Debt Help CAP. debt help. Lifting Kiwis out of debt and poverty

Transcription

1 CAP Debt Help debt help Lifting Kiwis out of debt and poverty

2 Why open a CAP Debt Centre? To reach the poor in your community To share the gospel in a relevant way To offer the very best debt counselling service To see people released from debt and poverty To see people saved and disciple into your church 75% 75% suffered health problems due to stress from debt. 75% of clients in relationships said debt affected their relationship negatively. 75% 49% 25% of clients missed meals, 21% of all clients doing so regularly. of our clients feared losing their home. of clients considered or attempted suicide as a way out.

3 In Luke 4, Jesus set out his mission to bring good news to the poor and to release the oppressed. As his hands and feet, Jesus calls His Church to live out his mission and values. As the 21st century Church in New Zealand, how do we reach the poor in our communities, help them practically and tell them the good news? Opening a CAP Debt Centre will connect you with people in your community who are suffering as a result of debt. They may be struggling to feed their families, depressed and alone. Your church will be able to offer them hope and a real solution through CAP s professional debt counselling service. You will be there to put an arm around them in their darkest hour and show God s love in a real way. CAP s holistic service, combined with the love of the local Church, is changing hundreds of lives every year. Our big vision is to have a CAP Debt Centre in every town and city so anyone in New Zealand can access our life transforming work. Will you join us, so that together, the local church can give hope and an answer to one of the biggest problems of our society? This is our time; our chance to make a difference. Have a read through this booklet and then contact the Church Partnership Team at to find out how your church can bring CAP s service to your community. Aimee Cringle National Director

4 How does CAP equip your church? CAP provides your church with an all-encompassing debt counselling tool, geared toward helping families in your community who are struggling with unmanageable debt. CAP works closely with your church to provide: Comprehensive training and ongoing support Your church s Debt Centre Manager will be trained and equipped to help people as they begin to deal with their debt. While this includes initial training at the CAP Head Office, it also includes access to comprehensive PR materials and evangelism and discipleship tools; access to CAP s client aid budget; and ongoing long-term support from the Centre Development team. Our goal is to provide the very best training, management and support possible, so that your centre can successfully reach families in your community! A proven debt-counselling system While your Centre Manager initially meets with client families to collect their debts, the Client Services team at the CAP Head Office negotiate on behalf of clients, set up repayment plans that are fair to clients and fair to creditors and build liveable budgets that prioritise needs like food and housing. Clients pay into their CAP Account, and the team distributes payments on their behalf. This allows clients to repay their debts without the stress of dealing with creditors on their own. The team also provides long-term support as families journey out of debt (usually a 3-5 year process). This system is effective and transformational: More than 90% of clients pay their bills on time, through their CAP Accounts and hundreds of individuals have gone debt free as a result.

5 A new way to reach your community with the saving love of Jesus Because CAP takes care of the debt counselling work after the initial few meetings with client families, your church is able to be share and show God s love to clients, either by sharing the Gospel message, inviting them to church, or walking along side them as they journey out of debt! It thrills us that every year, more and more people are coming to know Jesus through this ministry, and it is our heart to see families in your community changed for eternity! Since becoming a CAP church we have grown in evangelism, compassion and servanthood. Every one of us has been invited into the adventure of reaching the disadvantaged and poor of our community with the good news, and we are seeing God change our church as we reach out into our community. Senior Ps Nick Field, The Street Church, Wellington We love the heart of CAP, and their desire to partner with local churches to reach the poor and needy in their communities. And, we love how effective the CAP model is at practically helping those in need and opening the door to helping them spiritually as well. Senior Ps Paul De Jong, Life Church, Auckland

6 CAP s debt counselling how it works The Centre Manager does the local publicity aided by CAP s central PR team The client calls our 0508 number CAP headquarters books the first appointment with the client The Centre Manager goes to the client s home to collect their financial information CAP works out a budget and negotiates with priority creditors centrally The Centre Manager goes back to visit the client twice to explain the budget and set up a CAP Account* CAP s Creditor Liaison Unit negotiates with the secondary creditors Clients pay bills and debts through their CAP Accounts If the client is in severe debt, CAP will discuss the different options with the clientincluding bankruptcy, insolvency and No Asset Procedure The client s case is passed on to a dedicated team who support the client until they are debt free *A CAP Account, which acts like a simple bank account, is set up for each client. The client makes one weekly or monthly payment into their CAP Account to cover all their bills and debts, which we then distribute on their behalf. This facility means that clients are able to stick to their budgets as their finances are simplified and obstacles to physically paying their debts are removed.

