John Kirkby
25 June 2009 at 10:33am

It is such fantastic news when we hear about our clients going debt free and we love to take a few minutes out of our busy schedules at Jubilee Mill to celebrate. Last week, I heard of five clients becoming debt free, which means that five families and individuals can now look forward to a life free from the misery that debt can bring. On a financial level, this is the pinnacle of our work and I know that these clients can now pass on fantastic financial principles to the next generation, which means we break the cycle of poverty long term! How exciting and liberating for these amazing people!

We’re cracking on with filming for our CAP Money and CAP Sunday DVDs – the weather has taken a turn for the better in Bradford, so it’s sunshine all the way as we finish off these two inspirational and fantastic resources I can’t wait for the launch of our new DVDs and I’m sure you’ll be as impressed as me when you see the final product.

John

John Kirkby
18 June 2009 at 03:32pm

I'm overwhelmed by the support and love shown to us by our supporters and it's fantastic when we get the chance to talk to people who might not know much about CAP. On Tuesday night, I had the privilege of speaking briefly about our work at the Redeeming our Communities event at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. 

Over 4,000 people were there and there was an incredible atmosphere and we were literally overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who visited our stand after the main event had happened. In just 30 minutes we gave away 500 copies of Nevertheless and had the privilege to connect with people from all over the UK who are also passionate about tackling poverty head on in this country.

Yesterday, we were filming for CAP Money, our fantastic three-week course helping people to get a grip on their finances. Following the phenomenal success of the course and the fact that over 500 churches across the UK have run it, we decided to film the course again, with an exciting promotional DVD too. Being fascinated in the weather, I’m never surprised when we go from bright sun to pouring rain, but yesterday we were hoping for some sunshine as we wanted to film outside. 

They say the best laid plans fall to waste, but even thought it rained in Bradford, we still pressed ahead with the filming and doing lots of interior shots too. It was exciting, challenging and a lot of fun and I can’t wait for you to see the finished product! Click here for more information about CAP Money and how you can get involved.

John

John Kirkby
09 June 2009 at 10:05am

Wow! What an amazing couple of weeks we’ve just had. Firstly, we had a visit at Jubilee Mill form Andrew Selous, an MP in the Works and Pensions Department. He was so impressed with how we work and the enormous infrastructure and capacity we have grown here in Bradford. Praise God for doors that are starting to open amongst politicians. I then spoke at a church planting conference in the Lake District organised by a friend of mine. It was fantastic to be able to impart to others some of the entrepreneurial skills and processes we have developed here at CAP.

Then, this weekend, we were in Bristol and at our South West Fundraising Dinner we were yet again overwhelmed by the generosity of our guests. The evening was great and one of our clients gave a tremendous testimony of how her life had been turned around by us and how she had found God through the relationship with the centre manager at our Gillingham centre. We had just over 75 guests and we raised a staggering £33,000 in gifts and pledges!

Then, on Saturday morning I went to the Avon Gorge Abseil where about 100 supporters took the plunge down 50 metres for CAP and raised over £20,000! Even after thirteen years, I still can’t quite get over how people just get the heart for CAP and do the most generous and outrageous things to help us with the task of releasing people from the misery of debt.

It’s just six weeks before I head back out to work with CAP Australia and CAP New Zealand for a couple of weeks and today Gareth and Heather Jones, who have pioneered CAP in new Zealand, are returning to Jubilee Mill for a heroes’ welcome. They have done such a great job out there for the last 18 months and we are so excited to have them back. I can’t wait to travel back ‘down under’ and see what amazing things God has done since I was last there.

John

John Kirkby
26 May 2009 at 13:48pm

At CAP we love celebrating significant milestones as we see God continue to perform miracles in our lives and the lives of our clients. Last week was a fantastic example of this, with not one but two milestones reached.

You don’t have to spend a long time around us to see how passionate we are about our clients and how we are absolutely determined to help as many needy people across the UK as possible. You can imagine our excitement, then, when our total number of active client accounts hit 4,000 for the first time ever! Whilst we recognise that this figure represents 4,000 families and individuals in dire need, we’re overjoyed that our service is reaching so many areas of the UK and our client base is expanding all the time.

Our second milestone was the phenomenal achievement of hitting 8,000 Life Changers; that’s 8,000 people committed to supporting us financially on a regular basis; 8,000 people determined to see this country turned around and the poor and needy helped.  The headlines are currently full of stories of how charities are finding times tough with the recession. I am amazed at God’s faithfulness to us and whilst there are many challenges ahead, we are seeing God’s miraculous provision for us on a daily basis.

