from David Acreman at Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and Thurrock Christian Fellowship
Thurrock Christian Fellowship is opening a CAP Debt Help Centre in Thurrock – and we want to partner with YOUR church!
Who are CAP? What is a Debt Help Centre? Is it different to the CAP Money Course?
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) are a national charity providing free debt counselling, whose aims are to “Serve the Poor – Save the Lost – With the Church – Across the Nation.” They are the authors of The CAP Money Course, an excellent educational tool helping people learn how to avoid debt, learn to save and pay off an overdraft.
But many people are in severe, life-destroying debt and are in real need of rescue. A Debt Centre allows us (the Church) to partner with CAP’s head office financial experts so that the people of God can reach out to the poor and oppressed in our area.
We can bring the full strength of CAP’s award winning debt counselling service right into the homes of those who need it most – as well as bringing prayer, the Good news and the Holy Spirit who goes before us! And of course this is all completely free for the client!
This CAP Sunday fundraising video gives a taste of the kinds of situations we deal with: http://1drv.ms/1EGcT8t
And this shows more about how CAP work: https://capuk.org/about-us
When and where is this happening?
Where? All of Thurrock from West (inc Purfleet and South Ockendon) to East and extending slightly further out to some of Benfleet and Canvey Island!
When? Now! However, we have are starting with a ‘soft launch’ meaning that we will slowly ramp up client visits whilst building partnership with congregations across Thurrock. The full, widely advertised launch will be in July and we hope to have many churches on board by then so that the people of Thurrock know the Lord’s servants are united!
What do you need partners for?
Whilst CAP Head Office provide the expertise (and do all the financial advising), they believe in using the local church to communicate to the clients, bless them, pray with them and share the Good News! So volunteers and members of your Church can go alongside our trained debt coaches into the homes of poor and often broken people and bring the hope of Jesus.
The idea is that those who come to faith (and this is a common occurrence) will be brought into your Church and discipled to become mature followers of Christ as with any other new believer. We also need help to pay for the costs of the centre (mostly paid to CAP for their huge team of experts) so that is always welcome! You can even partner with CAP directly in order to train a debt coach in your area to help expand the work!
I’ll leave you with a last thought…one directly from the word of the Lord:
Isaiah 58:6-10
‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: here am I.’
‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.’
And if we do this, we do it in worship to him who rescued us, and we bring glory to him!
Please do get in contact if you are interested in finding out more!
Tel: 01375 411803 Email: davidacreman@capuk.org
God bless you all,
David
P.S. If you know someone who could benefit from the CAP Debt Help service, the details to give them are 0800 328 0006 and http://www.capuk.org – CAP will sort the rest!
