Representatives of a group which has spread the Christian message in te reo and English for 75 years visited Ōpōtiki churches on Sunday.

Norm and Liz Silcock, who represent Māori Postal Aotearoa (MPA) visited St John’s Presbyterian Church, the Ōpōtiki Community Harvest Church and other groups to update them on the organisation originally known as the Māori Postal Sunday School.

MPA produces resources including Māori Bibles and Bible lessons, children’s literature, magazines, videos and calendars.

Most of the resources were printed and posted out, with an increasing segment of the ministry now online.  

“With growing interest in te reo, our following among both Māori and Pākehā readers is wider than ever,” Mr Silcock said.

“There is an appetite for good bilingual resources across the board and Christian groups appreciate our experience in producing materials in te reo.

“Our magazines feature testimonies of those who have come to faith. We have a wide readership, including a significant number of prison inmates who ask us for teaching resources and other literature.”

Originally launched by members of the Open Brethren Assemblies and long based in Whanganui, MPA had been most active in serving isolated rural communities.

“With the advent of urbanization and the internet this is changing, but for now the core of our ministry is printed material posted out. As you can imagine, with the current cost of postage this is a challenge.”