Faith Alive Family Church

From the vision of Pastor Ivan Antoniuk and eight others, Faith Alive began as a Bible Study in a house located at 1117 Ave. B North, in Saskatoon, on May 10, 1980. Several years before this, in 1967, Ivan and his wife, Marcia, received Jesus at a Leighton Ford Crusade. That day, their lives were radically transformed. Ivan eagerly shared Jesus with anyone who would listen and even those who didn’t want to hear. Soon, he became known as a good Baptist and adamantly opposed anything to do with speaking in tongues.

In February 1977, Charles and Frances Hunter, who were strong advocates of healing and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, held a crusade in Saskatoon. Along with a few friends, Ivan attended, intending to expose the Hunters as frauds. But God had other plans... As he went to confront them during ministry time, Ivan was suddenly struck by the power of God, and he fell to the floor, bouncing under God’s power. When he finally got up, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and could not speak English for two days.

With the same fervency that he had shared the Gospel, Ivan now wanted to see everyone filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Soon after, Ivan and Marcia were asked to leave the Baptist church they’d attended for years. That didn’t stop him. He became a firebrand for Jesus, preaching on the Gifts of the Spirit, healing, and the power of God. God began to move powerfully through Ivan in healings and manifestations of the Spirit.

Now, this takes us up to the Bible Study on Ave. B. It grew rapidly, and soon, 125 people, mostly new converts, were cramming into that house. Something had to be done!

In February 1981, they rented a narrow warehouse space on Alberta Ave., and the church officially began. Very quickly, this building became too small, and another move was necessary.

Later that year, In September, Faith Alive relocated to a much larger warehouse located at 819 Cynthia Street, and extensive renovations began. One month later, in October, services began. Faith Alive Bible College and Prairie Christian Academy (known then as Faith Alive Christian Academy) welcomed their first students.

With an emphasis on salvation, healing, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Gifts of the Spirit, and worship, the church continued to grow. These traits marked Faith Alive significantly and continue to be at the forefront of everything we do, even to this day.

Soon, it became necessary to find another location, not only for the congregation but also for the rapidly expanding K-12 School and Bible College. So, in the fall of 1983, the former Sion School property at 830 Idylwyld Drive North became Faith Alive’s new home. Moving there, everyone knew it would be a temporary stop, and God would provide a building to purchase.

A short two years later, in 1985, a beautiful church at 335 Ave. G South became available. God provided supernaturally, and they were able to purchase the property. The move took place in September, and almost immediately, new families began flooding in. Many of those families are still actively involved after all these years. One person, in particular, was the newly saved Brent Rudoski. He had a life-changing encounter with Jesus and started attending Faith Alive, and graduated from Bible College. He went on to assist or lead in many areas of the church, eventually becoming Senior Pastor in 2005. More on that later...