STEPS - Debt Advice
We have been researching into and talking with various debt advice agencies. We have now decided to go into partnership with CAP (Christians Against Poverty, based in Bradford) about which many of you will have heard. They are an outstanding organisation with a world class debt advice management system.
CAP describe themselves as an evangelistic organisation with debt advice expertise and that will give you a flavour of what our Debt Advice Centre will be like. Many other Vineyards around the country run CAP Centres.
David Flowers has a long relationship with both John Kirkby who founded CAP and with Matt Barlow who is the current UK Chief Executive. He esteems them both highly and is delighted that we have the opportunity to work together. In previous years several Vineyard people have worked for CAP (Howard King, Emma Drewett and Kerry Saxby for starters) so we know each other well.
There are already two CAP centres running in Leeds, one at St Matthias in Burley and one at Chapel A in Chapel Allerton. However, the need is great in Leeds and there is room for many more CAP centres. We will hope to work closely with St Matthias and Chapel A in a joint Kingdom exercise against the damage the enemy does through debt and money worries.
The next CAP training course we can get onto runs in May 2011 so early in the New Year we will be undertaking the appointment of our Cap Centre manager with the expectation of launching our Centre in May 2011. We would like to have done this before now but the opening just isn't there yet.
We will therefore be looking for a number of people to serve in the CAP Centre: A CAP centre manager (a job advert will be posted in the New Year); possibly an assistant/Debt Advisor and several "befrienders" to work alongside CAP clients. If you think you may be interested please let Matt Button know in the first instance and have a look at the CAP website.
The Centre will initially be a two day per week operation and if it goes well we would expect that to grow in due course.
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