7 CAP is about so much more than debt management. They put my finances back on track, but they also helped me to get through some of the most difficult times in my life. Alpesh, debt-free former CAP client and father of 2 I had desperate thoughts because of my debts and not being able to provide for my kids. But CAP gave me hope and provided a way out. And it s made me believe in a loving Father who does everything in His time. Natalia, CAP client and mother of 3 With my debt situation I didn t have much faith left. After working with CAP everything changed and I realised there really is a way out. Ryan, CAP client, husband and father of 1 When I asked Jesus to come into my life, into my heart, I felt complete. It was like I had found someone I was looking for all of my life. Helen, CAP client, wife and mother of 3

8 What does your church provide? We partner with local churches, just like yours, because of the shared belief that the church is the hope of the world; it holds in its hands the only message that changes lives and communities both now and for eternity. CAP is openly evangelistic, and we work with churches who share our values. By working with CAP, your Centre Manager, support workers and others from your congregation will have the opportunity to express God s love to clients, pray with them and share the Gospel message. Your church will also be able to welcome CAP clients to your services and events, and disciple them as they grow in their faith. To effectively run a CAP Debt Centre, your church will provide: Centre Manager The church will employ or recruit a volunteer Centre Manager who is responsible to CAP and the church to run the Debt Centre. The Centre Manager must work a minimum of four sessions a week (a session is a morning, afternoon or evening). Because the CAP team takes care of all of the budgeting and creditor negotiations, your Centre Manager doesn t need in-depth financial knowledge. Essentially, the Centre Manager is someone who is a known evangelist in your church, and one who has a heart for reaching the community and the desire to pioneer a new ministry. Debt Coaches To support your Centre Manager and reach even more people through your Debt Centre, you can put forward people to be trained as Debt Coaches at any time during your partnership with CAP. Because the Debt Coaches are providing debt advice through CAP, CAP will have final approval of all coaches. Successful candidates will receive in-depth training and management to equip them to fulfil their roles.

9 Support Team For many CAP client families, debt is just the tip of the iceberg; many are suffering from depression, loneliness and health issues due to debt. Your church has the privilege of building up a Support Team to befriend families and show God s love in simple, yet powerful ways like taking clients for a coffee, popping by with a meal or inviting them to church, Life Changers When you partner with CAP, one of our Speaker Team will come to inspire your congregation and help launch the Debt Centre. This is a great way to build support for your Debt Centre, as well as an opportunity for CAP to give others the opportunity to invest in our wider vision by becoming Life Changers (regular givers). As an evangelistic charity, we rely on the support of thousands of Life Changers, so that we can provide the very best service without compromising our beliefs. Since opening a CAP Debt Centre, we have also seen life changes among some of the CAP client families, some due to having the debt load lifted from their back; others due to simple acts of kindness from church members. And many are working through an ALPHA course and discovering who Jesus is! Vicar John Marquet, All Saints, Palmerston North

10 What does a Debt Centre cost? CAP is committed to empowering the local church to tackle the issues that come with debt and poverty, right in the local community. Because of this vision, CAP is happy to significantly invest in your Debt Centre. CAP will provide all of the centralised debt counselling services necessary to run your Debt Centre, as well as the training, management and support to help your Debt Centre thrive in your community. Further, you can nominate client families to go on a free Discovery Break, where clients enjoy a short holiday, spend time with other client families and hear about the love of Jesus. These breaks are a wonderful evangelistic tool! In addition, we include free, comprehensive PR support and literature, evangelism and discipleship aids, and access to CAP s client aid budget. While CAP carries the majority of the cost for each Debt Centre, we ask that each church cover the cost of a PC, mobile phone and travel for the Centre Manager. And, we ask that you also invest in the cost of opening the centre by making a monthly donation to CAP. What are the next steps? Ring the Church Partnership team or attend a Church Leader Connection Event: Whether you re ready to partner with CAP or just want to learn more, our regional Church Leader Connection Events are the best way to find out how CAP services can help you bring life-changing practical help and spiritual hope to your community. Ring us on us at partnership@capnz.org Visit us at

11 Lifting Kiwis out of debt and poverty debt help We believe in your church. to reach your community

12 SPEAK UP for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. SPEAK UP and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9 Copyright 2014 Christians Against Poverty. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced for any purpose without first obtaining written permission from Christians Against Poverty. Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be legal advice and is for educational purposes only. All information in this booklet was correct at the time of printing in December Christians Against Poverty cannot accept any responsibility for mistakes or omissions. Christians Against Poverty excludes to the extent lawfully permitted all liability for loss or damage arising from reliance upon this information. Lifting Kiwis out of debt and poverty