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Sozo Centre for Soul Care

The Sozo Centre focuses on four dimensions of spiritual formation and soul care: raising awareness for churches and pastors, creating community, equipping and experiencing, and engaging in soul care.

Watch an introduction to the Sozo Centre
Rev. Dr. Cheryl Ann Beals

Rev. Dr. Cheryl Ann Beals

Director of the Sozo Centre for Soul Care and NFLD & Labrador Connector

Sozo (Verb): To Save, Heal, and Deliver

The New Testament word for “Saved” is the Greek word “Sozo” which means “to save, heal, and deliver.” When you combine sozo with sōtēria, the Greek word for Salvation, you get the complete meaning. To be “saved” means to be saved, healed, delivered, preserved, protected, to make prosperous, and to make whole. The word “whole” means to restore, or that nothing is missing and nothing is broken.” (Source)

“I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.” — Jesus (John 10:10)

    Watch “Word of the Day – SOZO” by Rod Ovitt

    Four dimensions of Soul Care

    Raising awareness for churches and pastors

    We need to become aware of our traumatized reality and our needs, so that we can honestly face them. We need to become aware of Sozo, a salvation that includes healing and wellness in the here and now, not just at the moment that we begin to follow Jesus.

    Equipping and experiencing

    Transformation is not just about absorbing information. We need to create sacred spaces where we can be open to God and His transforming power.

    Creating community

    The Holy Spirit uses relationships and community to transform us. Put simply, we need one another. Our aim is to create opportunities for transformation in community.

    Engaging in soul care

    We need to choose integrated life-rhythms that help us care for our souls and the souls of others. We aim to instil a higher value on making space to be with God and allow Him to work on us.

    Sozo Opportunities

    Sozo Journey

    The Sozo Journey is a guided walk along a pathway that leads to greater spiritual formation, wholeness and healing for ourselves, others, and our churches. The Sozo Journey is online spiritual community. It involves spiritual practices, including Spiritual Direction and retreats, experiential learning, reading and reflecting, and provides tools to support you in our own healing and transformation, and becoming an instrument of God’s healing and transformation for others, including your church.

    • Sozo Journey – SJ2025 (Watch for Registration Spring 2025)

    Fresh Start (for Pastors)

    At its core, FreshStart is an encouraging spiritual community for pastors, offering support for them to be proactive about their own soul care. It offers tools for coping with the stressors of ministry and our new normal of complexity. It is a community of 6-12 pastors. A place where pastors can be themselves and experience support and encouragement.

    Together we can discover God’s presence and power to support, strengthen and guide us through our personal and pastoral challenges at a time when most of us feel depleted by the constant demands.

    Membership

    FreshStart is based on a one-year membership. There are three levels of FreshStart membership, including:

    • Fresh Basic: 2 sessions of Spiritual Direction
    • Fresh Choice: 1 Spiritual Retreat or 7 sessions of Spiritual Direction
    • Fresh Complete: 1 Spiritual Retreat and 7 sessions of Spiritual Direction

    All FreshStart memberships include:

    • Supportive spiritual community
    • Learning modules (optional)
    • Monthly online check-ins (spiritual practices, reflection, and sharing)

    Fresh Encounter (for Ministry Spouses)

    FreshEncounter is a community for ministry spouses (with priority for LeadFresh member spouses).

    At its core, FreshEncounter is an encouraging soul care community for ministry spouses, offering opportunities for encountering God’s Presence and power at a deeper level. It is based on a one-year membership.

    Join us as together we encounter God and each other through spiritual community, spiritual tools, and practices. Typically it is an online community with capacity for 12 members.

    Resilience Journey (For Pastors)

    Download the Resilience Journey 2024 Info Package

    Soul Resilience Journey (For Church Staff and Key Lay Leaders)

    Retreats

    As new retreat information becomes available it will be posted in our events.