Meet the Officer – Major Matt Reeve

1. What is your current appointment, and what do you find most satisfying about it?

I am the Corps Officer at Camberwell Corps, which is situated in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. As part of the Camberwell Corps, we have a vibrant Thrift Shop and House Church in Ashburton and more recently, the Bentleigh Corps has become an Outpost of Camberwell. Local ministry is what satisfies me – engaging with generations and cultures across the neighbourhood and ensuring that we are set up in a way that allows people to grow to connect and grow in all areas of life.

2. Away from the appointment – if that’s possible! – what do you do to relax or unwind? 

I have three daughters: Sadie, Matisse and Darby, and they all play netball. Watching the girls play each week is sometimes relaxing. I also play saxophone in the Salvos Big Band, which is great as we travel around and share ministry in different settings. I enjoy reading, trying new things and spending time on holidays with the family – especially long road trips.

3. What’s a favourite Christian song and why do you like it? 

I have an appreciation for all sorts of music. When I’m listening to music, I could just as easily listen to Def Leppard, classical music, opera or jazz. My favourite song across all genres of music is found in The Salvation Army Songbook, ‘In the love of Jesus’. It is a song that has been my testimony for a long time.

In the love of Jesus there is all I need,

While I follow closely where my Lord may lead.

By His grace forgiven, in His presence blest,

In the love of Jesus,

In the love of Jesus is perfect rest.

4. If you could have a good talk with a biblical character apart from Jesus, who would it be and what would you talk about?

In chapter 2 of Mark’s gospel, there is a story of a man who was paralysed. We don’t know his name, but what we do know is that in spite of some challenges, his friends got him to Jesus. Read the story, it involves digging through the roof of a house! Not only was the man healed, but he was also supported by his friends and his life was changed. When he left the house, having come out very differently from how he went in, people saw the transformation. It says, “This amazed everyone, as they had never seen anything like this before”. I want to ask the unnamed man what it felt like to see your friends go to extraordinary lengths to get you to Jesus? How did you live knowing that the healing you experienced and that everyone witnessed was an example of what Jesus can do?

5. If you were talking to a group of Salvationists and they asked if you recommended officership or not, what would you say?

Ministry in The Salvation Army can take many forms. For some, it will be serving in their local setting as soldiers that is needed. For others, they will find employment in The Salvation Army, and that is needed too. For me, I felt a call to enter full-time ministry as an officer. I was open to all other options, but God led me through this process of discovery. My recommendation is that we seek God in what it is he is calling us to do and step into that fully.

More information on Salvation Army officership can be found here.