Find out how this dynamic centre is reaching its community.

After struggling for years to care for her three daughters on her own, Mia finally found a solution and renewed

hope through CAP.

hristians Against Poverty continues to

grow and reach more families desperate

for hope and a solution. Since our last

Freedom newsletter, Christians Against

Poverty has seen many great mile-

stones. Our June Special Appeal was a

huge success. We heard many inspiring

stories at our annual fundraising dinners, opened new

CAP Debt Centres and reached our 5,000th client since

2006. We also have a brand new CAP program that is

set to help Australians struggling with unemployment.

Our June Special Appeal saw many generous hearts

pledge to end debt, poverty and its causes. We were able

to raise an astounding $125,000 which will go towards en-

abling more churches to run CAP Debt Centres and reach

out into more communities. Thanks to your continued

support, we are providing a sustainable and holistic

solution to more Australian families than ever before!

We opened a further two CAP Debt Centres and are

excited to have reached 49 CAP Debt Centres across

Australia. Welcome to the Shellharbour and Moore-

bank centres. We are praying for great things to come!

Our annual celebration and fundraising dinners this year

saw fantastic results! Many of our supporters were able

to come and celebrate the milestones achieved along-

side our church partners and sow back into Christians

Against Poverty. We launched our first Toowoomba

dinner this year as part of our 15th anniversary. Toow-

oomba had a great response with over $22,000 raised!

Our CAP Job Clubs program is an exciting new en-

deavour to empower Australians struggling with un-

employment. By providing an eight week workshop

and ongoing support, members will discover how

to create a resumé and prepare for an interview. But

most importantly CAP Job Clubs is an ongoing sup-

port network that will continually encourage and

motivate job seekers to find paid employment.

Keep an eye out for a CAP Job Club near you or ask us

how you can be a part of developing your community!

I am really excited to see the Toowoomba community rise up and recognise the need for a solution in their area and across Australia.

I am excited to be launching CAP Job clubsin the coming months

CAP Money Youth is coming along well with many

students experiencing the benefit of a practical

budgeting and financial education. Christians Against

Poverty has also seen 42 clients find new hope in Christ

this year. We are so encouraged to see so many

people make this life changing decision. At the heart

of our ministry we are about serving the poor and

saving the lost, through the Church across our nation.

We exist to provide a solution to poverty and its

causes, and we look forward to what will happen

in the ministry towards the end of 2015. As al-

ways, we are thankful to the many supporters who

have generously given finances, time and prayer to

see Australians lifted out of debt and poverty.

Ross Buttenshaw

Chief Executive

CAP Australia

he day started like any other day.

Later, as Mia waited for her

husband to return from work, and as the

afternoon drifted into night, the

heartbreaking fear became reality - her

husband wasn’t coming home.

With no time to recover from the shock of being

abandoned, Mia was thrown into emotional and

financial crisis. She was now single-handedly

struggling to hold her family of three young girls

together. “I had to explain to the girls that their

daddy had gone, and in some way I felt I was to blame.”

Despite being part of a caring church, embarrassment

caused by her divorce and mounting financial pressure

forced Mia to hide the dire extent of her situation.

“My friends were lovely and supportive, but I think

they just made the assumption that my ex-husband was

providing for us. I would raid my cupboard and find that

at least I had some pasta, so I could make that last for a

couple of days.”

After several years of depression, agonising sleepless-

ness, and fending off ever increasing phone calls from

debt collectors, Mia’s resilience began to fail. “I’d really

lost hope in so many areas of my life and my faith was

hanging on by a thread. I began attending a counselling

session at Crossway Baptist. I had told the counsellor

that I was struggling financially and they referred me to

CAP.

When the CAP caseworkers came to my house, they

Some days I couldn’t buy milk and we had no fruit, vegetables or meat; maybe just carrots.”

prayed for me and it felt like I could breathe; like some-

one was holding my hand. I knew then that something

amazing was going to happen.”

