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Sobriety News
 February 2006

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Sobriety News is a publication of the Harrisburg Area Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is written, edited, and read by AA members, and those interested in the AA program of recovery from the disease of alcoholism, linking one alcoholic to another.
    Our desperation to find relief from the bondage of alcoholism has led us to this program as a new "design for living". Many members utilize meetings, sponsorship, self examination, amends, prayer, meditation, AA literature, service to fellow alcoholics, and many other tools to maintain their recovery. This publication is intended as one more tool to live a life of recovery. Because each AA member has an individual way of working this program, divergent views to recovery, within the concept of the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, are welcome. An effort is made to print all viewpoints in this forum. Articles are not intended to be statements of AA policy, nor does publication of any article imply endorsement by AA or the Harrisburg Area Intergroup.

February Calendar of Events*

Feb 2 Thursday 6:45PM Harrisburg Area Intergroup meeting and election of 
officers @ Fellowship House
Feb 3 Friday 8:00PM 40th St. Speaker meeting Cecil
Feb 3 Friday 8:30PM 19th Street Speaker AnnaMae B from 19th Street
Feb 4 Saturday 8:00PM Hershey Speaker Georgia E from There's More To Life
Feb 5Sunday 8:00PM Bridge St. Speaker Mike R from Palmyra Group
Feb 9-12 Thursday - Sunday   42 annual International AA Women's Conference
Minneapolis, MN  http://www.iaawc.org
Feb 10 Friday 8:00PM 19th Street Speaker Jim M
Feb 12 Sunday 8:00PM Bridge Street Speaker Jan D from 40th St.
Feb 13 Monday 6:45PM District 36 meeting @ Fellowship House
Feb 17 Friday 8:30PM 19th St Speaker Bob B
Feb 18 Saturday 12:00-5:00 Acts of Recovery in Philadelphia**
Feb 19 Sunday 8:00PM Bridge St. Speaker Gail R from Just 4 Today
Feb 23 Thursday 7:00PM Middletown Speaker TBD
Feb 24 Friday 8:30PM 19th St. Anniversaries
Feb 26 Sunday 7:30PM 7th Anniversary Rule 62 speaker John P of TMTL**
Feb 26 Sunday 8:00PM Bridge St. Speaker Jack M from Columbia

Looking Ahead
March 2 Thursday 6:45PM HAI Meeting @ Fellowship House
March 3 Friday 8:00PM 40th St. Speaker TBD
March 4 Saturday 8:00PM Hershey Speaker Kelly K from Hershey Group
March 5 Sunday 9:00AM Out of the Dark Open Speaker Meeting Fran B
March 13 Monday 6:45PM District 36 meeting @ Fellowship House
March 17-18 Fri/Sat 7:00PM Back to Basics seminar in Pittsburgh http://www.ppgaapittsburgh.org
March 18 Saturday 6:30PM         HAI Swing into Spring @ Oberlin Firehall**
June 9-11 Weekend 61st Annual Texas State Convention http://www.txaa2006.org
Aug 18-20 Weekend   9th Annual Sunlight of the Spirit Conf. York**
Aug 25-27 Weekend   PENNSCYPAA 18 in ERIE, PA**
July 2008 TBD   Al-Anon International Convention - Pittsburgh, PA
July 2010 TBD   AA International Convention - San Antonio, TX

** See Flyer of this event on links page, click AA logo.  

To links and current events

The Links Page
 The AA blue button above will take you to the links and current events page. Did you know that the links page has links to Flyers of events, other AA websites and to back issues of Sobriety News? 
You can make flyers of your group's activities available to others for printing off the internet by e-mailing a copy to jfee@comcast.net  Flyers will be added as they become available and removed when an event passes. If you are looking at this on the Internet, you will see that many of the insert pictures are links you can click on to get added information or flyers. Keep checking.

40th Street "Come in out of the Cold" Dinner/Speaker/Dance
On Saturday, January 21, over 200 people attended the Oberlin Firehall for a night of fun, food, fellowship and music.  The evening started with a dinner of salad, ziti, sausage, meatballs, garlic bread all followed by an assortment of decadent homemade desserts.  Special thanks go to head chef Joe F and his excellent group of kitchen volunteers for providing a delicious dinner.  

