The Technology Behind Christians Against Poverty
When I joined the Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Technology team as first line service support there were just six of us building, developing and providing user support for the whole ministry. Now, eleven years on, this team has grown to almost 30 and we’re still growing because there is still such a great need.
For the last 25 years, CAP has been empowering people to escape from the burden of crippling debt. We work with people all across the UK, many of whom are facing multiple extra challenges in addition to poverty or debt. CAP equips churches to make sure those with the very least in their communities are able to move forward in life despite the challenges they face. These last two years have changed our world forever and, for many, it has affected their lives in ways they never thought possible. People have lost jobs and been forced into debt that is spiraling out of control. We are anticipating greater demand on our services in the coming years as a result and we need our systems and services to be ready.
After first line support, I had a brief stint as Systems Developer, working on some of our internal web applications. For the last eight years, I have been serving as a Linux Systems Administrator. Myself and those in our Operations team support around 100 servers, running a variety of different services. We look after our networks, firewalls, security, third line service desk and developer support. There are new things to learn every day and still many challenges to overcome. Our Development team builds our systems mainly using PHP with MySQL/mongodb, and with these technologies we’ve created web applications that are easily available to any of the churches we partner with.
CAP is on a mission to see transformed lives, thriving churches and an end to UK poverty.
We build and support the systems that churches use to reach those in need in the UK. We want these tools and systems to be the very best they can be. Not just good enough but excellent, industry-leading systems. God’s kingdom can and should be leading the way, setting the standard in all things, including technology. The better our systems and services get, the more we enable our frontline staff and partner churches to focus on loving our clients. There aren’t many places where system stability and well-written code translates to lives changed by the love of Jesus. Every day we hear of people responding to the gospel through our work, and that never gets old.
For me, working at CAP is more than just a job. It’s a calling. I get to use the skills that God has given me to really make a difference in people’s lives. It’s an honour and a privilege to be a part of what God is doing here at CAP. Would you consider joining us?
We’ve got lots of roles available at the moment, including Systems Developers, Analysts, Graphic Designers and Salesforce Administrators. Will you check out our current vacancies and prayerfully consider if this is something God would like you to be a part of?
Please pray for us as well, as we seek to grow our team. Pray that God would lead the right people to us, with the right skills and the heart to see people freed from debt. Pray for those out there who have been affected by COVID-19, who have lost loved ones and lost jobs, and the financial implications this may have had. Pray for those who are struggling with debt, that they wouldn’t wait to seek help and that they would find the support they need.