“There has not been a moment since I’ve started

working with CAP where I’ve felt out of control. I feel

this sense that my life is on track for the first time. And

to finally get to this point of slowly becoming debt free,

I know that there is hope and a way to get through this.

I have a savings plan for the first time and money to buy

Christmas presents for my kids. My daughters finally

have their ‘real’ mum back.”

Despite the incredible challenges of the last few years,

Mia’s faith in Christ – though tested - has been an

inspiration to her daughters.

All three girls attend church and Mia’s eldest daughter

was recently baptised. “I was really blown away and so

happy,” smiles Mia. In fact, the turbulence of Mia’s life

before CAP is in such contrast to the woman who now

radiates with graceful resolve and joy – a joy that stems

from a deeper and reinvigorated faith in Jesus. “When I

look at my faith now and what’s happened to me in the

past year, I know that prayer is powerful. More than

ever before, I know that I’m accepted by God. I’m not a

frightened little girl anymore.

It is true – God really does love us! And he will provide

all your needs. It’s not just words on a page. It’s very,

very real and very true. It’s changed my life.”

With a budget and savings plan established, and with calls from creditors no longer a threat, Mia’s outlook on life for herself and her daughters began to change.

S c a n t h i s q r c o d e w i t h y o u r s m a r t p h o n e t o w at c h M i a’ si n s p i r at i o n a l s t o r y

Meet the team

Vanessa - riverview (WA) Debt centre manager I already worked for Riverview Church so as soon as the CAP Centre Manager position was

offered to me I jumped at the chance! I wanted to be able to practically help people in my

community and CAP was a fantastic way to do that. I get so many great responses from the

community! I think they see CAP as a great community asset that they can rely on. I love

the prayer culture behind Christians Against Poverty; that the culture is of caring, and that

CAP prays for anyone.

We want to introduce you to three wonderful members of our ever expanding team here at CAP!

Marc - qld church partnership managerI have been with CAP for six months after working in ministry for about ten years and prior to

that working in the finance industry. CAP combines the two and just seemed to fit perfectly!

My job is to connect with pastors. Seeing clients connect with churches and the salvation

stories that come from Debt Centres really fills me with joy. Hearing that a CAP Debt Centre

introduced someone to Christ is why I love working alongside CAP.

Janett - volunteer, national officeI have been volunteering for about six years now. I started out in one department but then

moved to administration. I feel like my average day is really varied; I’m a bit of a jack of all

trades! I love volunteering at CAP because the team is really close and everyone is just so

open and friendly. It’s a great feeling knowing that I am part of helping people in Australia

who are struggling with debt, and sharing Jesus with them.

enrith teenager, Adina, isn’t complaining

about a lack of pocket money. After com-

pleting a CAP Money Youth course at her

local church, Adina’s part-time job at KFC

started providing more than just a little bit

of extra cash.

Adina completed the course around the same time as she

began her part-time job, and the timing couldn’t have been

better. “I set up my bank account just before I started my

job and I decided to open a second bank account just for

my savings following the budgeting tips I learned in the

course,” said Adina. “It’s great to have that second account.

I’m saving for Christmas presents, but eventually I want to

buy a car because I turn 16 next year. And later on, I can

Adina (second from left) with her brothers

start saving for university.” The CAP Money Youth course

was run over two nights at the church youth group shortly

after a similar course was run for adults at the church. And

Adina is convinced that the course works.

To find out more about the CAP Money Course,

visit capuaust.org

“Without the CAP Money Course, I don’t think I’d have saved as much as I have. I look at my account and I don’t know how I got all this money!”

cap money youth update

Meet Allan and Mave Peebles, Centre Managers for

Port Macquarie, and find out what motivates them and

their church to meet the needs in their community

through a CAP Debt Centre.

How does your church reach out to your local

community?

Our church has a heart for serving the community

and so we decided to partner with CAP and run a

Debt Centre alongside running the CAP Money

Course. An average day for me involves calling

clients and developing a relationship with them

on their journey out of debt. I will usually just call

to say ‘hello’ and see how they are going. We love

to go above and beyond what is normally required

of us because we want to love and strengthen our

community.

