Part I of IV
Northeast
Regional Forum
It was my privilege to represent AA groups of the Harrisburg/Carlisle area at the recent Northeast Regional Forum held in Somerset, NJ. This Forum took place June 26-28 and was the first of five Regional Forums that the General Service Board will hold this year, four in the U.S. and one in Canada. The Northeast Region includes all the U.S. states from Maine to Washington D.C. At a yearly regional forum, AA’s General Service Board, the General Service Office and the Grapevine combine to enhance communication and participation between AA members, service representatives and themselves. The Forums provide a meeting place to ask questions, transfer information relevant to AA members and those in AA service positions and to spark new ideas to help GSO and AA members carry the message of hope to the still sick and suffering alcoholic.
The forum structure of today originated in 1975, at the suggestion of the late chairman of the General Service Board of Trustees, Jack N. As Bill W. said…’we cannot sit comfortably in our groups and hope others will hear about us and come around’. Bill W. encouraged us all to remember the millions of sick alcoholics who still suffer. “Let us, at any cost or sacrifice, so improve our communication with all these that they may find what you have found—a new freedom under God.” As AAs in General Service take this action to meet and share with each other, it is believed that together our Fellowship will not only stay together but will continue to be that beacon of hope for alcoholics yet to come. Directors, Trustees, Area Delegates and Officers, DCMs, committee chairpersons, GSRs and most importantly, AA home group members, travelled many miles to attend this forum in order to ask questions and share experience, strength and hope and to learn better ways to serve AA groups now and in the future. This Forum, and the others, follow on the heels of the 2009 General Service Conference held in New York City this past April. This year’s theme was “Our Commitment to Carry AA’s Message—Enthusiasm and Gratitude in Action”.
During the Forum, each General Service Board position was represented and a presentation by each made clear each position’s purpose, roles and duties. Some GSO background information has been included here to explain some of these positions in more detail. Class A Trustees are the non-alcoholic trustees, ‘A for Amateur’, they like to call them. There are 7 Class A Trustees on the General Service Board. They are each selected because of their professional experience. They are not required to be anonymous and can comfortably deal with the media using their full names and faces. They serve a 6 year term. Class B Trustees, or Boozers, are the alcoholic members of the General Service Board. There are 14 such Class B Trustees. They serve 4 years. Of the 14, 4 are General Service Trustees, selected for their diversity and professional skills and talent. Two are Trustees-At-Large, one is from Canada and one from the U.S. The remaining 8 are regional trustees representing 6 geographic regions in the U.S. and 2 in Canada. The Trustee-At-Large is assigned to the International Committee and makes policy recommendations to the General Service Board regarding carrying the message to alcoholics in other countries, particularly in countries where there is no or a newly emerging service structure.
The Trustees (A and B) of the General Service Board, and its 13 trustees’ committees and the two service corporations (AA World Services and the Grapevine, Inc.) carry out the wishes of the AA groups as expressed in the group conscience of the General Service Conference, which is a year round process.
A representative of both Class A and B Trustees, as well as a Trustee-At-Large, made presentations at the Forum, discussing their roles and experience in General Service. Ward Ewing, Class A Trustee and Chairman of the General Service Board, welcomed the attendees and made opening remarks. Northeast Regional Class B Trustee, John K, served as the Forum’s MC throughout the weekend. JoAnne L, the Trustee-At-Large from Canada, spoke of AA Around the World, chronicling her travels to AA Conventions in different countries in a very interesting and inspirational presentation. She represented GSO at meetings and conventions in Iraq, Cuba, India, Finland, Brazil and Mongolia, just to name a few of the many locations requesting GSO assistance and experience. She will represent the General Service Board at the 21st World Service Meeting in Mexico City in October 2010. There are no borders in the realm of the spirit!
Northeastern Regional Forum
Part II of IV
At the Northeastern Regional Forum, a video, “Markings on the Journey”, a movie produced by GSO, was presented, showing the history of AA from Bill W’s story to the present day. This very interesting and inspirational movie, with clips of Bill W. and Dr. Bob themselves discussing sharing the message, is available to AA groups for use at workshops and conventions.
