A Rural Debt Advice Service

Keith Tondeur, the national director of Credit Action writes,

'There is increasing alarm about the level of personal debt in this country. You may be asking,'What has this got to do with the church?' If so, you may be shocked to know that there are almost five times as many verses in the Bible about handling money as there are about either faith or prayer. Two thirds of Jesus' parables relate to money. Within in yards of your church and....often within it, there will be people struggling with debt issues.' 

A group of Christians from Swaledale and Wensleydale and the surrounding area has got together to do something about the problem of debt. They are setting up a rural debt advice service that will offer high quality professional help, free of charge. 'By standing beside our clients, we will empower them to help themselves out of poverty and be released from worry, fear and social exclusion caused by chronic debt.' The service will be known as Hope Debt Advice and will work in partnership with voluntary and statutory agencies, local churches and commercial organisations. The charity hopes to launch its services in the autmn and they are looking for volunteers to pray, to work with clients (after training) and to fundraise. There are plans for local centres in Richmond, Leyburn, Bedale and Masham.

For further information, or to volunteer, e mail charlie@hopedebtadvice.co.uk