February 2001

  Intergroup attendance the key to our traditions
        In the last issue of Sobriety News, we reported that out of 50-plus groups in the immediate Harrisburg area, only 12 were represented at the December Intergroup meeting. At the January meeting, attendance was up slightly, with 15 groups present.  If we're really going to do the work for which we have agreed we are responsible, we'll need better representation.  Just over one-fourth of our groups simply can't shoulder the load for the rest.  Is there any among us who would say we shouldn't be carrying the message to prisons, or operating an effective hotline, or maintaining areawide scheduling?  Those are the jobs---along with publication of Sobriety News---for which Intergroup was formed, and they are the jobs that give life to the words we read in every one of out traditions. Perhaps it's time to rededicate ourselves to these traditions and to doing the best possible job we can in 2001.  The following groups were represented at the January  Intergroup meeting: Winding It Up (Lykens), Fisherville, 19th Street, West Shore, Hershey, There's More to Life, Survivors, Trudgers, Keep It Simple, Dillsburg Area, Ain't You Had Enough, City Limits, Joy of Living, It Works, and Serenity.  Also represented was District #36 and PENNSCYPAA, along with chairs of various committees. Was your group there?

Big Night for Romance
        Break out the fancy threads for this one!  Pennscypaa XIII (Pennsylvania State Conference of Young People in AA) will hold a huge Valentine's Day bash February 10 at the Progress Fire Hall, 3440 Maple Street. It'll all get started with a full course stuffed chicken breast dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by a speaker meeting at 7:30 p.m. with Dave R., of Reading, sharing his experience, strength, and hope.  That will be followed by dancing to the music of "Rosey and the Naturals."  You and your sweetheart can even get your pictures taken together.  Semi-formal attire is optional.  Tickets are $10 for singles and $15 for couples.  The closing date on ticket sales is billed as January, 31, but Sobriety News didn't get this notice in time for last month's issue, and we're willing to bet that if you fall by with your money by, say, February 2nd or 3rd, someone will be able to scare up a ticket.  But no tickets will be sold at the door.  Check the Pennscypaa website at www.pennscypaa.org for more info.  This is just one more in a string of fundraising events being sponsored by Pennscypaa in preparation for the big statewide convention they'll be hosting in Harrisburg this summer.
 
 

NTY Group moves
        In case you missed it: the Never Too Young Group has moved its Wednesday 8 p.m. meeting from Perdix Fire Hall on Rte. 15 to the Otterbein Methodist Church  at 301 N. High Street in Duncannon---same time, same day. You might want to get up there and support this group.  Whenever we make a move like this, it seems attendance sometimes drops off for a few weeks.  The meeting is billed as open discussion, non-smoking.

Intergroup elections set
       At this writing, here's the slate of hopefuls  for the Harrisburg Area Intergroup election set for Thursday, February 1, at Fellowship House.  Running for chairperson are "Buckskin" Bob S., of theThere's More to Life Group, and LeeAnn C., of the Out of the Dark Group. She took over as chairperson in 2000 after the resignation of Karen P.  Running for vice-chairperson is Bob H., Trudgers Group. Running for secretary is Georgia S., incumbent, of 19th Street Group; and for treasurer, Craig P., incumbent, of the Survivors Group.  Additional nominations will be accepted from the floor at the Intergroup meeting.
Each group has one vote for each office.

Poll complete...yes!
        Last issue we asked SN readers if they would like to see anniversaries published---after the fact.  The results of that survey are in and we are pleased to report that the vote was unanimously in favor of the idea---by a count of 1-0.  So here we go with the very first one. Craig P., of the Survivors Group, celebrated seven years of sobriety January 3rd. At the 19th Street Group, January celebrants included Ed H., with one year; Penny L., three years; Angela M., Dave W., Eric C., Ernie A., Harry C., Kenneth W., Michael S., Robert A., and Scott M., all with four years; Dale W., Merwin P., Sandy E., and Shari S., all with five years;Rich K., Rose B., and Steve M, all with six years; Bonnie Mc. and Todd G., seven years; Dottie G., John S., and Mary U., nine years; Karen P. and Yeda W., ten years; Tim F. and Tim F. (that's the bulletin board listing), 12 years; Beth P., Mike F., and Tom L., 14 years; Jim J., 16 years; and Cheryl G., 18 years. If your group keeps track of anniversaries, send them to us at wcampbel@epix.net. We'll continue to publish 'em as we get 'em.