How do you go above and beyond?

In our partnership with CAP, we make sure that we

are talking to community organisations in our area.

We want to spread the word of CAP and have them

refer their clients or members to us if they are

struggling with debt! We often visit Centrelink, or

the neighbourhood centre. We love interacting with

our community and seeing our town develop posi-

tively. We also partner with food banks to provide

cooking lessons. Just the other day, we did a CAP

Money Course and then taught them how to cook

spaghetti!

So why did your church partner with CAP?

We believe in our community. We don’t believe that

we should just sit on our seats on a Sunday; we want

to be a church in action. We want to see people

released from debt, and freed from the constant

pressure and anxiety that comes with creditors

calling them and harassing them. We want to help

our community manage money better. Our church

is passionate about loving our community and being

able to bring clients to church, introducing them to

the gospel. We want to set people free in this world,

free from the fear of debt, and ready to accept Jesus.

We believe that people can become free from debt

and in turn free spiritually as they hear about Jesus.

Allan and Mave peebles

Why did you decide to personally work alongside

CAP?

My husband and I were at another church and we

heard John Kirkby, the founder of Christians Against

Poverty, speak about CAP. As soon as we heard his

message, we immediately knew that this was where

our passion was. We didn’t know it until that time, but

we felt God call us to serve in this area. We moved to

Port Macquarie to retire, and when we started attend-

ing C3 Port Macquarie, we found out that they had

a CAP Money program! We went to the pastor there

and asked if we would be able to run a CAP Debt Cen-

tre. He agreed to support us in this because when they

heard what we would be able to achieve, they loved it

and have been committed ever since. We believe that

CAP is an integral part of our church. We don’t regard

CAP as a separate program to our church activities

because everything we do is about expressing our love

for God and extending his love to our community.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of CAP?

Seeing a client. After the first appointment when

they are so down and depressed and sad, then going

to that second appointment and seeing the glow in

their face. Giving them the opportunity for prayer

and then seeing the hope shine in their faces know-

ing there is hope and a solution. They know we are

not there to get something out of them or judge

them, but to provide a solution. The most rewarding

part is seeing those faces change as they become

lighter and the burden is lifted.

q + a c3 port macquariecap DEBT CENTRE

capaust.org t: 1300 303 929 e: admin@capaust.org

PO Box 298, Hunter Region MC NSW 2310 ABN: 92 104 471 516 ACL: 426594

Countdown to Christmascap money courses

1 - 31 October

cap debt centre training27 - 30 October

cap money coach trainingSydney 12 SeptemberMelbourne 17 OctoberNewcastle 17 OctoberBrisbane 7 November

cap job clubs training18 - 19 September

upcoming dates

very year, we are blessed by generous supporters that donate either some, or all, of their tax refund to

Christians Against Poverty. Could you join them in making a special donation from your tax refund this year?

Any amount you are able to give makes a massive difference. It’s easy! Simply fill out the information on the

giving slip provided and return it to us in the reply paid envelope. Let’s see even more lives changed!

DONATE YOUR TAX REFUND

praise points prayer points

• Praise God for the provision of $125,000 that we

have seen come through the June Special

Appeal. This will help CAP open more Debt

Centres and reach more Australians struggling with

debt.

• Praise God for the connections made with people

through the CAP Money Course, plus the chance to

minister to so many Australians who may not have

heard the gospel.

• Praise God for the salvations that have come

through CAP Debt Centres (and our other

services).

• Pray that people who are looking for a solution to

their debt hear about the services CAP offers and

have no reservations in contacting our help line.

• Pray for the leadership of CAP, that God

continues to encourage and guide them so that the

services CAP offers will reach more people

desperate for help.

• Pray that the launch of Job Clubs would see

communities come together and that delegates

would feel supported and loved in their journey to

employment.