From earliest times the Melbourne ecclesia, or congregation, used the Masonic Hall on Collins Street for meetings.

Encouragement for the brothers came from many directions, even from the sea. Master Mariner John Smith, a captain of the White Star Line in 1912, would berth his ship and attend to company business as quickly as possible, devoting the remainder of his time to encouraging the brothers and delivering Bible lectures. Ecclesiae from Brisbane on the eastern seaboard to Perth in the west were united with their brothers throughout the country, as Smith carried news of the brothers’ activities from one to another.