|PIC1|All across the UK, there are people breaking down behind closed doors because they are unable to pay off their credit cards, store cards, bills and mortgages. In the midst of this despair, churches are reaching out to take the burden. The loving care offered by churches is not only helping people out of debt but also bringing them to new lives in Jesus Christ.

"I had cramps because I had no food. I got really, really weak. There were times that I couldn't lift my head off the pillow," recollects Karen, who turned to Christians Against Poverty when she and her husband Mark found themselves pushed to the edge by debt.

When Karen was diagnosed with a terminal illness, Mark had to give up work to look after her. But the effect on the family was devastating. The income dropped, the debt started to pile up and soon £140 a week was all they had to feed their three children and keep their house running.

"I was in pain all of the time because I had no food. If it came to the point of feeding me or my kids though, the food always went to my kids," says Karen.

Tony and Carol found themselves in a similar crisis when Tony was diagnosed with a serious illness and could no longer continue working. "Before we knew it we were in so much debt that we just didn't know where to turn," says Carol. "We were getting phone calls saying that the bailiffs were coming. But my husband was so ill."

CAP's Tina Morris says, "Because it can only take a change in circumstance such as illness, redundancy or divorce for manageable credit to become unaffordable debt, debt is a problem that is severely affecting modern-day society."

The most vulnerable are single mothers and low income families. "If you've got a low income it doesn't take much for finances to become a problem. These families can't be so flexible with the work they get," explains Dan Chapman, who has been running CAP's Wandsworth branch at St Mark's Battersea Rise in London for the last four years.

For some, the debt runs into tens of thousands of pounds. For others it can be a few hundred pounds. The despair it induces, however, is the same, and some are even contemplating suicide by the time of their first meeting with a CAP counsellor.

"Shame and embarrassment about the stigma of money problems make the problem harder to spot. Poverty caused by debt is therefore often unseen," says Tina.

Carol remembers all too well the darker moments. "At times we couldn't even afford bread and milk. I was about to burst, I felt so suicidal. We felt like getting a gun and shooting ourselves - it was torture."

Debt's claws are not only digging into low income areas, however. In April, CAP opened a new centre at Holy Trinity Brompton in the plush Kensington area of London, where the deprived Worlds End estate is just a short walk from the glitzy Harrods department store and expensive patisseries.

"Often wealth and poverty live side by side, and debt can happen to anyone regardless of wealth or social status," says Tina.

In 2008, CAP plans to open 40 new debt counselling centres - an indication of the scale of the problem. Each centre will be opened in partnership with a local church and run by volunteers. "CAP's heart is to work very closely in partnership with local churches. For a CAP centre to be successful the church has to be fully behind it," stresses Tina.

Indeed, CAP serves both a practical and a spiritual purpose. The home visits, the negotiation with creditors, the hand-in-hand walk through the many insolvency options, are all very real and practical steps to victory over debt. At the same time, they are a unique opportunity for Christians to penetrate the lives of others with the love they have received from Jesus.

"I am often asked to pray with clients and I will always ask if I can pray for them," affirms Dan. "Only one person ever said no and that was a Christian. In most cases, even when they don't believe in God they are quite touched by it."

Tony and Carol were invited to take part in an Alpha course at the church with which the CAP centre was linked. When one man on the course testified all that God had done in his life, it left Carol reflecting more deeply on the transformation in her own life and she became a Christian. When Tony noticed the changes occurring in Carol, he soon followed her in making a commitment to the Lord and both were baptised only a few months later.

"It's a lovely feeling to know Jesus," Carol enthuses. "I know He's there with me and it's wonderful. I can honestly say that God has given me the strength to keep going."

Their faith in Jesus also means that they are part of a new spiritual family and no longer need to walk through life's challenges alone.

"When Tony needed a serious operation in January, during which he could have died, our home group prayed and prayed. Everyone in church praying for him kept him alive," she believes.

Another CAP client, Faye, discovered a new life in Christ too after CAP helped her out of debt.

"My life was a mess and I was so stressed all the time," she remembers. "I didn't feel well all the time and I was snappy with my children. The bottom line was I was in trouble with my bills and couldn't afford to pay them.

"I am now a Christian; a new person with a new life ahead of me. I am calmer and happier and I feel like I actually have a life instead of just existing."

Now Faye is learning to live each day believing in God's loving provision for her needs.
"It's such an amazing experience to be a child of God and to be part of a lovely church like I am," she says. "God walks with me every day and shows me the way. I don't just talk to God in times of need; I talk to Him about everything I do! God has taken all my worries and burdens from me and given me eternal peace."

Happily, the spiritual fruit of the ministry continues to multiply. In the last year, 240 people became Christians as a result of the charity's work, and that is great news for the church.

Frank Bristow is Church Leader of Crediton Congregational Church, a church working in partnership with CAP. He says, "We see CAP as a bridge, reaching from the doors of our church, straight into the heart of our community, a bridge that will allow us to walk into homes where there is so much need, taking with us the very real hope and love of Jesus."

That hope and love is spreading. On 18 November, supporters will take part in CAP Sunday to raise awareness in their churches of the huge devastation that debt is bringing to families and the hope that CAP can bring.

Tina says, "We hope that hundreds of churches, organisations, coffee mornings and house groups will do something."

CAP's hope? That more churches will catch the vision of CAP and see how so many Christians are already being wonderfully used by God to set their brothers and sisters free from crippling debt and release them into a new life of rest in His faithful and unchanging love.


To find out more about CAP Sunday this weekend and the FREE resources available for use in your church, please go to www.capuk.org/capsunday