A sobriety countdown conducted by Kris S followed.  The individuals with the most sobriety (36 years) and least sobriety (1 day) were presented with either an AA  Big Book or the Experience, Strength and Hope book.

Ed S of the Desire Group followed  and shared his experience, strength, and hope..  Ed shared that upon arriving at AA he thought he had found the finish line, only to discover it was the starting line.  His drinking life had been nothing but ambulances, police cars, barstools and DUIs.  It wasn't until he finally surrendered that he found sobriety. Now sober 21 years he continues to learn something new all the time.

The night ended as those remaining listened and danced to the sounds of DJ Jason D of Evolution Entertainment

Swing Into Spring
The Harrisburg Area Intergroup will hold its spring event this year at the Oberlin Firehall on Saturday March 18, beginning at 6:30PM with hors d'oeuvres, and desserts, the Master of Ceremonies will start the program off at 7:15PM and LeeAnn C from the Out of the Dark will speak on the topic, "A chance to grow and learn through Service" at about 7:30. LeeAnn will be followed by the entertaining recovering comedienne Jessica K from New York at 8:00 and the evenings fellowshipping will move on to other venues at about 9PM. Tickets will be available from your Intergroup Rep for $5.00 per person, and children under age 12 will be free when accompanied by an adult.

Area # 59 Meeting Schedules
There is a link to the Meeting Schedules here, ( if you have Microsoft Word,  you can print out the schedules that use the doc. extension). These schedules are current with the latest information available. If you see an error, or information for your meeting has been changed, the schedule will be updated if you notify us at schedule update ,or if you notify an Intergroup Officer,  or mail the info to HAI, Fellowship House, 1251 S. 19th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17105. 

There are schedules available for many Districts within Area # 59, including Lebanon, York and Lancaster Counties, as well as for District 42 (Sunbury-Lewistown), District 35 (Gettysburg-Chambersburg, and Hanover), District 38 Pottsville, Northeastern Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre-Scranton), Reading Area, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Southeastern PA, and Williamsport District 48.

Carrying The Message
 A complete Calendar of Events depends on our active members contributing information about their coming events, participation of Intergroups in surrounding Districts, and our ability to gather information. We feel it is worth trying. Let us know what you think. Often, we miss opportunities within the fellowship because the message didn't get out. We all want to carry the message to other alcoholics. This will be one more way we can accomplish that.

Traditions Checklist*

TRADITION TWO: For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority -- a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

  1. Do I criticize or do I trust and support my group officers, AA committees, and office workers? Newcomers? Old-timers?
  2. Am I absolutely trustworthy, even in secret, with AA Twelfth Step jobs or other AA responsibilities?
  3. Do I look for credit in my AA jobs? Praise for my AA ideas?
  4. Do I have to save face in group discussion, or can I yield in good spirit to the group conscience and work cheerfully along with it?
  5. Although I have been sober a few years, am I still willing to serve my turn at AA chores?
  6. In group discussions, do I sound off about matters on which I have no experience and little Knowledge?

*The Traditions Checklist Questions were originally published in the AA Grapevine in conjunction with a series on the Twelve Traditions that began in November 1969, and ran through September 1971. Sobriety News prints the Checklist for the number of the month that corresponds to the number of the Tradition that it deals with, because of the prohibitive length of all twelve. It is important that we be aware of the Twelve Traditions in our lives of recovery, because they help assure that AA will continue to be here for us, and for others who want it.

Printed by permission. THE AA GRAPEVINE INC., PO BOX 1980, GRAND CENTRAL STATION, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10163-1980

 12 Concepts Illustrated

From the publication Concepts Illustrated, The Sobriety News will publish the Concept each month, which corresponds to the number of the month, because we so seldom are exposed to these very important concepts of relationships, whether it be between levels of the organization, or members of a family.

Concept II

When, in 1955, the AA groups confirmed the permanent charter for their General Service Conference, they thereby delegated to the Conference complete authority for the active maintenance of our world services and thereby made the Conference -- excepting for any change in the Twelve Traditions or in Article 12 of the Conference Charter -- the actual voice and the effective conscience for our whole Society.

