Debt Doesn’t Have to Be the End of the Story
Debt can be incredibly isolating. Behind the numbers are real people lying awake at night wondering how they are going to pay the next bill, families facing impossible choices, and people carrying huge amounts of anxiety, shame and fear.
That’s why we’re so grateful to partner with Christians Against Poverty (CAP) to offer free, professional debt help alongside friendship, practical support and the hope of Jesus.
Our relationship with CAP goes back 20 years, and over that time we have seen first-hand the difference compassionate, professional debt help, rooted in the local church, can make.
Today, our CAP ministry reaches across Bracknell Forest, Farnborough & Hart and Windsor & Ascot, alongside our newly launched Isle of Wight Centre – with teams of staff, churches and volunteers stepping into people’s lives at some of their hardest moments.
One team, serving across our communities
On the mainland, Ken, our Debt Centre Manager, oversees our centres and works particularly across Farnborough & Hart, alongside Kendra, serving Windsor & Ascot, and Hazel, our newest Debt Coach, serving Bracknell Forest.
And we’re really excited about a new chapter on the Isle of Wight, where five churches are working together to serve people across the Island: Kerith at Gunville, Castlehold Baptist in Newport, Apex in Cowes, URC in Shanklin and Christchurch in Sandown.
As part of this new season, Kerith has recently taken on the lead church role for the Isle of Wight Debt Centre. After 20 years of working alongside CAP, it’s a real privilege to bring some of that experience to the partnership, building on the brilliant work already happening and supporting the Centre as it grows.
The Island team now includes two Debt Coaches, a Service Team Leader and a Community Links Coordinator, alongside volunteers and Befrienders from across the five churches. We recently gathered for a special commissioning service to pray for them and mark this exciting new season.
Across all our centres, the heart is the same: to walk alongside people, offer practical help and friendship, and see lives impacted for good.
Stepping into the hard places
Scripture calls us to bear one another’s burdens, and that is exactly what our teams are seeking to do. Our mainland team has recently completed more than 80 face-to-face home visits, meeting people where they are and walking alongside them on their journey out of debt.
But this ministry often goes far beyond sitting together in someone’s living room. Our coaches have advocated for clients in incredibly stressful situations, attended court to support people through legal proceedings, and accompanied clients to medical appointments when facing them alone felt overwhelming.
It is practical help, but it is also presence – walking alongside people through difficult circumstances, listening, supporting and finding a way forward together, while bringing something of the peace and hope of Jesus into situations that can feel frightening and lonely.
Debt affects so much more than finances
We are increasingly seeing the impact financial hardship can have on people’s mental and emotional wellbeing. Debt rarely exists neatly on its own. It can sit alongside bereavement, relationship breakdown, poor health, unemployment, housing difficulties, anxiety, isolation and significant mental-health challenges.
That means our work cannot simply be about sorting out the numbers.
CAP centrally provides the expert debt advice and a professional route out of debt, while our local teams have the privilege of seeing and supporting the whole person. Every visit is an opportunity to remind someone that they matter, that they are not alone and that their current circumstances do not define their worth or their future.
A small army making a big difference
Our Debt Coaches certainly don't do this alone! We are incredibly grateful for our small army of volunteer Befrienders who accompany us on visits and walk alongside clients throughout their journey. They listen. They encourage. They make cups of tea. They pray when appropriate. They remember what is happening in someone’s life and keep showing up.
It is such a beautiful demonstration of ordinary people choosing to come alongside someone else and say, “You don’t have to walk through this on your own.”
Lives are changing
And there is so much to celebrate.
On the Isle of Wight alone, six clients have become debt-free in the last 18 months.
We’ve heard some wonderful stories too. One client shared how much God had changed her during her journey out of debt, describing herself as feeling as though she was “floating on a cloud”.
Another desperately needed to sell her house, which had been on the market for a long time. The team prayed with her – and an offer came in.
One client had lost his job. The team prayed with him, and the following day he contacted them to say he had been offered three jobs!
And for another client, who had recently lost her husband, the discovery of an insurance policy enabled her debts to be cleared.
These aren't simply financial statistics. They are people. They are families. They are stories changing. And we are so excited to see what God will do next across all our communities.
20 years of CAP at Kerith – come and celebrate with us! 🎉
This year we get to mark a really special milestone: 20 years of Kerith partnering with Christians Against Poverty!
That’s 20 years of people giving their time, praying, befriending, supporting, and walking alongside people through some incredibly difficult seasons. Most importantly, it’s 20 years of lives being changed and people discovering that debt doesn’t have to be the end of their story.
We’ll begin our celebrations at our Bracknell site on Sunday 18 October, and we’re delighted to welcome Stewart McCulloch, CEO of Christians Against Poverty, to celebrate this landmark moment with us.
We would LOVE to fill the room with people who have been part of our CAP story!
Whether you’ve been a Debt Coach, Befriender, volunteer, supporter, prayer partner, member of staff, client, or have been involved with CAP in any other way – recently or many years ago – this celebration is for you.
We’ll be sending invitations to as many people as we can, but after 20 years there will inevitably be people whose contact details we no longer have or someone we miss. So if an invitation doesn't land in your inbox, please don't think you aren't invited – you absolutely are!
Come and join us at either our 9.30am or 11.30am meeting at Kerith Bracknell on Sunday 18 October as we celebrate everything God has done, thank the many people who have been part of the story and look forward to what comes next.
And, of course, there will be cake! 🎂
Please spread the word to anyone you know who has been part of our CAP story over the years. We'd love to see lots of familiar faces back with us to reconnect and celebrate together.
Struggling with debt?
If you’re struggling with debt, please don’t be afraid to ask for help. Free, confidential advice and support is available. Call CAP free on 0800 328 0006 and their friendly team will arrange your first appointment with a local Debt Coach. You don’t have to face debt alone.
Join us in prayer and action
As much as there is to celebrate, we know there are still so many people facing the fear and pressure of unmanageable debt.
Please continue to pray for our Debt Coaches, Centre teams, Befrienders and, most importantly, the people and families they are walking alongside. Pray for breakthrough in difficult circumstances, peace where there is anxiety and fear, hope where people feel there is none, and for our teams to continue showing the compassion and love of Jesus in everything they do.
And perhaps you could become part of the story too?
We are looking for more volunteer Befrienders across our sites. You don't need to be a debt expert – CAP takes care of the professional debt advice. We're simply looking for people with compassion, a willingness to listen and a heart to walk alongside someone through a difficult season.
For Bracknell, Windsor or Farnborough, contact Ken at ken.evans@kerith.church.
For the Isle of Wight, contact Rhoda Macleod at rhodamacleod@capuk.org.
Together, we can continue to offer practical help, genuine friendship and the hope of the Gospel – and see many more lives transformed.
Because sometimes making a difference starts with something wonderfully ordinary: Showing up. Listening. Loving our neighbour. And reminding someone that they don't have to face the hard times alone.
Celebrating a new season of the Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre on The Isle of Wight
The mainland CAP Debt Team