I seem to use my debit card more and more these days. I rarely have much cash on me, but were I to be without cash totally, how would I cope? I could not get a bus or train. I could not use our corner shop for the carton of milk that I forgot or buy from local second hand charity shops (particularly good for books). In fact to be without any cash and any means of accessing cash would be pretty crippling.

That's the position that over 1000 asylum seekers in Glasgow (out of approximately 4000) are in. Not allowed to seek employment and given a bare minimum weekly support, not in cash, but in vouchers redeemable usually only in one supermarket. This includes families with young children, whose vouchers are redeemable only against goods in Asda. The nearest Asda is two bus rides away (remember, no cash for the bus). Walking would take around 45 minutes(for an adult) and it's not somewhere I would walk through at night.

Those affected come from countries to which return is not possible at the moment; Congo, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq...they include people with severe physical and mental health problems, families with young children and people in their 70s. They also include people who are in the process of submitting new evidence to support their need to be given sanctuary in the UK, i.e. people who will go on to be recognised as needing the protection of our country from what they have suffered in their home country. They include Iranians persecuted for their Christian faith, Congolese believers who despite what they have been through and continue to suffer still boldly proclaim their belief in God's faithfulness, Muslims who are meeting Christians for the first time...

For several months now we have been running a scheme which allows some of those affected to exchange their supermarket vouchers for some cash. We pass the vouchers onto Christian families who would spend a lot more than that each week in the supermarket, and they give the equivalent amount in cash that our refugee friends can use to catch a bus, buy food from local ethnic shops, pay for a fax to their lawyer or buy a phone card to call their anxious family in their home country. It's legal, it addresses an injustice and it's a very meaningful way that we can show that the church cares. It has made a big difference in the lives of those involved. Now that it is known that the scheme is in operation, we have more enquiries than we can handle at present.
We're not sure whether the new card which the government will shortly be issuing will be similarly exchangeable and ultimately, we believe our friends should be given access to cash. So, we are working with a network of other faith and secular organisations to try to have this type of support replaced. If you are in the UK, think about the recent expenses scandals in light of the denial of cash to some of our refugee friends here.

Please pray for us as we are involved in this campaign against cashlessness:

• Pray for those who are without cash, who are unsure of their futures and have already been through a lot.
• Pray for our relationships with those affected, with the other orgnisations involved in the campaign and with the authorities; that God might be glorified in all of these relationships.