A General Sharing Session with Phyllis Halliday, the General Manager of the General Service Office, took place with questions asked by AA’s on the floor and answers from the Panel of Trustees and GSO employees. All sorts of information were presented in this manner. One interesting item was that GSO is preparing to accept secure online donations from AA groups and individual members directly from AA’s official website, aa.org. The history of the issue regarding AA World Services making the Big Book available for the Amazon Kindle Reader was addressed, specifically who did what, when and for what purpose. The Kindle issue was a popular topic for questions as AA’s tried to understand the timeline and revenue issues behind GSO’s decision. AAs were reminded that the Big Book is available on the website http://www.aa.org for anyone to read free of charge.
The Kindle was first brought up as an item of interest at the 2008 Northwest Regional Forum in Spokane Washington. GSO has been looking into sharing the message in new and more contemporary ways in today’s electronic, technological culture. The General Service Board discussed going to Amazon for more information about making the Big Book available for the Kindle. It was the Fellowship, they say, that initiated interest in the Kindle version of the Big Book. Amazon, however, actually approached AAWS first. The legal aspects and an agreement were discussed. At present the Big Book, as an AAWS is publication, is not yet available on Amazon’s Kindle Reader. Another version of the Big Book, published by the Anonymous Press, is currently available but this version is in no way affiliated with AA, GSO or AAWS.
Another important topic brought up from the floor was that of GSO having the General Service Conference Agenda items available for the general AA membership to consider earlier to allow groups and districts more time to learn about the issues, discuss the items in need of a vote, and make an informed group conscience decision to bring to the delegate before the Conference. It was explained by GSO that it is the General Service Conference itself that set the time frame for the agenda items. The items for consideration are available to the Area delegate by January or February, with the Conference taking place at the end of April. The GS Conference itself would have to change the time frame, this issue thus becoming an agenda item. Within the current time frame, it would be up to the delegate to get the agenda items to the districts and thus the groups more quickly. At present this is the total prerogative of the Area delegate and not a GSO issue.
Questions concerning the 2010 International Convention were considered. There will be no lottery for hotel rooms this year. Beginning in August, members worldwide may register for the Convention online. The San Antonio venue has literally 100,000’s of hotel rooms available. Online hotel room booking sites, such as Hotels.com, have basically eliminated the need for AA to be involved in reserving rooms. PassKey, an online software application, allows you to choose your hotel, your floor, your room. AA will assist those who require help booking of blocks of multiple rooms.
Another issue was that of a Spirituality pamphlet. Some members feel it is necessary to explain AA spirituality options to potential and newcomer AA’s, options such as atheism and agnosticism. Questions concerning the timeline of Spanish translated materials were discussed. Much of AA literature is not available in Spanish, although the basic text and other materials are and have been for some time. The Big Book is now published in 57 languages, copies of which were on view at a table set aside for that purpose. Other AA literature, pamphlets and such, is available in 77 languages.
Northeastern Regional Forum
Saturday’s Forum schedule was jam-packed with interesting sessions, workshops and presentations. First up was Dorothy H, from our own Area 59, the AA Grapevine Director and General Service Board Member and Chair of the Grapevine, Inc. She brought to light some challenges facing the Grapevine magazine. The GV has no advertisements and thus no ad income. It receives no contributions from anyone. The GV gets no member fees or contributions from the 7th Tradition basket. The GV and its other literature is not sold in stores. There is no sale of GV materials to any source outside AA. The GV is totally self-supporting by subscriptions alone. Today a one year subscription of 12 issues at 64 full-color pages an issue is $27.00, or $2.25 per issue. In 1944, an 8-page issue, one year subscription was $2.50, or 25¢ an issue. AA owns the Grapevine. You, me, WE own the Grapevine. It is up to AA’s to support our magazine, our meeting in print.
Robin B, the AA Grapevine Executive Editor, gave a presentation on the Grapevine magazine as well. Robin publishes the GV and La Vina. The GV began in 1944 and is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. The GV remains one of the longest running “meetings” in AA and one of the longest running magazines in publication in U.S. history. The AA Preamble was introduced in the GV and was written by a former GV editor. Bill W. first published the 12 Traditions, one per month, in the Grapevine. The book, Language of the Heart, is a compilation of Bill W.’s articles written for and published in the Grapevine. The Digital Grapevine, available at the GV website aagrapevine.org, is a clearinghouse of every Grapevine article, joke, picture and cartoon that ever appeared in the magazine and contains 1000’s of items of AA interest.
