Australian Restoration Newsletter January 2026
Around and about the Centre Place
By High Priest Paul Gage,
Independence, Missouri
All of God’s best blessings to the awesome Saints in
Australia. Another year has sped by and we still wait for God’s Kingdom to come
on earth as it is in Heaven. We are still under the command of our Lord, Jesus
Christ as he reminds us in the new year to “Seek first to build up His Kingdom
and to establish his righteousness.” As you know this was the direction from
Jesus as found in Matthew 6:38. Many times we find ourselves so engrossed in
the things of the world that we forget about the Kingdom of God. It seems more
common today to “get lost” in the things of the world. The big thing going now
is AI, artificial intelligence. There is nothing artificial about God. The
artificial deceivers are agents of the adversary. We can see more clearly,
every day, how easy it is for people to be deceived by what they read or hear,
much of which may not have any truth to it. Jesus tells He is the Way, the
truth and the Life, Light, Bread of Life, Living Water, Savior, Messiah,
Redeemer, Prince of Peace and so many others titles to describe His majesty,
divinity, and authority. There is no other who might try to claim any of those
titles of our Lord. His name is the only name by which we can be saved in God’s
Kingdom. He is the only way to God and it will be Him who we come before when
judged. Don’t let the world lead you astray. By living every minute of every
day, to the best of our abilities as grounded in Jesus, we can experience
living in the Kingdom of God now. Make every day a Kingdom living day. Things
in the Centre Place are going fairly well. Most branches are functioning as
expected. Centre Place Restoration School is into the second semester of this
school year which will conclude in mid May. Missionary groups are still
functioning to various degrees. Several missionaries recently completed trips
to Africa with others scheduled for the Philippines in January 2026. Various
Restoration magazines are still being printed. These include Restoration Voice
published by Paul Ludy,
Tidings of Zion by the Conference of Restoration Elders,
Witness by the Book of Mormon Foundation, and Vision by
Price Publishing.
If you would like to receive any of these magazines you
can contact the publishers by pulling the info up on the internet. Many
branches are also doing services by Youtube. You can pull these up by typing in
the name of the Branch. Many of these are listed in the back of Tidings of
Zion. God bless. Abraham, father of many nations – is anything too hard for the
Lord? By Elder Murray Broughton, Pastor of Kelvin View Branch, Euroa, Victoria
Genesis 16:1-19 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children. And she had a
handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram,
Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing; I pray thee, go in unto
my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened unto
the voice of Sarai… 16:12 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou
art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael because
the Lord hath heard thy afflictions. 16:13 And he will be a wild man; and his
hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall
dwell in the presence of all his brethren… 16:19 And Hagar bare Abram a son;
and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. Genesis 17:21-25
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai, thy wife, thou shalt not call her name
Sarai, but Sarah thou shalt call her name. 17:22 And I will bless her, and I
will give thee a son of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be blessed,
the mother of nations; kings and people shall be of her. 17:23 Then Abraham fell
on his face, and rejoiced, and said in his heart, There shall a child be born
unto him that is a hundred years old, and Sarah that is ninety years old shall
bear… 17:25 And God said, Sarah, thy wife, shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him also, for
an everlasting covenant with his seed after him. Genesis 18:1-14 And the Lord
appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre. And he sat in his tent door in
the heat of the day; 18:2 And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three
men stood by him; and when he saw, he ran to meet them from his tent door, and
bowed himself toward the ground, and said, 18:3 My brethren, if now I have
found favor in your sight, pass not away, I pray you, from thy servant. 18:4
Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree; and I will fetch a morsel of bread and comfort ye
your hearts; after that you shall pass on; for therefore are ye come to your
servant. And they said, So do as thou hast said. 18:5 And Abraham hastened into
the tent unto Sarah and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal,
knead, and make cakes upon the hearth. 18:6 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and
fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to
dress it. 18:7 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf, which he had
dressed, and set them before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and
they did eat. 18:8 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah, thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent. 18:9 And one of them blessed Abraham, and he said, I
will certainly return unto thee from my
Page 2 of 6 journey; and lo, according to the time of
life, Sarah, thy wife, shall have a son. 18:10 And Sarah heard him in the tent
door. 18:11 And now Abraham and Sarah being old and stricken in age, therefore,
it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women; 18:12 Therefore,
Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I have waxed old shall I have
pleasure, my lord being old also? 18:13 And the angel of the Lord said unto
Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child,
which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? 18:14 At the time appointed,
behold, I will return unto thee from my journey, which the Lord hath sent me;
and according to the time of life thou mayest know that Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis 21:1-18 And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did
unto Sarah as he had spoken by the mouth of his angels; for Sarah conceived and
bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which the angels of God
had spoken to him. 21:2 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born
unto him, whom Sarah bare unto him, Isaac. 21:3 And Abraham circumcised his son
Isaac, he being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 21:4 And Abraham was
a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him. 21:5 And Sarah said,
God has made me to rejoice; and also all that know me will rejoice with me.