Concept I establishes the "final responsibility and ultimate authority" of the AA groups; but, in actual practice, how are they to manage AA's service affairs? By delegation, Concept II declares.

Bill and DR. Bob, entrusted by the early groups to get the program going and to spread the message, found non-alcoholic friends to help them. They formed a trusteeship and delegated to it the responsibility for finances, the Big Book and other literature, public information, the service office and the AA Grapevine. However, as the trustees constantly looked to the co-founders for advice and guidance and the groups also continued to hold them accountable, it was evident that the leadership should be transferred to the AA groups as a whole. But if the groups were to carry on their primary purpose, they would have to delegate their leadership role to a General Service Conference. They do this by electing a General Service Representative (GSR) for each group. The GSRs meet regularly in area assemblies and every two years elect delegates from among their numbers. Every April, the delegates from the 91 areas in the US and Canada meet for six days with the trustees of the General Service Board, the staffs of the General Service Office and the AA Grapevine and certain other service workers. Thus, this General Service Conference of AA is "the actual voice and effective conscience of our whole Society in its world affairs."

“I am responsible when anyone anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA to always be there and for that I am responsible”.

Help for the Hearing Impaired
 If anyone in our AA community knows sign language and is willing to be of service, there is a need in the Harrisburg Area for your help.  If you are willing to help a hearing impaired person please notify Intergroup through your Intergroup rep.

Internet Source for Recorded AA Talks
 There is a new source for some good AA recording of talks from the Harbor City Speakers, Acts of Recovery.  South College Speaker Group, Steps in Action, Unity in Action, White Rose and various others.  These are free for you to download in MP3 format on your computer.  The Web address is http://greatfact.org  You can hear speakers from the Greater Harrisburg Acts of Recovery that you may have missed.

A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor
is like a ship without a rudder

Anecdotage

Jake, the rancher went one day,
To fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty;
The clouds rolled gray and dense.

As he pounded the last staples in
And gathered his tools to go,
The temperature had fallen;
The wind and snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup,
He felt a heavy heart;
From the sound of that ignition,
He knew it wouldn't start!

So Jake did what most of us would do,
Had we been there
He humbly bowed his balding head
And sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key for one last time,
He softly cursed his luck.
They found him three days later,
Frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life
And done his share of roaming.
But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked --
It looked just like Wyoming !

Of all the saints in Heaven,
His favorite was St. Peter.
Now, this line ain't really needed,
But it helps with rhyme and meter)

So they set and talked a minute or two,
Or maybe it was three.
Nobody was keeping score --
In Heaven time is free.

I've always heard," Jake said to Pete,
That God will answer prayer,
But one time when I asked for help,
Well, HE just plain wasn't there.

Does God answer prayers of some,
and ignore the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly square --
I know all men are brothers."

Or does he randomly reply,
Without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's the time of day,
The weather or the season."

Now I ain't trying to act smart,
It's just the way I feel.
And I was wondering, could you tell me --
What the heck's the deal?!"

Peter listened patiently,
And when old Jake was done,
There were smiles of recognition,
And he said, "So, you're the one!!"

That day! Your truck; It wouldn't start,
And you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time,
With hundreds of us all trying."

A thousand angels rushed,
To check the status of your file,
But you know, Jake,
We hadn't heard from you, in quite a while."

And though all prayers are answered, And God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice,
And started a truck in Minnesota !"

BETTER KEEP IN TOUCH!

An Alcoholic is someone whose feet
are firmly planted in thin air

New Meetings and Changes
The Out of the Dark Group is changing its format for the 1st Sunday of each month.  The group meets at the Wormleysburg Borough Hall @ 9:00AM.  Starting in March, 2006 the new format will be an Open Speaker Meeting.

The Millersburg Group which formerly met on Monday Nights has changed the name of the group to The Open Door Group and will now meet on Tuesdays at 8;00PM.  The meeting is held at the Feed My Sheep Ministries located at 242 Market St, Millersburg.  The format is Open discussion and it is a non-smoking meeting.

