One of the things that sets Christians Against Poverty apart from other debt help organisations is that this mission is God inspired - prompted by the care of Jesus for the poor and suffering to aid those living with the burden of poverty and debt through practical debt and financial help and alongside that with a mission to bring the Good News of Jesus into their lives through love, care and support for the whole of life's journey. The knowledge of the love of God in our liv

With the land looking so parched and dry, drought, hosepipe bans, wild fires and worries about food shortages, this reading from Isaiah seemed particularly apt: Isiah 58:10 - 11 (NIV) 10 and if you spend yourselves in 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. 11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will str

How we define who we are, our identity, is built on many factors; upbringing, social class, nationality, job, lifestyle and many more. For many like our Ely and District CAP clients, the struggle with poverty and debt can undermine confidence in who we are with supports being knocked away; relationship breakdown, job loss, ill health. For some it can become so bad that they feel unable to leave the house, unable to face life, unable to keep going. Knowing Jesus in our lives h

For many of our Ely and District CAP clients, facing their debts in the second paperwork gathering visit can be daunting. They have realised that they have a problem and have reached out to CAP for help, they have had the first visit and been reassured by the team that they are with them and will walk beside them every step of the way. But for many, they have hidden the full extent of their debt problems even from themselves and facing this in black and white, what their debt

Sometimes our efforts can seem futile, that we have worked so hard but have seen no results, to become disheartened, lose confidence, to feel a failure in the face of earthly power that seems to be working against us. Elijah, a man who had dedicated his life to the work of God, had just such a moment when his work resulted in persecution. 1 Kings 19: 11 - 18 (NIV) 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by

For many of our Ely and District CAP clients getting into debt is just a part of a downward spiral. Imagine that having to give up work due to stress and poor mental health puts pressure on already stretched finances, increasing that stress. Then it becomes a struggle to pay the bills and these begin to spiral with late payments starting to roll over and less income to pay back the overdue payments. You may try to pay off some, to prioritse which seem more important, but anot

Half way through the year is a good time to take stock and see how the work of the Ely and District CAP Debt Centre is developing, with a report from John giving a flavour of where we are: "Compared to March, the tables below give a picture of where clients are in their debt journeys and the number of appointments being carried out by the team. Following training, we are now focussed on the implementation of our new DHP (debt help platform / salesforce) system. As with any ne

John, Pat, Kim and I braved the red alert heatwave warning to attend the annual regional CAP United conference in Northampton on Wednesday. Due to the hot temperatures, some of the programme had to be cut but it was still inspiring to worship together with Debt Coaches, Money Coaches, Job Club Managers, Life Skills Coaches, Church Leaders, Befrienders, Support staff and many more from across the Midlands and East region. Talks from CAP founder John Kirkby and CEO Stewart McCu

Standing firm in faith can be hard to do in our society which values worth in terms of money and possessions, which phone you have, which car you have, whether you have a nice job and a nice home. And this can be especially hard for those like our CAP clients who feel that they are not part of this mainstream society, but have been left behind in the margins because they do not have these things. But having things, valuing possession and position can be hard for faith as well

As we have been exploring over the last few weeks, the main theme for Christians Against Poverty in 2026 is that we are stronger together. Over the 30 years since CAP was founded by John Kirkby, one of the key values of CAP is partnering with local churches to provide debt support directly to local communities, as well as wider care beyond practical help. Now 967 churches partner with CAP, with over 20,000 people supported by these churches to deliver CAP debt services. Colos

Many of the accounts in the Old Testament are of mighty works carried out in the Name of the Lord - David building the temple, Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, and these are collaborative efforts, all the artisans and people coming together to share materials and labour to enable these projects to completion. 1 Chronicles 29: 10 - 17 (NIV) 10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Isra

Last week, CAP released their 2026 Client Report: Stronger Together. You can read the full report here. The report highlights two main themes from client feedback for the report: 1. Debt is getting harder to repay Unmanageable debt has become more difficult to repay as costs of essentials continue to rise: Average priority debt levels of clients (rent, council tax, energy) have soared by 88%, from £2,300 to £4,300 since 2014 Less than a quarter (24%) of clients the charity he

One of the biggest barriers against seeking debt help is the fear that you won't be able to communicate to the people that you are reaching out to, that you won't understand the jargon and the technology and that they will judge you and blame you for your situation. This is why CAP is a unique debt help charity by meeting clients in their own homes, coming into their lives to help them by coming alongside rather than from the outside. Communication can be a barrier to many th

There are many barriers in our world, real or imagined, between people. Barriers of poverty, gender, age, class, race, religion, sexuality, football team and many more all created by the human need to belong to a particular group, to define the difference between them and us. Psalm 89: 14 - 21 (NIV) 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the

It was lovely to see those who could join us for the Befriender lunch on Wednesday, it was a great opportunity to catch up, share news, pray and share a meal together. John told us about watching the London Marathon from the 17 mile marker and how watching the elite runners passing seemed effortless, but for the ordinary runners many were struggling and one even needing medical attention at that point in the race with another 9 miles to go. The marathon has a fixed length and

Debt can be a strong stigma in our society, a sign of failure. Those living with financial worries feel that they cannot keep up with those around them, to have the latest phone or car or to provide their children with school equipment or holidays like their peers. It can also feel like a failure to be on Universal Credit, a failure to be a productive member of society for whatever reason. Many living with debt hide this from themselves and from their families, living in deni

What our perspective is in life, where our focus lies, can make a huge difference to how we live our lives. For those struggling with poverty and debt, the whole of their lives can become affected as it becomes harder to focus on anything else, the struggle to find the money to pay the bills affecting relationships, health and well-being. For those who have plenty, the struggle can be different, the need to maintain contentment or the aspiration to achieve more and better. Fo

This week is Debt Awareness Week, StepChange’s awareness campaign that challenges the stigma attached to debt, you can find out more here For local CAP Debt Centres such as Ely and District CAP it is an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges that people struggling with debt face and that there is free help and hope available. This is not a small issue only faced by a few in our communities. CAP research carried out in January has found that nearly a third (32%) of a

One of the things that makes Christians Against Poverty a unique debt help service is that our debt coaches and visit team meet people in their own homes and own situations, and that they bring the love of Jesus into those homes and situations. Throughout His ministry, Jesus brought His message to those who are on the fringes, or beyond, of society and just one example of this is His meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well - not only a Samaritan who Jews did not associat

Life can sometimes be full of questions and uncertainty. Even in a culture where science has split the molecules of life down to the smallest particle, there are still questions, the unknown. Some see this as scary, some challenging or exciting, and some reassuring - that there is more to life, the universe and everything than can be immediately seen or understood. When Jesus was telling His disciples that He would be leaving them, they were worried about how they would manag