Delegate’s Report to Area Assembly, Aug 13, 2017
Delegates Report to Area Assembly, period of July 10 to August 13, 2017
Thank you to our host district 0200. I very much appreciate their hospitality.
Pending legal matter: Printer’s Copy Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous
On August 9, I received an email, which was sent to all members of the General Service Conference, from Michele G, Chair, General Service Board. The subject of her email was the pending legal matter regarding the Printer’s Copy Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous.
- The August 2 hearing did not occur, upon agreement of the parties and the court. The court recently set the next status conference for October 11, 2017. All filings in the case are a matter of public record
- The manuscript is now in secured storage. The auction house, and the gallery, where the manuscript had been displayed, have been dismissed from the matter
- Discussions of the legal situation within the Board and with counsel, however, remain confidential and privileged, so this is as much as can be shared at this time
- Thank you for your ongoing engagement, all your questions and expressions of concern, and your love for our A.A. fellowship and the legacy of A.A. unity. While some of you may disagree with our actions from time to time, please be assured that each board member loves A.A. and is acting in good faith as a trusted servant in accordance with Tradition Two, as discussed in the Concept Seven essay
- The Public Information desk at the General Service Office continues to be the primary source of communication about this legal manner, both within and outside the fellowship. We ask that you direct your comments there, so that we can gather your thoughts in an orderly manner. All communications about this matter received as of July 27 have been provided to all Board members
Committee Chair Mailing List Update
The General Service Office has just started the process of updating the service committee mailing list in the Fellowship New Vision database of trusted servants. GSO is contacting each district and intergroup/central office committees. (The memorandum from GSO has been posted on the area website.) It is very important for committee chairs to review the memorandum to ensure that they continue to receive pertinent information regarding their committee from GSO. If you do not respond, to confirm or change your information, you will be removed from the service committee mailing list. The deadline for email recipients is August 18, 2017. Postal mail recipients by September 8, 2017.
Area Website
Unfortunately, I see scant evidence that the website is being utilized by us. Everyone says we are in the digital age but we seem to be stuck in an analog time-warp. The website is an excellent repository of all types of information. In addition, it is serving as a historical storage area. A living/working archives. Our fellowship expends a lot of financial resources (and time, effort) preserving our past. Posting to the website cost almost nothing. I urge you to use the Website. Committee chairs, DCM’s and officers should post reports. And we should read them. We need to share information, in order to better carry out our Primary Purpose.
International Conventions/Regional Forums
The conference trustee chair of the International Conventions/Regional Forums recently contacted me. Her name is Yolanda F. She is the current Southwest Regional Trustee, and she is a past delegate, panel 50. She lives in San Antonio, Texas. She briefly updated me on the work of the committee. The logo for the 2020 international convention in Detroit is ready to be rolled out. In addition, there has been some discussion regarding conducting special forums. As the delegate chair of the committee, I look forward to working with her as the conference delegate chair.
Documents Recently Posted on the Area Website
Safety card ordering information. (I would like to know if any groups are using this card in their meetings)
67th General Service Conference final report
Opening for non-trustee appointed committee member for trustees committee on literature. The post includes the application. The deadline for submitting the application is October 27, 2017. Regarding this opening, currently literature directed towards young people is being revised. Thus, the committee would like to hear from A.A. members with experience carrying the message to young people. Some of the qualities most desirable for this non-trustee opening are: expertise in and familiarity with use of current technology and communications tools.
Please feel free to speak with me if you have any questions regarding this opening. For those of you who do have experience carrying the message to young people I hope that you will review the application.
Conference Report: Printed and Electronic
The printed copy of the 67th General Service Conference final report will be available at the September meeting. The first ever electronic, anonymity protected version, of the final report is now available on the area website, delegates page.
DCM and Alternate DCM Summit
At the area committee meeting, it was decided to have the DCM Summit, which was discussed at last month’s meeting. It is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 4 from 10 AM to 3 PM at a location to be determined. The purpose of the summit is to educate, encourage and empower the DCM. It will involve a commitment to doing pre-meeting assignments, and a post meeting project(s).
Grapevine: Subscribe Now
The Grapevine is an excellent publication. Monthly news about the Grapevine is posted to the area website. There is also link to materials you can use at your home group to encourage subscriptions and the purchase of Grapevine publications. It is undeniable that the Grapevine has tremendous value when it is circulated in correctional facilities and treatment centers. Even if you do not read the magazine yourself, subscribe and give your copy to your local treatment or correctional committee. They will see to it that it is used. Also, the area needs a Grapevine chair. I hope you will consider taking on this valuable service commitment.
Where Have I Been?
Correction from last month’s minutes. The Hill Group Anniversary was its 55th and not 52nd. And there were 21 inmates in attendance and not 15.