The Never Too Young Group of Duncannon has changed the format of their last Wednesday of the month 8:00PM meeting, to a closed non-smoking Step study. So, bring your '12 & 12 book' along to 301 North High Street in Duncannon (Otterbein Methodist) and learn precisely how to stay sober.

The new Loysville "Empty Jug" meeting has moved to the Assembly of God Church on 6th Street in Newport. The meetings are still Saturday nights at 7:00PM, and the formats are unchanged, see the flyer . 

There is a change of place for the Sunday night Al-Anon meeting. Formerly Holy Spirit Hospital, now at the: Chapel Hill UCC (corner of Poplar Church & Erford Rds.), entrance in rear of church, 2nd floor-Rm. 4. Also, Al-Anon's next District meeting is on Tues. Jan. 31st @ 6:00 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Camp Hill Rm. 232.

A new meeting called the Grantville AA Group has started on Tuesday Evenings .  The meeting is an Open Discussion, Non-Smoking meeting.  The meeting is held at 146 Firehouse Rd (use rear entrance).  The building is located across the road from St. John's United Methodist Church.  Parking is available in the church parking lot.  More information is available @ 469-2577.

If you don't want to slip
stay away from slippery places 

January Intergroup Meeting

At the January meeting of Intergroup, Chairperson RC opened the meeting with the serenity prayer. Secretary Ami Jo read the minutes from December's meeting which were accepted by the group.  Treasurer report given by Kevin C. and accepted.  Issue about receiving a donated check from a deceased member was discussed, and check given to Fellowship House, since it was not made out to Intergroup. 

Dennis H gave a report for Central office, calls have been running @ 85 per month, mostly for meeting information, so answering the cell phone is not difficult..  Groups volunteered for cell phone for January - Hershey; February - Big Book Study Group; March - open; April - Women's Serenity.  Men's group covered December's commitment.    Lorie gave report on Cumberland Co. Women's prison and requested literature.  One dozen "Big Books" soft covered were donated.  

Activities report given by Kris S. for spring event.  Motion was made and carried to give a budget of $2,500 for event.  There was discussion about having a separate account for the activities committee, instead of using 7th tradition money.  It was suggested that the First Tradition indicates that by representation groups vote to conduct activities and consistent with that we follow the group conscience. We don't have separate accounts for any other of the activities we carry out on behalf of groups such as cell phone hot line, meeting schedules, literature sales, or internet, etc. A motion was carried unanimously to not require activities to be self supporting.

Robert H, our Chairperson announced that Intergroup Officers elections would be held at the February meeting. A Nominating Committee of Bill C of Winding It Up, Albert D from The Way Out and Middletown, and Elaine S from Bridge Street would find candidates for the February meeting.

There was discussion of amending the bylaws to make the Treasurer's position a Two year commitment because of the involved process of changing over to new treasurer. The concept was tabled until it could be determined how to measure the availability of a 2/3 majority to change the "By-Laws".

Donations

December's donation to Intergroup from the local groups totaled $1,012.00.  Groups contributing were 40th Street, Dillsburg, Hershey Nooner, Out of the Dark, and There's More to Life. If you are mailing donations to either Intergroup or District please use the following addresses.

Harrisburg Area Intergroup           District 36
1251 S. 19th St.                                PO Box 5325
Harrisburg, PA. 17104                     Harrisburg, PA. 17110

Also, the addresses for contributions to Area 59  and GSO are:

Eastern PA General Service Area 59   General Service Office
1112 Silver Maple Dr.                           Box #459
Clarks Summit , PA 18411                     Grand Central Station
                                                             New York, NY 10163

It's okay to look back at the past
just don't stare at it.

Pearl of the Month   ©  AA Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p33 
Step Two is the rallying point for all of us.  Whether agnostic, atheist or former believer, we can stand together on this Step.  True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every A.A. meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him.

Food For Thought
Contributions are made to Food For Thought by recovering alcoholics who have this outlet to share feelings and opinions about living in recovery. The material included does not necessarily express the views of Harrisburg Area Intergroup, or Alcoholics Anonymous. It is simply an opportunity for recovering alcoholics to express thoughts they would like to share. Why not share something of yourself with our readers?