21:6 And she said unto Abraham, Who would have said that Sarah should have
given children suck? For I was barren, but the Lord promised, and I have borne
unto Abraham a son in his old age. 21:7 And the child grew and was weaned. And
the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham made a great feast; and Sarah saw the
son of Hagar, the Egyptian, which Hagar had borne unto Abraham, mocking; and
she was troubled. 21:8 Wherefore, she said unto Abraham, Cast out this
bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my
son, Isaac. 21:9 And this thing was very grievous unto Abraham because of his
son… 21:12 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a
bottle of water, and gave unto Hagar; and she took the child, and he sent her
away; and she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba… 21:15 And
God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of the Lord called to Hagar out of
heaven and said unto her, 21:16 What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath
heard the voice of the lad where he lieth. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him
in thine hand, for I will make of him a great nation. 21:17 And God opened her
eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with
water, and gave the lad drink. 21:18 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and
dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer; and he dwelt in the wilderness
of Paran, he and his mother. Genesis 22:1-21 And it came to pass after these
things, that God did try Abraham and said unto him, Abraham. And Abraham said,
Behold, here am I.
Page 3 of 6 22:2 And the Lord said, Take now thy son,
thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and
offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will
tell thee. 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass,
and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, 22:4 And clave the
wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God
had told him. 22:5 Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw
the place afar off. 22:6 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide you here
with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder, and worship, and come to you
again. 22:7 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon
his back; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and Isaac his son; and
they went both of them together. 22:8 And Isaac spake unto Abraham, his father,
and said, My father! And he said, Here am I, my son. 22:9 And he said, Behold
the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 22:10 And
Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So
they went both of them together, and they came to the place of which God had
told him. 22:11 And Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order,
and bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 22:12 And
Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 22:13 And
the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham! Abraham!
And Abraham said, Here am I. 22:14 And the angel said, Lay not thine hand upon
the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; 22:15 For now I know that thou
fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only Isaac, from me.
