Civil Summons Served

I live in North Carolina. I had a Credit Card that I defaulted on when my hours at work were severely cut due to the economy. I was served a civil summons by my local sherriffs department yesterday from an attorney 150 miles away who is representing a collections agency that is also 150 miles away. The debt is for about $6500 and I have no real means of being able to pay that at present. It is all I can do to keep up with the house payments until the economy picks up and my hours are increased back to normal.
The civil summons is asking me to answer the complaint within 30 days. How do I answer the complaint and where do I go from here? Will the attorney or a rep from the collections agency drive the 300 mile round trip for court if a date is set? Is it possible to settle the debt for a drasticly reduced amount? I don't know which way to turn, I can't afford the $6500 nor can I afford to have my wages or my back account garnished either. Please Help.