If you are one of our 8,000 Life Changers, I want to take this opportunity to say the most massive thank you for all that you do support CAP. The truth is simple; without you, we would not exist, nor would our clients receive the help they so desperately need, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

John

John Kirkby
12 May 2009 at 16:47pm

We had a fantastic Church Partnership Day last Thursday, which saw another twenty churches visit Jubilee Mill to hear more about how they can partner with us to tackle debt in their local communities. I always find it such a buzz to meet people at the start of their journey with CAP, knowing the potential that there is for us to impact people’s lives together. We had the privilege of meeting leaders from churches in major cities, such as London, Glasgow and Liverpool and also from smaller towns. The most exciting thing was, though, everyone was united in their desire to tackle debt and I look forward to updating you as we open more centres across the UK.

Please also take some time to read/watch the testimonies on our website as well. If it wasn’t for the clients and the way their lives are transformed through our service, all of this would be meaningless. I find it so refreshing to remind myself that even though we’re growing quickly and expanding across the UK, CAP is still about the individual person and the amazing change we can bring to families and communities across the UK. Be inspired, God is doing amazing things. What a privilege to be used by Him!

John

John Kirkby
07 May 2009 at 15:20pm

It’s arrived! We’ve hit the Summer of Sponsored Events! This weekend saw 17 people cycle from Coast to Coast, covering over 136 miles and raising about £9000 for CAP.  What a fantastic start to our summer of events. We have so much more planned that you can join in with as well. You can either participate in one of our upcoming events or sponsor a friend or family member to do mad-CAP things like the Edinburgh Marathon, the Yorkshire Three Peaks or cycle from London to Paris (click here for more details).

Recently, we have heard many fantastic stories of how CAP is helping our clients. Our Caseworkers and Centre Managers send in encouraging stories every week that really inspire the staff team. These have included a story of a client who was saved from eviction when we attended the court hearing with her, as well as a client who has had six months of interest and charges refunded after our Creditor Liaison Team intervened! There are so many more stories like these that it is just impossible to ignore the impact that we are having on people’s lives all across the UK. The service provided by CAP is vital and we simply have to keep on growing the work that we do.

John

John Kirkby
29 April 2009 at 13:46pm

It’s not often I get the chance to take stock and marvel at what God is doing, but I’ve had the privilege of spending most of this week in Bradford at our Head Office; a great opportunity to reflect on the incredible things we’ve seen over the past few weeks. Last week alone, we launched three centres in Scotland, another on the South Coast of England and trained 350 Money Coaches to run CAP Money courses in their churches.  Not bad going for just seven days!

It never ceases to amaze me when I see how God is inspiring the Church across the UK to tackle the issue of poverty and debt in the local community. Many churches are now more determined than ever to take on the Goliath of debt.

If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you’ll notice that I’m often touring the country, inspiring people about CAP and how God’s heart for the poor is central to what we do here. Let me take this opportunity to challenge you to become more involved with our work and join the fight against debt and poverty in the UK. If you’re interested in partnering with us, click here to get more information and whilst you’re considering the options, why not read our fantastic new book? Journeys of Hope features 12 stories of how God has used CAP to turn people’s lives around. You can buy it from the shop for just £3.50 during April, so don’t miss your chance.

Above all else, though, take this opportunity to praise God for all that He is doing and will continue to do in and through us. We serve an awesome God who is able to do all things; to Him be the glory!

John

John Kirkby
23 April 2009 at 14:56pm

Well, what an exciting weekend we have ahead of us. Saturday sees the second of our four CAP Money training days for 2009, taking place in Bristol. We’re expecting more than 350 Money Coaches to attend, all eager to help people in their community to get in control of their money.

This is an incredible number of people and I am once again overwhelmed by all that God is doing in and through us. We launched CAP Money less than 18 months ago and yet it has grown at a phenomenal pace. As a result of Saturday’s training there will be a further 100 churches reaching out into their communities. Fantastic!

I’ll then be travelling all the way up to Glasgow for the much-anticipated launch of our Glasgow Centre on Sunday morning. What a joy to speak at the opening service as this church steps out in faith to launch this centre in a key city in the UK.

John

John Kirkby
08 April 2009 at 16:20pm

Well, as I prepare to have a break over Easter and spend time with my family, I look back over the past three months and I’m amazed at what God has achieved since New Year. It’s mind-boggling to think that in such a short space of time, we’ve seen the fortunes of CAP Oz totally turned around, 24 centres launched across the UK bringing our total to above 100, and also our victory in the Sunday Times’ ‘Best Small Company to Work For’ awards. What an amazing and generous God we serve!

Easter, for me, is a time to pause and reflect on the greatest act of love ever shown. If it wasn’t for Jesus and His death and resurrection, all this would be meaningless, but it’s the promise of new life that we find in Him that keeps us driving forwards, opening CAP Centres and giving hope to the hopeless.

I hope you all have a fantastic Easter and encounter Jesus’ love in a powerful way.

John