Another "Shot of Enthusiasm."
        If you attended the "Shot of Enthusiasm" event in Middletown late last summer, you'll remember what an inspiring time everyone had---great speakers, good food, fine fellowship.  You'll probably also remember that Polly P., of California, had to cancel out as main speaker because of a string of airline snafus.  Well, mark March 31, 2001, on your calendar of "don't miss" events.  That's when the folks in Middletown will hold a second "Shot."  Polly P. already has her airplane ticket and is set to come east.  Bob H. says there'll be a flyer out later this month.  You'll want to move quickly on this one.  In the wake of raves following the first "Shot," the crowd can only get bigger.

Just a touch of AA history

        Is it just coincidence that Ebby T., Bill W., and Rowland H. all became close friends in Vermont, then got drunk and then laid the groundwork for AA?  And is it just coincidence that Bill W. was sent on a job to Akron where he ran into Dr. Bob S., who, in fact, was born just a few miles from Bill W....in Vermont?
 

Check up on your checks
    Intergroup Treasurer Craig P. says a major problem develops when groups fail to identify the purpose of checks they send to Intergroup.  If your group is making a donation to the general treasury, make sure the legend on the check indicates that. Once a check arrives at Craig's desk, he has no way of knowing whether it came to him via a literature purchase, was meant as a contribution, or whatever.  As a result, our accounting is thrown out of whack and groups may not be having contributions credited as such.

Promises indeed!

Contributed by Mike McB.
Kitchener, Ontario
    "If we are casual (not painstaking, but casual) with this phase of our development, we will be drunk before we are halfway through. We are going to know a new imprisonment and a new misery.   We will relive the past and won't be able to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word conflict and we will know pain. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will sink even lower. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will deepen. We will gain interest in selfish things and lose interest in our fellows.  Self esteem will slip away.  Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will suck.  Fear of people and of economic insecurity will multiply.  We will intuitively know how to run from situations which never used to bother us.  We will suddenly realize that God would never have done to us what we are doing to ourselves.
    Are these extravagant promises?  We think not.  They are being fulfilled among those of us who are still drinking---sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.  They will always materialize if we drink for them."

Memorial Day-50th year of AAI weekend set
   You'll want to mark your calendars now for the big Memorial Day weekend observance, May 27-28, at Fellowship House.  Sunday's proposed activities will get underway with a spiritual meeting at 8 a.m., followed by bagels, coffee and other snacks. The regular 10 a.m. meeting will be followed by a major speaker at 11:15, to be followed by a cold-cut and side-dish lunch.  Next will come the regular 2 p.m. meeting and then a 3:15 p.m. workshop/recovery session.  Monday's highlight will be the annual Memorial Day barbeque and all the regularly scheduled Monday meetings. The weekend will also mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Alanon Association Incorporated (AAI), the entity that was created to build Fellowship House.  You'll be sure to get a good dose of our rich local AA history, along with a clearer understanding of the relationship between Fellowship House and AA in general and why it is crucial to our traditions to keep the two separate.

More history

Frank Buchman, a Lutheran minister of Pennsylvania, founded the Oxford movement in 1921, following a spiritual experience while visiting Scotland. The Oxford movement, which practiced First Century Christianity, advocated the Four Absolutes of Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love.  These were the core of self examination, confession, restitution (amends) for wrongs, and service to others which became the bedrock of the AA program.
 
 
 
 

High Tech Hotline?
        Tina H., Hotline manager, is investigating the possibility of creating a pass-around cell phone network to beef up service to alcoholics seeking help via the AA Hotline.  Her concept is to have groups volunteer to man the cell phones for a given period---week, month, or whatever---letting individual members have a share of the work.  Details are expected to be ironed out within the next month or two.  One thing is already a certainty:  there would be thorough orientation of volunteer groups so that we can provide maximum benefits with the least possible anxiety for volunteers.  As things stand now, a handful of volunteers provide coverage for little more than one hour per day on average during any given month.  The balance of calls are handled by a commercial answering service, whose employees frequently aren't really tuned in to AA's needs.  Whatever developments come to pass, here's a big "thank you" to Tina for her creative attempt to solve what has been a nagging problem for the whole fellowship and to the volunteers who have been doing much with very little.

