"As soon as I became a Christian the Bible became alive to me as the living word of God," says the Rev James Coleman, newly appointed to the board of Bible Society New Zealand. 

James joins a seven-strong board and is excited about his new role.

"I have seen people’s hunger for the Bible once they come to Christ and it strikes me that providing Bibles is like feeding people. As Jesus said 'people do not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 

James and his wife Julia jointly lead St Mary's in Silverstream, Wellington. Both lawyers, Julia left legal work to move into ordained ministry 10 years ago while James continues to work as a barrister to fund their ministry.

Describing himself as a former agnostic/atheist, despite an Anglican upbringing, James had a conversion experience at an Alpha course in St Mary's in Karori, Wellington.

Attending just to appease his wife, who wanted to explore the Christian faith, he was expecting to convince the Alpha group of their incorrect Christian beliefs! However, the Alpha course material, including evidence behind the claim Jesus is God, appealed to the lawyer in him. 

Finally at the group weekend away he made the decision to ask Jesus into his life and was filled with the Holy Spirit. "I had an amazing experience of God's love: an experience that I had never had before," he said. Shortly afterwards Julia became a Christian too. 

James says the Bible is vital to his faith. "God primarily speaks to me through scripture, a verse or a few words will suddenly stand out as if they were highlighted and I will know exactly what God is saying specifically to me through those words." 

Bible Society's mission is to help make the Bible accessible to everyone and to encourage interaction with it.