Revival in Saskatoon, Canada 1971Before the Revival of 1971Pastor Bill McLeod began having a burden for his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Saskatoon.For quite a long period of time he would focus much of his time praying for them. Then Pastor McLeod called for the congregation to attend a meeting each Wednesday for prayer. These meeting began with an attendance of about forty, but week by week it grew until over half of the three hundred member congregation were attending.In addition to the meetings at the church on Wednesday nights, Pastor McLeod initiated smaller prayer meetings throughout the city of Saskatoon and after regular Sunday evening services. He also organized a 24 hour prayer calendar so that there were people scheduled to pray at all times somewhere in the city.After two years of prayer Ralph and Lou Sutera were invited to lead a twelve day crusade at the church beginning on Wednesday, October 13, 1971. The meetings began with little impact on the attendees in the first day or two, but love and forgiveness among members of congregation escalated and grew.The numbers of people were growing so large as the days past because the Spirit of God was moving so powerfully that they began to move the meeting to larger facilities. First, they moved to the Missionary Alliance Church which was the largest evangelical in the City of Saskatoon at the time. This is the building where the Faith Alive Family Church is located today. After this they had to move to the largest of all the United churches in Saskatoon. Eventually, the revival meeting required acquiring the 2,000 seat civic auditorium.The crusade continued, as late as five o'clock in the morning, every night for seven weeks instead of the original twelve days that had been planned. There was a sense of love and unity in the entire christian community of Saskatoon. The revival resulted in the co-operation of twenty other churches in Saskatoon as well. The revival became known as the Canadian Prairie Revival.The results of the revival were evident in many areas as people returned to businesses that they had cheated to confess and pay what they owed. One fugitive turned himself in and when asked why he did it he said," I have found the Lord Jesus here in your town, and now I want to follow Him. That is why I am giving myself up." Because he the way he came forward the charges were dropped. He then took his wife and children to the crusade where the wife got saved and the family was restored.Quotes and Letters From the Saskatoon RevivalPastor Bill McLeod:"Revival is nothing but the Holy Spirit pointing His finger right at you.""The Holy Spirit is love. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with love.""You can't change anybody, but God can change you.""The church has been sweeping things under the rug. God is pulling back the rug."Quotes From Other Revival Attendees:"It was wonderful! We were all packed into the church, and no one asked whether we were Baptist, Alliance, Mennonite, or whatever. We sensed intuitively that we were all part of the same body - the Body of Christ.""I feel as if God's steamroller had just run over me""When God uses a solvent He does a good job""This is group therapy with Christ as the focal point"“Any old bush will do as long is it's on fire!""People who are right with God can help each other""If you are not ready to deal with your sin, perhaps you had better go home and 'pickle' awhile""I feel as if a 200-pound bag of flour has been lifted off my back, but on the way to the meeting I prayed for a flat tire so I wouldn't have to go""Crucifying the self, giving our sin nature to God, is a painful experience but it's the only way to the blessing."--A Letter from Leonard Ravenhill: (December 2, 1971)"Dear Woody: When meetings last until after midnight; when couples tear up their divorce papers before a thousand people; when the chief of police says that there is a rash of confessing of crimes; when the shopkeepers say they are staggered by the great number of folk owning up to shoplifting; when lawyers, psychologists, and a Jesuit priest get saved; when deacons and many church members confess with tears and with great shame and brokenness that they have been living in adultery, fornication, thieving, and lying; when men from those meetings in Saskatoon, Canada, fly east to preach at the Toronto Bible College chapel hour, and the hour lasts until one the next morning, with great humiliation and confessions — when all this and loads more happens night after night for several weeks, one might say that there is a touch of REVIVAL. No star-studded platform, no huge budget, no gimmicks were in evidence. Indeed, the two evangelists had a bagful of modern tricks and they threw them all out and cast themselves upon the blessed Holy Spirit. Result: Right now the Canadian city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is shaking under the power of God. The outbreak is city-wide."
