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September 2009, Page 6.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(September 2009)
Back to church,
Song,
Question,
CAP Money,
Lectionary.
CAP Money
Christians Against Poverty is a national organisation which started locally here in Bradford. It helps people who have fallen into debt, and tries to help people to manage their money better so that they don’t fall into debt. It is one of the causes we support with our mission giving, and it has recently designed a new course, CAP Money, to give people a basic introduction to managing their money. It is inviting us to spread the word about the course, and think about putting it on ourselves.
"We came out of the CAP Money course with a very clear approach to our finances, it set us up to be in total control", said one couple who attended a course recently. Somehow, managing money ought to be straightforward, but nowadays we live in a world of “special offers”. There are lots of different ways to pay bills and many offers of credit. The modern idea is that you can buy now and not pay until an awful lot later, and it has led a lot of people into difficulties with money. And the recession is making it all a lot worse.
"CAP Money is a vitally needed resource,” says Keith Tondeur, president of Credit Action. “It is simple to understand, yet if put into practice will enable people to really get on top of their finances. It has got massive potential for churches to reach out to their communities in a relevant and professional way."
CAP was originally set up by John Kirkby, who realized that people who fall into debt need two things. They need professional help to avoid losing the really big things in life - their family, their house, their job: for money problems can ruin all these things. So, they need people who know how to keep the debt-collectors away from the door. But they also need someone to sit down with them and make sure they don’t just fall into the same mistakes again in the future: someone to help them be different in the way they cope.
CAP money isn’t just for card-carrying Christians! Yes, people like John believe that God can change us on the inside so that we can resist the temptations that plunge us into debt. But it isn’t basically about that. It’s basically about helping ordinary people gain practical skills in the ordinary everyday life business of keeping tabs on our own money, and being in control of our own spending.
The course is running locally in Clayton this month, and we at St Luke’s are thinking about training to offer it here.
John Hartley