avenue church.

"This is ... geared toward good, wholesome entertainment you can take your family to," said the Rev. Gary Filson, magician and founder of the clown group.

Filson worked his magic with the audience, creating illusions that drew oohs and ahhs from both kids and adults. His wife, Ella, served as his assistant, and four clowns performed skits throughout the show. The husband and wife duo let their other roles as clowns be known by injecting humor into their illusions.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm married to Lucille Ball," Gary told the crowd.

Filson started the 10-member clown group in the spring of 1989, and it has since performed in various parts of the country, appearing on the Today Show in Philadelphia and the FX Fox Breakfast Show. They perform for all ages, including everything from youth groups to senior citizens at nursing homes. Last December, most of the clowns visited central Cuba to teach Christian clowning and magic.

"We do a lot of mission work. It's part of our outreach," said Terri Katona, aka Quigley the Clown, who has been performing for nearly 20 years.

All of the clowns have completed formal training, either with the reverend or at clown schools, and they all subscribe to the Clown Code of Ethics of the World Clown Association. Some, including Ella, have won awards for their craft.

"I actually got into clowning accidentally," Gary said.

He had gone to take a class at an adult Christian education center, but it was canceled. The only other class going on at the time was for clowning.

"I was looking for another vehicle with which to do youth ministry," Gary said. "The rest, as they say, is history."

PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Clockwise - Clowns Rudy, Sparrow and Lil' Bit get ready to do an act. The Rev. Gary Filson and his wife, Ella, get assistance from Christopher Perdoni, 7, during the Fools for Christ show Sunday at the Jamesburg Presbyterian Church. Sparrow the Clown has some laughs of his own while watching the magic show.

The Filsons were able to make a family affair of clowning, getting their son, Ian, 23, and daughter, Sarah, 19, involved until they both started college. Ian, a clown and magician, commutes to Rutgers University. Sarah, who performed and taught during the mission to Cuba, attends school in Pennsylvania.

Although the Fools for Christ try to share their Christian message through their performances, they also do secular work, like birthday parties and corporate events. This allows them to be able to do free church work, as magic and clowning are expensive because of all the necessary props and costumes, Gary said.

While Gary said he would like to think his sermons have a bit of humor to them, he takes on a different persona for his magic and clowning.

"We do not do a whole lot of clowning in our own church, so people won't say, 'I can't stand this anymore,' " Gary said.

For those who watched him Sunday appear to read minds, transport objects from place to place inexplicably, and even make Ella disappear, Gary's concerns about overkill seemed unfounded. As much as he jokes about other matters, there is one thing he remains serious about.

"I will not reveal how things are done," Gary said. "The secret is the secret."

While membership in Fools for Christ does not require one to be a member of the church, or even a Christian, it is necessary for all members to subscribe to the International Brotherhood of Magicians' code of ethics, or the Clown Code of Ethics.

To join, or to book the group for an event, call the church office at (732) 521-1711.