Aux-Captain Matthew Pittman is the corps officer at Robert’s Arm-Pilley’s Island, N.L. This article has been adapted from the Salvationist podcast. Listen to the full interview:

Tell us about your early years.

I grew up in a town called Pilley’s Island in Newfoundland and Labrador. The current population is a little less than 300. My childhood was simple—we made our own fun. My family has deep roots in The Salvation Army. My grandparents were heavily involved in the corps, and my dad’s brother and sister are officers. I wasn’t in church every Sunday, but my parents did send me to Sunday school and I was involved in different activities. I was enrolled as a junior soldier and went to the youth group.

When I was around 19, I started feeling very tired—I didn’t know what was going on. The doctor did all sorts of tests, and everything was OK, but I still felt like I couldn’t function. I totally crashed and went into a deep depression. I turned to marijuana—that was my coping mechanism for several years. Eventually, I also turned to drinking and drugs, and that just spiraled me further. It finally came to the point where my family fell apart. My girlfriend at the time moved out with my daughter. That was my rock-bottom moment.

How did you come to faith?

A family friend kept inviting me and my daughter to church. I started going and absolutely loved it—I had always loved gospel music. One day, the pastor at the corps in Triton, N.L., gave an altar call. He wanted everybody to close their eyes, and if somebody was struggling, to slip their hand up. I thought, Well, nobody’s looking. So, I did, and heard him say, “Bless you, my friend.” I remember kneeling at the altar, and two men I had known growing up came alongside me. Everything came pouring out—and I gave it all to Jesus. When I stood up, the whole church was around me. That was April 3, 2016. My life changed that day.

And now my testimony is that I’ve been there. I’ve been through addiction and depression. I know what the struggle is, and I know there’s a way out. There’s hope. You can overcome.

Tell us about your call to ministry.

My wife, Laura, was the youth director at the corps in Triton when I came to Christ. She had seen me at some of my darkest and lowest points and still cared for me. We became friends and eventually ended up in a relationship. Now we’re married with three children. The call to ministry was always there, even when I was young. At six years old, my ambition was to be like Billy Graham! I drifted away from it, but every time I drove by the church, I had that longing.

I’ve been through addiction and depression. I know what the struggle is, and I know there’s a way out. There’s hope. You can overcome.

In 2019, we went to the Officership Information Weekend in Winnipeg. We felt that the Lord was calling us, but he didn’t open the doors at that time.

When we started the application process the second time, things just fell into place, and within six months we were here at Robert’s Arm-Pilley’s Island.

How is God working in your corps?

The Lord is moving in a mighty way. We’ve seen growth in the corps in  attendance and in people coming out to the Alpha program. A lot of the congregation members wanted to bring back the Sunday evening service, and I’m happy we did, because we had four people saved within the first five months.

I think people have come to Christ in the days we’ve been here because we’ve been receptive to the Spirit. We encourage people to come to the mercy seat. In a recent sermon, I noted that the mercy seat is not a place of shame; it’s a place of exchange. You bring your brokenness, and the Lord will give you strength. You bring your tears, and he’ll give you joy. 

And we’ve been seeing the results of the Spirit moving. People are coming into our services who are not followers of Jesus. They’re hungry for something. And it’s not just adults. We’re also seeing a stir in our youth programs. We’ve had youth worship nights and had young teenagers come up to the altar, just weeping. They’ve been starved of hope. There’s a hunger in their hearts. And then they come and hear about the hope that’s in Jesus.

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