ChristianWeek

SASKATOON, SK—The spin-offs from the 1971 Saskatoon revival are immeasurable. That was the message delivered at the Canadian Revival Fellowship ‘Re-awakening’ Conference held in Saskatoon March 2 to 4. The conference brought together the principals of the 1971 revival including Ralph and Lou Sutera, Bill McLeod, Henry Blackaby, Harold Lutzer and Henry Teichrob.

Lutzer said the purpose of the conference in Saskatoon was to celebrate all that has happened in 35 years and present the message of spiritual revival in a new way. The revival movement swept the evangelical church community of Saskatoon, then moved to Regina, Winnipeg and literally around the world.

One of the major spin-offs was the establishment of Canadian Revival Fellowship (CRF) which was organized because of overwhelming demand for communication. Harold Lutzer served as director for 30 years. He recently passed the position to John McGregor.

More than three dozen ministry teams sprang directly from CRF and continue to carry the revival message around the world. Countless others are in Christian ministry as well.

“Wherever I go, I hear pastors say, ‘I was saved at the revival in Saskatoon,’” said Bill McLeod, former pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Saskatoon where the revival started. “I believe there are few pastors in Western Canada whose parents or himself were not affected by it.”

Henry Blackaby was a pastor in Saskatoon in 1971. “Henry says his whole life DNA was changed by the revival,” said Lou Sutera. “Today, his ministry touches leaders in capitals around the world. He has an open door to every nation. His book Experiencing God has sold millions of copies and has been translated into 43 languages. The U.S. military is putting a military cover on his devotional book and distributing it to their service personnel.” A capacity crowd of more than 700 from all across Canada, the U.S., and beyond attended the three-day event.

Sutera termed the gathering “unique.” “Many people who experienced the revival in 1971 came and got a new perspective on its impact,” he says. In 1971, they enjoyed the revival, opened themselves up to God and were renewed spiritually. Then they went back and lived out this renewal in their everyday lives. At this conference, they were able to hear about the ripple effect. The revival went much further than Saskatoon. It went around the world.”

“It is impossible to measure or fully understand the long-range effects of the revival,” Henry Teichrob added. “Before, there was a lot of emphasis on Christian training—teaching people how to be good Christians. There were lots of rules and regulations which led to a sterile experience of the Christian reality. The joy of the Lord was missing. That’s what the revival brought—-a change in mentality toward a spirit of liberty that comes with the truth that it is the Spirit of the Lord who gives guidance regarding how to live the Christian life.”