The Grapevine employs 11 full time, 4 part time and 3 freelance employees. The magazine is housed in the same building as the General Service Office, on Riverside Drive in New York City, overlooking the East River. All AA’s are welcome and encouraged to visit anytime the office is open.
The new contemporary GV look appeared in conjunction with the magazine’s 65th anniversary. The look conveys seriousness and is also a beacon of hope to those alcoholics who are still sick and suffering. The font used on the cover is the same used for the 12 Steps and Traditions on the shade pull versions you see in most AA meetings worldwide. Readers have written and called and now the preamble and the statement of purpose will be back where they belong; on the inside cover. The steps and traditions will also be back where they have always been as well, on the inside back cover. AA’s speak and the GV responds!
The Grapevine has 104,000 subscribers. And half a million issues are printed each month. The editor stressed a call for articles. The GV is our magazine and needs contributions in the form of articles, stories, pictures and jokes by AA’s like us. She asks that contributors keep to the specific guidelines printed in each issue and on the website.
Patrick R, La Vina Editorial Advisory Board Chairperson, spoke about the history of our Spanish language version of the Grapevine. In 1991 there was great interest in translated articles within the Grapevine magazine for Spanish speaking AA’s. One article per month was translated until 1995. GSO decided then to publish a translated version of the current GV. That was OK but still only a translated version and not a total Spanish speaking and cultural magazine. In July 1996 La Vina was published. It was a total Spanish version, with Spanish stories written by Spanish AA’s in Spanish, and not just a translation of English stories. La Vina was not self-supporting and in 2001 the General Service Conference recommended that La Vina have the continued support it needs as a service to the Fellowship. In 2006 La Vina celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Northeastern Regional Forum
Part IV of IV
Area delegates representing every Area and state in the Northeast Region made presentations, or chaired workshops, on such topics as Apathy in AA, The GSR: Staying in Touch with AA as a Whole, A Spiritual Program of Action and Special Interest Meetings and AA Unity, among others. All were well presented, very interesting, sparking questions and debate.
In another of several Question and Answer sessions, many issues were brought up including making the GSO website more user-friendly and easier to navigate, selling the Grapevine at newsstands and bookstores, child safety laws and young people in AA meetings, and more issues concerning the Big Book/Amazon Kindle controversy.
The topic of the Full Forum Workshop, presented by Kathie F, the Delegate from Northern New Jersey, was the General Service Conference, “Our Commitment to Carry AA’s Message—Enthusiasm and Gratitude in Action”. She began by stating that our twelve steps, traditions and concepts are, she believes, the 36 spiritual principles of gratitude (12 Steps, 12 Traditions, and 12 Concepts). Service is gratitude in action. With each job, with each service position, you have in AA, something new and better will unfold. New lessons are learned. New experiences can be shared, new people met that teach us or learn from us. Service is a way to “pass it on”. Cathie mentioned the new influx of wet drunks into AA due to insurance monies for rehabs drying up. The folks are true newcomers and have had no former AA experience. They must be taught the basics. Service work is a very important and estimable act in this sense, as Bill W. described. Take newcomers along when you do service work. Show them the ropes. Show them enthusiasm in action. Talk about service work other than in a business meeting. Service teaches humility. It teaches us all how to play nice and listen to others.
More evening workshop titles included The Importance of Holding District Workshops, The Role of the GSR, Twelfth Stepping, La Vina, AA and the Internet, Raising Awareness about GSO, Humility and Spirituality in Service, and The AA Message and the 21st Century Alcoholic. These workshops were presented by area delegate and GSO staff.
Sunday morning began with more general sharing questions and answers. Then 8 past General Service Trustees shared their experience, strength and hope. Each spoke about their terms in general service, the impact of service on their personal programs, life lessons learned and what they see in AA’s future. A topic of great interest was the fact that every AA can trace their sobriety directly to the service of some AA or another. Asked how you first heard the AA message or got to your first meeting, most of us can point back to the message moving through our general service structure.