Sunlight of the Spirit
        We continue to plug AA affairs in other nearby areas, simply because our brothers and sisters in AA deserve our support---no matter where they may be.  One such event is the Sunlight of the Spirit Conference, which is slated for August 17-19 in York.  There will be lots of good recovery sessions, but the highlight will be speakers Clancy I, of Los Angeles; and Johnnie H., of Long Beach.  You can visit the web at wwwsosyorkpa.org for all the info you'll need.

$$$ and sense
"There are no dues or fees for AA membership."  We all take a certain pride and comfort from those words in the AA Preamble.  But what about the 7th Tradition that says "We are self supporting through our own contributions."?  That applies to Intergroup as well as individual groups.  Here's how we did in the year 2000.  According to Craig P., treasurer, we started the year with a balance of $3,144.77 and ended with a balance of $2,470.84---just $470.84 over our $2,000 "prudent reserve."
        Income of $15,303.89 included $5,529.35 from contributions; $7,040.69 from literature sales; $344.30 from schedule sales; $2,363.34 from activities; and $26.21 from interest.
        Expenses totalled $15,977.82. including $1,029.08 for schedules; $1,059.80 for telephone answering services; $1,471.44 for our own phones; $2,400 for rent; $6,370.18 for literature; $1,062.90 for supplies; $1,779.26 for activities and $805.16 miscellaneous.  Jim D. did a little extra math and came up with this: contributions---which should cover rent, telephones, answering service supplies and insurance---came up short by an average of $100 per month.  Fortunately, profits from activities and a good performance on literature sales helped bridge the gap.
 
 
 
 
 

Pearls of the month

Contributed by Jim M.
Bill W.'s portrait by "Lucky"
        "Often I sense the deep meaning of the phenomenon of Alcoholics
Anonymous, but I cannot begin to fathom it.  Why, for instance, at this particular point in history, has God chosen to communicate his healing grace to so many of us.  Who can say what this communication actually is---so mysterious and yet so practical?  We can only partly realize what we have received and what it has meant to each of us.
    It occurs to me that every aspect of this global enfoldment can be related to a single crucial word.  The word is communication.  There has been a lifesaving communication among ourselves, with the world around us, and with God...."
Language of the Heart, p. 243
        'We finally saw that the faith in some kind of God was a part of our make-up, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend.  Sometimes we had to search fearlessly, but He was there.  He was as much a fact as we were.  We found the Great Reality deep down within us.  In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.  It was so with us."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55
Santa says "Thanks!"
        Santa was happy, the kids were happy, and so was everyone in the Joy of Living Group, sponsors of the second annual party for recovering people's kids.  Tina H. of Joy of Living, said: "We want to thank everyone for their support and donations.  We especially want to thank the Lykens Group for their generosity.  A special thanks also to the 19th Street Group for having their Trim-A-Tree on the day of the party and to Linda for keeping the little ones fed.  With your donations this year, we were able to collect over 150 toys and other gifts for the children of recovering families.  There are no words that can describe the smile on each of the children's faces as they opened their gifts.  Your support shows that we, as alcoholics, care for those who are affected by our disease.  The last words that the children said as they left the party was: "See you next year!"

Speakers
    E-mail wcampbel@epix.net to get advance notice for your speaker meetings.
Speakers at the Bridge Street Group's Sunday 8 p.m. meeting are: Feb. 4, Ed E., Mid-City; Feb. 11, Mark T., West Shore; Feb. 18, Bob M., Carlisle; Feb. 25, Ricky Z., Carlisle; and March 4, David E., of Up the Creek.  At the 19th Street Group's Friday 8:30 p.m. meeting, the speakers will be Feb. 2, Neil D., Elizabethtown; Feb. 9, Sharri S., 19th Street; and Feb. 16, Kim G., 19th Street.  Feb. 23 is the group's monthly anniversary meeting.