I’VE learned recently that nearly two million households in England and Wales are living in water poverty. That saddens me because I can readily identify with those who are struggling to pay their bills. We’ve been through some challenging times as a family too, most notably when my wife and I gave up our jobs so that I could train for Baptist ministry

No guaranteed income for three years, and three hungry children to feed proved quite a challenge. But God kept His promise to look after us and as a result we will never forget the lovely people who went out of their way to be kind to us.

The gift of children’s wellingtons is particularly memorable.

When I reflect on the life and teaching of Jesus it seems obvious to me that He wants us to care for each other which is why I am such an enthusiastic supporter of Christians against Poverty (CAP). CAP’s mission I believe, can be summed up in these challenging words found in the Book of Proverbs: “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

CAP offers a free debt advice, helping over 9,000 people on their journey out of debt every year, and does so in such a way that Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has used the word ‘unsurpassed’ to describe its ministry. ‘There’s nothing better to start you on the path to having more money in your pocket’ he said.

CAP does more than offer practical advice though because it is also aware of the political dimension to poverty, which is why a recent news report could say that it prays for politicians from all parties to “receive God’s wisdom, compassion and strength and that their decisions will be made with a heart to help people living in poverty”.

The same report also informed me that CAP has called on Andy Burnham to make a commitment to ending poverty and clearly wants his government to prioritise the plight of those facing “unmanageable debt and poverty”. Given his Roman Catholic background and the apparent influence of the church’s social teaching on his thinking it will be interesting to see how he will respond given our challenging economic situation.

But whether we are a supporter of CAP, a politician or just an ordinary citizen we must never forget that we can all do something to help others, conscious that for Jesus one was a vital statistic.

So let’s finish with an encouraging story. I met someone recently who had been helped by a Christian in a such a way that it had changed her life. Her smile was proof of it! As I listened to her story, I couldn’t help thinking that it had put a smile on Jesus’ face too and made me wonder what I could do to have the same effect.