CAP and the Anglican Church

Justin Welby

Archbishop of Canterbury

'CAP deals in helping people to get free of the prison of debt and it's something I feel passionately about. Having seen them at work and how effective they are, I wanted to be a patron and to support them in any way I could.'

Our CAP Story

Peter Lewis — St Catherine's Church, Pontypridd

I liked that CAP was not just about sorting people’s finances, but looking to God to sort out their whole life, and providing opportunities for him to do that. We’re in a deprived area, and this is an important way to become relevant and effective.

Our first ever client, and her husband, became Christians. They’re now debt free and they got married in the church on Valentine’s day. So far five people have come to faith through CAP work. We would never have connected with these people otherwise.

CAP’s helped people to focus outward into the community, not inwards to what the church is doing. This is a core part of what church is about. It’s also brought together people from other churches, so that they are working together not just worshipping, or on a committee. Being involved as a job club manager has lots of rewards for me personally. I am able to connect to people, rather manage other ministries.

More and more, churches need to be rooted into the issues of their local community. I’d recommend people considering what the opportunities of setting up a CAP centre can bring to them. My advice is to think and plan for your funding - make use of CAP’s advice. Be realistic about finances, but be optimistic that God provides funding! Partner with other churches - we did. Now we meet every week to pray on Thursday with other churches and it’s brought us a deeper fellowship.