Dr. Irene Bonney Faulkes was born into one of the earliest Pentecostal families in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Her father, Arthur Martinson, was reared in Estonia in the Russian Orthodox Church. He fought with the British Army in France in World War I where he was converted under the preaching of Gypsy Smith from England.  When the war was over, he migrated to Australia when he later met the early Pentecostals.  He believed their message and was baptised with the Spirit.   Her mother, who was Maud Biggs of Mapleton pioneer family, had a Methodist background, going back some generations.  On meeting Irene’s father, she was baptised with the Spirit.  They were in the fledgling Pentecostal groups, attending later the meetings of Van Eyck in Druid’s Hall, Brisbane.   Irene attended Pentecostal churches from childhood and Cec was blessed to be a believer in their midst from about age seventeen.  He had been converted under two Church of Christ evangelists, one being Henricksen.  He then brought in his whole family. With his parents, two sisters and a brother, he became Pentecostal at the time of Van Eyck, who sadly, succumbed to serious moral sin.

Irene has been ministering for Christ for over sixty-five years, beginning in her teen-age years. She and her first husband, Cecil Bonney, pastored Assemblies of God churches in Australia for some years and were also involved in pioneering, Christian education and children’s work. Her ministry of the baptism with the Spirit began to develop during those years, having been greatly influenced by Sister Groves and Pastors Duncan and Fulwood.  They became involved in the early Charismatic Move in the mid-sixties.

In answer to the Spirit’s call they went to Indonesia where they ministered in thousands of Churches seeing virtually everyone revived with many hundreds of thousands of believers baptised in the Holy Ghost, people born again, miracles of healing and a dead babe in the womb born alive. For over thirty years this ministry saw God “confirm the Word with signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Ghost”. The book of Acts lives again! On some occasions, people at death’s door were miraculously raised to life and health. On one occasion a child dying of stomach cancer was instantly healed on a Word of Knowledge. When his mother returned home she found him well. Irene stayed with them four years later. The child was thriving. The lame walked. Deaf and dumb were healed. Irene also ran a Bible School there.

Once in a denominational church 100 years old the first altar calls ever were given. One night, 1,200 came forward to accept Christ, weeping as they came. A mad girl, who barked like a dog continually, also deaf and dumb, was healed. Many miracles took place. Such was the case wherever they went.

They had to return to Brisbane, Australia due to Cecil’s heart trouble. Invited to become involved as Pastors with the growing Christian Outreach Centre, they saw Brisbane receive a Sovereign Move of God.  There they were used in seeing many thousands baptized in the Spirit, speaking in tongues in Christian Outreach Centre, West End, Brisbane. This was an important feature of the move of God in Brisbane that affected much of Australia in the late seventies, where she also taught in their first Bible School.

She and Cecil left Australia and began to minister all over Singapore and Malaysia in the early years of the Charismatic move there. This was in an Anglican Cathedral and Anglican churches, Methodist churches and in  seminars, Full Gospel Businessmen’s meetings, home meetings, Mainline and Pentecostal churches. Often miracles and healings took place and hundreds were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Also, they ministered in Thailand, where a reported healing of cancer occurred.  They visited the Philippines for ministry amongst the Episcopalians. A Bishop requested teaching on “How to be born again” for his people. Hundreds received the experience and all, including the Bishop, were baptized in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues. On a visit to England, they conducted a healing campaign in a London church. For the first time, those people saw many healings. This church embraced healing and was a few years later featured on Australian Television for its ministry. In 1987, Cecil went to be with the Lord. Their ministry had been to the super rich and famous, politicians, those well-educated and well-positioned in life and on the opposite end of the pole to the multitudes of the poor.

Irene was later remarried, to Canadian Peter Faulkes.  In her ministry in Asia, healings, from cancer, heart trouble, madness and other diseases have been recorded. A child and a young girl were raised from the dead. Once two gang leaders, murderers of many and rapists of hundreds of women made a stand for Christ. Crowds of people from all denominations in one meeting were filled with the Holy spirit, received prophecies and some even begin to prophesy.  The people were generally led into true worship in the Holy Ghost, according to John 4:24.  She has ministered on Television.  In all the ministry there is a major emphasis on the in-depth preaching and teaching of the gospel and the Word of God and  manifestation of the nine gifts of the Holy Ghost. Peter involves himself in the Video, Writing and Audio Tape ministry. He also handles the extensive computer work after Irene types her writings. He is the organizer of the printing program for her authorship. She has written books such as, They Speak With Tongues, The Promise of The Father and Upon All Flesh, into its fourth edition, and many others, some on salvation, baptism in water, The Trinity, Christ, Epistles and other relevant writings.

They minister with Pentecostal  churches and inter denominationally, sometimes holding seminars for  Pastors, youth and women, in campaigns for the unsaved and those needing the baptism in the Spirit.  They emphasize salvation and the Word of God, Holy Ghost worship, Gifts of the Spirit, healing, deliverance, victory over sin and the teachings of Paul, Peter and John in their epistles.   Often Bible Schools or Seminaries request teaching ministry.  Between them Cecil and Irene Bonney (now Faulkes) would have seen and heard around 1,000,000 speaking in other tongues.  “It is not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit”, says the Lord.

Irene considers and knows it all to have been heaven given privileges under the grace of God.  The greatest of all blessings is to be saved by the blood of Christ, chosen, redeemed and to be a pilgrim and a stranger in this world.