22:16 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked; and behold, behind a thicket,
there was a ram caught in it by his horns. 22:17 And Abraham went, and took the
ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son… 22:19 And
the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time and
said, 22:20 Thus saith the Lord, I have sworn by myself that because thou hast
done this thing and hast not withheld thy son, thine only Isaac, from me, 22:21
That in blessing I will bless thee; and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed
as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore. Acts 7:8 And
he gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begat Isaac and
circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve
patriarchs. Is anything too hard for the Lord? By obeying, and doing what God
wants us to do, we will have His blessings. Page 4 of 6
January Birthdays Stella Game 7th; Steven Churchill 9th;
Malachai Dunn 9th; Helen Archer 17th; Delma Broughton 19th; David Game 24th;
Elsie Melling 30th Prayer List Graeme and Caroll Byers, Neville Broughton, Jan
Kerswell, Alva Robinson, Murray and Delma Broughton, Julius Candido, Ruth and
Greg Mackrell, Kimberly Exron, Jock, Ray, Reg Davis, Rey Mararan, Gennie Ewert,
Ron and Janice Mitchell, Neville and Del Churchill, Noel Rowlatt, The scattered
saints For this new year Dear Lord, I do not ask to see into the mist and
mystery of this new year, to see the joys or sorrows that await me there - I
only ask that through each golden day I may know thy hand is leading me; and
through each silver night I may feel thy presence near as I offer thee my
prayer. And, Lord, I do not ask a special blessing on my life, except this one
- that through the living I may know some work for thee is done. Frances
Hartman Saint’s Herald 3 January 1948 The very first Christmas Marry and Jospeh
went to Bethlehem. What? Bethlehem. What? Bethlehem! Marry and Jospeh went to
Bethlehem, on that very first Christmas. The Shepards were told that the King
is born. What? The King is born. What? The King is born! The Shepards were told
that the King is born, on that very first Christmas. The Angels singing Glory
to God. What? Glory to God. What? Glory to God! The Angels singing Glory to
God, on that very first Christmas. The wise men saw the star in the sky. What?
Star in the sky. What? Star in the sky! The wise men saw the star in the sky, on
that very first Christmas. Ted Morris (8 yrs old) As sung to the Australian
online congregation on 21 January 2025 The scattered saints section needs
Christ centred contributions from all the scattered saints. Please pray about
your piece, and email the editor at australian restorationnews@gmail.com or
reply via post. All contributions will be considered anonymous unless advised
otherwise, and reviewed by priesthood. Examples include, poetry, biographies,
interviews, testimony, lyrics, quotes, art. Page 5 of 6
Page 6 of 6 Activity schedule for January 2026 Kingston
Restoration Branch 17-19 Juers Street, Kingston, QLD Pastor: Elder Peter
Churchill Phone 0429 542 010 (AEST) Sun 4th 8:45AM MORNING CLASS (At church)
Elder Neville Churchill 9:00AM PREACHING SERVICE Elder Peter Archer 10:00AM
SACRAMENT SERVICE Priest Glenn Kerswell Mon 5th 6:30PM PRIESTHOOD MEETING Tue
6th 6:30PM COTTAGE MEETING Elder Peter Churchill Wed 7th 6:30PM PRAYER MEETING
Priest Glenn Kerswell Sun 11th 8:45AM MORNING CLASS (Online only) Elder Gary
Melling 9:00AM PREACHING SERVICE Priest Luke Melling 10:10AM CLASS Elder Danny
Archer Tue 13th 6:30PM COTTAGE MEETING Elder Peter Churchill Wed 14th 6:30PM
PRAYER MEETING Elder Peter Churchill Sun 18th 8:45AM MORNING CLASS (At church)
Elder Peter Churchill 9:00AM PREACHING SERVICE Elder Gary Melling 10:10AM CLASS
Elder Neville Churchill Mon 19th 6:30PM PRIESTHOOD MEETING Tue 20th 6:30PM
COTTAGE MEETING Elder Peter Churchill Wed 21st 6:30PM PRAYER MEETING Elder
Peter Archer Sun 25th 8:45AM MORNING CLASS (Online only) Elder Danny Archer
9:00AM PREACHING SERVICE Elder Danny Archer 10:10AM CLASS Elder Peter Churchill
Tue 27th 6:30PM COTTAGE MEETING Elder Peter Churchill Wed 28th 6:30PM PRAYER
MEETING Elder Danny Archer Sun 1st 8:45AM MORNING CLASS (At church) Elder Peter
Churchill 9:00AM PREACHING SERVICE Teacher Spencer Hughes TBC 10:10AM SACRAMENT
SERVICE
Elder Neville Churchill If you would like to attend
online, please email Elder Danny Archer at danny@inbeta.org.
