Our Vision for #CommUNITY
We provide communities where BELIEVERS CONNECT for fellowship and healing. Our ministry works primarily with women that want to share life together, but also partners/supports other ministries actively engaged in bringing UNITY and revival to the marketplace.
Most of our small groups connect weekly with plenty of stand-alone events “mixed in” which organically grows our reach and ability to serve more people. Over the past five years we’ve offered: Community Outreaches, Prayer & Worship Events, Creativity Workshops, Mosaic Bible Studies, Artist’s Way Workshops, Book Clubs, Open Art Nights & Women’s Retreats.
Our ministry aims to create an awareness of God’s presence, involvement and concern in every piece of a person’s life. Our current “mountain of influences” appear to be within the arts, business, & entertainment sectors, where we mentor others how to trust God with every little piece of their lives… so that they’re able to lead more peace-filled lives.
What Does Sozo Actually Mean?
The Greek word "sozo" was used over a hundred times in the New Testament and truly is an all-encompassing word often rendered to mean “save” or “saved.” But a closer look at the Bible shows us that salvation includes much more than just the forgiveness of sins. Bible scholars teach us that this tiny word, "sozo", means a whole bunch of awesome things. We learn that it means forgiveness, healing, and total deliverance through Christ’s saving power. In other words, sozo means being made whole through Jesus and the ability to receive abundantly from Him right now. Therefore, "sozo" truly is the meaning of life.
"Sozo" refers to the healing of our bodies, the protection of our minds, the deliverance of the souls, as well as financial prosperity. Many in the modern church have interpreted salvation only to be forgiveness of sins, but that’s a misrepresentation of what the Lord did. Forgiveness of our sins is certainly the centerpiece and we do not minimize this point. However, at the same time Christ died to purchase our redemption from sin, He also freed us from sickness, disease, depression, and poverty.
Jesus became poor so that we through His poverty might be made rich—abundantly supplied. Through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, God has provided everything we need in this life now AND in the life to come—forgiveness of sins, healing, deliverance, and prosperity. Isn’t God good!?
The ministry was originally formed in 2013 for the purpose of uniting a few churches for corporate worship and prayer. However by 2016 & 2017, outreaches were happening in Lockport, IL uniting more than a dozen area churches beyond denominational lines and it became obvious that marketplace ministry was needed to unite the church and community. By 2018, the Sozo Group formally became a licensed ministry and was incorporated as its own nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.
Sozo Group Marketplace Ministry publicizes and supports Christian programming and events offered IN THE MARKETPLACE, outside the perimeters of a typical church experience – which is most often accomplished through recreation, community events, the arts, and/or ministry partnerships.
We believe there’s one God, eternally self-existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is God’s Anointed One, empowered by the Holy Spirit to inaugurate God’s Kingdom on earth. Jesus was crucified for our sins and died, was buried, resurrected and ascended into Heaven, and is now alive today, in the presence of God the Father and His people. He is the “true God” and “true man.” The Church consists of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He gave His church the ordinances of Baptism and Communion. The Church exists to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ and to further advance His Kingdom by undoing the works of the enemy, preaching, and living the good news of God’s love, disciplining the nations, baptizing and teaching them to love and obey God. Heaven and hell are real places. There will be a resurrection of both the saved and the lost: the saved unto the resurrection of life, and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
Relationship with God. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our number one priority is our personal relationship with God. Our first ministry is to God with extravagant joy and gratitude. Further, the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative Word of God. Freedom through Salvation. Humankind was created in the image of God to know and enjoy Him yet we willfully rejected the Lordship and glory of God for which we were intended. Because of this, sickness, death and judgement entered the world and now creation experiences the effects and consequences of sin. Salvation frees us from the power of the devil - sin, lies, sickness and torment. We are saved by God’s grace, through the faith in the person and the work of Jesus Christ. Anyone can be restored to fellowship with God through repenting, believing and receiving Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Regeneration of Holy Spirit. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. The Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, justifies, and adopts us as we enter the Kingdom of God as His sons and daughters. We also believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. We know that the baptism of the Holy Spirit according to Acts 1:4-8 and 2:4 is poured out on believers that wish to have God’s power to be His witnesses. Impact through Love and Power. By serving, we demonstrate God’s grace by impacting others with His unconditional love and transforming power. We embrace the Biblical governing of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. We aim to fulfill the Great Commission and steward revival to the next generation.