Today is the tomorrow that I worried about yesterday...And what else I heard at a Meeting

I used to fret.  I used to worry.  Now that I am in AA, I still fret; I still worry.  However, I just can't seem to do it as creatively as I once did.

I go to meetings.  I hear things.  "This too shall pass".  Well, life is short.  It too will pass.  Is this supposed to calm me?

Other things I've heard.  "One needn't make a crisis out of an incident"  Why not, for heaven's sake.  What the heck is an incident for anyways? You cannot at all lay claim to the center of attention if all you have is an incident!  You need mountains for that.  What self-respecting alcoholic would go to a meeting titled "The Molehill Group".

"Wherever you go - there you are"  I heard that at a meeting.  Did I need to hear that?  Actually, maybe, I did.  I thought if I went some where else there would be somebody different there.  Unfortunately, there wasn't.  My self seemed to be like a dog that always found its way back even if it hadn't been there before.  Now, when I go someplace, I prepare.  I take precautions.  For the chances are, given the way things have been going lately, I'll be there when I get there and because of that, God knows, I'll need to know where a meeting is.  And a dog park. 

"To live or just exist - the choice is yours"  I heard this too.  It worries me.  What to choose?

"The way to get anywhere is to start from where you are"  I also heard this at a meeting.  I've concluded it must have been thought up by the same guy who thought up "wherever you go, there you are".

Who is this guy that says all these things that are heard at meetings, anyways?  I ask people, "who said that?"  "I don't know" they respond.  Sometimes I wonder if it's an anonymous program out of principle, or because we don't know.

I go to meetings.  I worry.  But, it's not like it used to be.

Another thing I've been worrying about lately.  All my best thoughts seem to be things I've heard at meetings.  Go figure.
 (Anonymous and Relieved)

This Month in AA History

1934    Sister Ignatia befriended Dr. Thomas P Scuderi (an emergency room intern who later became Medical Director of Ignatia Hall at St. Thomas Hospital).  She convinced him that alcoholics were sick and accident-prone and persuaded Dr. Scuderi to allow them to "rest" in the hospital prior to release.  Dr. Scuderi and Sister Ignatia secretly treated Bill D (later to become AA#3) prior to his meeting Dr. Bob and Bill.

1938    Frank Amos went to Akron to inspect the group there.  He made a very favorable report to Willard Richardson who presented it to John D Rockefeller Jr. urging a donation of $50,000.  Rockefeller refused to make the donation but provided $5,000 to be held in a fund in the Riverside Church treasury. Much of the fund was used to pay off Dr. Bob's mortgage and provide Bill and Bob with $30 a week as long as the fund lasted.

1940    John D Rockefeller Jr. held a dinner for AA at the Union League Club.  75 of the 400 invited guests attended.  Nelson Rockefeller hosted the dinner in the absence of his ill father.  The dinner produced much favorable publicity for AA.  It also raised $2,200 from the attendees.  Rockefeller and the dinner guests continued to provide about $3,000 a year up to 1945 when they were asked to stop contributing.

1954    Bill W declined an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Yale.  Bill's father Gilman Barrows Wilson, age 84, dies penniless in Vancouver.

SOBRIETY NEWS is published monthly, and is usually available on the website the Wednesday before the first Thursday of each month, so paper copies can be distributed to Reps at the Intergroup meeting. You can locate this newsletter, as well as lots of other stuff that would interest members of groups belonging to the Harrisburg Area Intergroup, at http://www.aaharrisburg.org

INTERNET SOBRIETY NEWS SUBSCRIPTIONS
Sobriety News is e-mailed monthly to free subscribers who have indicated a desire to receive it.  You may indicate a wish to be added to the mailing list by clicking on  Subscribe   and then clicking on send. There is no charge for this service. It is normally mailed the Wednesday before the first Thursday of the month by BCC (blind copy) to protect the anonymity of recipients. You need to notify us if you change e-mail addresses, and you may not receive it, if your computer or internet service provider screens out mail that does not have your name in the To: box.

REMOVAL
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