"If General Service is truly A.A. Service Work, why aren’t more groups represented at the Area Assembly by General Service Representatives (G.S.R.s)?"

 

On page S1 of the A.A. Service Manual, in A.A.’s Legacy of Service written by Bill W., Bill opens the chapter with the following statements:  “Our Twelfth Step – carrying the message – is the basic service that A.A. gives; this is our principle aim and the main reason for our existence.  Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action.  We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die.  Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us reach a fellow sufferer – ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.’s General Service Office for national and international action.  The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service.  Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description.  They call for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences…”

Bill is very explicit when he states that anything whatever that helps us reach the still-suffering alcoholic is A.A. service work.  So, what’s wrong?  Why are fewer than 100 of the 1,900+ registered A.A. groups in Mid-Southern California Area represented at the Area Assembly by a G.S.R.?  Are the services provided by General Service needed?  Because if they are needed, Bill goes on to state, “Concerning any given service, we therefore pose but one question: ‘Is this service really needed?’, If it is, then maintain it we must, or fail in our mission to those who need and seek A.A.”.

Realizing that sometimes there is no single answer to such a complex question, this topic will put forth several questions to which the poster may contribute a response, or the poster may submit a response that does not address any of the questions.

1.                  Is your group registered with GSO, the Area?  If they are registered, does the group understand the importance of participating with the District, Area, GSO?  Does your group have a regular business or group conscience meeting?  Does the Group have a GSR and if so, do they express the group opinion on business matters?

2.                  Do we have too many Area meetings?  Should the Area Assembly consider making the Assembly meetings 2-day events, combining the business of the Assembly with non-business activities, (such as Saturday night guest service speakers, workshops, presentations)…..?

3.                  Should districts move toward having more multiple-district sponsored, (such as county-wide) events, such Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) lunches, Archives presentations/workshops, General Service Workshops, Traditions Workshops, Concepts Workshops… as opposed to district-only events?

4.                  Would the Area benefit by holding a bi-annual Area Inventory, based upon, but not restricted to, the 13 point inventory laid out in the A.A. Group pamphlet?

5.                  Given the assumption that understanding the process will increase participation, and to copy what the General Service Conference does, should the Area develop a 1-page informational handout for attendees at the Area Assembly and Area Service Committee meetings presenting information about the process:

a.      Who is allowed to vote today?

b.      Why, when and how may a motion to table be put forward?

c.      What is “calling the question” and when is it appropriate?

d.      How and when is a “friendly amendment” offered?  What distinguished a “friendly amendment” from a regular amendment

e.      What is the responsibility of the Chairperson during the meeting?

f.        Who is the Vice-Chair?

g.      Are Area meetings guided by “Roberts Rules of Order”?

h.      What is an ad hoc committee?  How is it created?  Who creates it?  What is a standing committee?  A coordinate committee?

i.        What is a “motion to re-consider”?

j.         How can a member communicate gripes, concerns and/or thank-yous to the appropriate people?

k.      What other information would be helpful in a handout like this?

 

Is the tone of discussion at Area meetings too confrontational?  Do we place personalities before principles? 

Should we have our Area Assemblies in a single location and rotate the Area Service Committee meetings among districts?  Should the Assembly location be near the geographical center of Area 09 (this would more than likely be somewhere in the Inland Empire )?  The population center (somewhere in North Orange County )?

Please take some time and forward a response to all forum questions you choose.  Again, you may choose to answer one of the questions listed above, (a. through i.) or you may submit a response completely unrelated to the questions.  The questions (a. through i.) are simply presented to you as a framework to assist you in looking at some specific subjects within the Area process.  You may submit several different responses or combine your responses into one posting.  Please remember to observe the points of decorum for this forum:

- No names will be posted
- No entries which attack or criticize another person will be posted
- No entries mentioning outside issues in a controversial or provocative manner will be posted
- No entries containing profanity will be posted
- Entries found objectionable by 2/3 of the EMSC will not be posted