I shared at the Penfield Friday Night meeting, on July 14. This group has long been committed to serving AA by participating in the general service structure and I was glad to see so many friends at the meeting. Thank you to Carrie C, our Area Chairperson, for the invitation to speak.
I gave a report back on the 67th General Service Conference at the Love and Service Group, Rochester, on July 22. This group is very active in service on many levels, including general service. Approximately 20 people were in attendance. I am grateful that the group took the time to organize this event, and it is a reminder, to me, of their ongoing fierce commitment to fulfilling our primary purpose. Thank you to Lisa C, their GSR, for the invitation.
It was a privilege to share at the Geneva Noontime Group 70th Anniversary, on August 11. 70 years! What a tremendous accomplishment. The meeting was very well attended. Thank you to Mary B, DCM 0260 for the invitation to speak, and to Amanda P, the groups GSR, and the other event volunteers. They did a great job!
I want you to know, that whatever I am asked to share at a meeting. I always bring for display purposes items from the General Service Conference. And materials from the Grapevine, which I give out, as I urge people to subscribe to the Grapevine.
Where am I Going?
I will be attending the annual district border picnic which is held by New York district 0500 and Pennsylvania district 46. It will be in Lawrence Township Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 9. I attended one previously, with my wife Patty, when she was the Panel 63 delegate and enjoyed it very much. At 2 PM there is a meeting and Paul M, Delegate, Panel 67, Area 59, Eastern Pennsylvania, and myself are the speakers. Thank you to Chrissie S, and district 0500 for inviting me.
NERT Conference Call
The Northeast Regional Trustee has scheduled a conference call with delegates and alternate delegates on August 24. Purpose of the call is informational. I will update you at the next assembly.
Alternate Delegate
Barb, our alternate delegate, and myself continue to stay in touch with a bi-weekly phone call. Except when I don’t enter the correct information in my calendar and I forget to call her, which happened of couple weeks ago.
GSO Archives Department Closed for Construction
No visitor tours of the GSO Archives from 9/14 to 9/25.
38th annual New York State Informational Workshop
Thank you to Michele S-F, the chairperson of the event. She and her committee and volunteers did the area proud! It was a great weekend of information sharing and fellowship. I know from experience the amount of planning and work required to put on an informational workshop. They did this work on behalf of us, Area 47. And they did it with gratitude in their heart and a cheerful smile on their face.
It was good to see our past delegates Tom T, Jim D, and Bob W, in attendance. Along with past delegates Paul W, and Patty S who also served on the host committee. And a shout out to Patty for her efforts on behalf of the committee. I saw firsthand how hard she worked. In fact, I had to move some of the piles of papers on the couch in our living room out of the way so I could sit down to watch a ballgame.
Personally, I love the event. It was great to see my fellow New York State delegates and other friends and to make new friends. Rick W, from GSO, attended the conference and was our Saturday night meeting speaker. He had a very long travel day on Friday, as his flight from NYC was canceled, but he got the last available seat on a train to Rochester and made it here late Friday evening. (And his trip home was also plagued by delays and ran considerably late.) It was nice to get to know him a little, and he told me that he very much enjoyed the workshop, which was the first one he ever attended.
Thank you to our Area Chair, Carrie, for letting us all know what our responsibilities were regarding attending and participating in the workshop and I believe it very much contributed to the success of the event.
I also want to thank our committee chairs. They showed up, and did a great job of presenting on the service panels. Thank you to our Archives Chair, Lori. Our Corrections Chair, Michelle. Our CPC Chair, Billy. Our Public Information, Chair Anita. Our Accessibility Chair, Peter. Our Treatment Chair, Nikki. And Colleen, DCM, 0340, who covered for the Website Chair, David. I also want to thank Doug, our Literature Chair for setting shop so that attendees could purchase materials. I urge the chairs to write up their experience at the workshop and post them on the area website. Of course, you do make a verbal report to the assembly. A written report doesn’t have to be fancy, or lengthy. After all, your fellow assembly members are not literary critics, we are but trusted servants. We grow and develop as trusted servants by the actions we take within our commitments.
I now speak directly to the committee chairs: I was so proud of all of you. Inside, I was beaming with pride for you, like a father for his children. It caused me to reflect on my own experiences, and I can see today how important it was that I did this service work. How vital it was to my own recovery and how it gave my life a wonderful new meaning and purpose. My hope for you is, that it will in time be an experience that you look back at fondly knowing that something significant happened to you. Something that made you a better person.
Finally, I delivered as promised/threatened, LOL. When I presented at the delegates panel on Sunday morning, I wore a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.
That’s the New York State Informational Workshop. The best bang for your buck in AA!
Thank you for the privilege of serving Area 47. Joe S, Delegate P67/A47 CNY
