"Getting to know the family of Caminemos Juntos" is an interview project that seeks to share testimonies of some of the members of this movement, in order to promote unity and closeness among us, even through distance, and also motivate and inspire others to know a little bit more about what this mission consists of and how God has worked in it and through it.
Name: Flavio Adair Torres Soares
Age: 51
Nationality: Brazilian
Profession / occupation: Bishop
Role in Walking Together: I am part of the leadership in Brazil, Colombia and Panama
Since when are you part of the movement? 2016
How did you connect with Walk Together?
I connected through Reverend William Beasley in 2013, during the ACNA Assembly.
However, it was in 2016 that I was able to participate in Caminemos Juntos in Chile, where we participated with other Brazilians. There I signed a commitment to collaborate with the movement.
What motivated you to get involved and be part of this work?
I found that I identified with the vision and methods of the movement, and above all, the passion to do mission among all peoples.
Please tell us how the journey has been during these years, and the role changes you have had since your beginnings until now.
At the beginning I participated only by receiving blessings through lectures and testimonies. Through them I also got to know people such as Reverend Jonathan Kindberg and many others from different countries. In our conversations our missionary call was evident and we saw that we could help each other.
After Chile, Bishop Miguel Uchoa, who is one of the directors of Caminemos Juntos, gave me the task of helping more effectively in the movement. From there, a stronger contact began with Jonathan Kindberg and other leaders of the Americas, and we formed a group to maintain contact and periodic meetings, especially with Brazil, Colombia and Panama, strenghening our bonds of communion. In the same period I participated in the Caminemos Juntos in Chicago, and Pastor Obed Buchana, of the Anglican Christian Church of Panama, confirmed that he had no doubt that he wanted to be part of the Anglican Church and Caminemos Juntos. In turn, two pastors and churches from Colombia joined the movement.
In 2017, I was already a Bishop for missions in Brazil, South America and Central America, and the ties with the Caminemos Juntos became stronger. In the same year we had the conference in Brazil, and I participated in workshops in collaboration with Jonathan Kindberg and William Beasley. As a result of this event, a group of people interested in becoming part of the movement were raised up in Brazil and I was made responsible for them.
In 2018, I went to Bogotá and Panama City to officially receive the churches there into the network, and confirm new members in the Anglican Province in Brazil. These churches are the fruit of the Caminemos Juntos.
In May of the same year, I was invited to minister at conferences and workshops at Caminemos Juntos in Mexico, where I had the honor of meeting a very special local leader, Bishop Mark Zimmerman, with whom I participated in the ordination of a Deacon.
As you can see, our bonds of communion are strengthened along with the expansion of the movement. Today as part of the leadership, I am involved in the pastoral care, formation, dissemination and strengthening of Caminemos Juntos and its vision.
What has been the most wonderful thing about serving in this movement?
To be able to work with people who have the same passion for missions, to witness the fruits of what was sown with love and to learn about the cultural diversity and the different challenges of each church. Above all, to perceive the real presence of the Holy Spirit in front of this work.
What has been the most difficult during these years of service?
I think the distance that prevents us from being together more frequently and as well as reconciling the local work with the work of the province, because besides being responsible for a very large region in Brazil (South and Southeast) I have a local church for which I am responsible.
How do you link your career in your mission and purpose?
The mission is my career.
How do you see yourself serving in the future?
Doing what I have done so far in a more organized way, so that it can be more useful for the growth of the kingdom.
What do you dream for Let's Walk Together?
What I dream is already happening. That the movement and its vision are being strengthened and reaching other parts of the world as we had the opportunity to testify about at GAFCON 2018.
