It’s A We Program One of the first things I was told when I sobered up was that the first word of the first step was “We”. It was a “We” program and I never had to do anything alone again. I thought that meant working the steps. I thought that meant that I would get a sponsor and WE would work the steps together. I soon found out that it also meant that on Saturday mornings several of us would get together and WE would clean the meeting hall. As early sobriety progressed I learned that WE also made decisions together through a group conscience. But it wasn’t until I became a GSR and began serving the Fellowship outside the group that I found out how much WE really covered. There is a saying I heard, or read, someplace that defines WE for me. It is “Some of us are more ca- pable than others of us, but none of us are as capable as all of us. ” It’s not a conferenced approved saying, but I think it describes perfectly how AA functions for recovery and service. Until I went to my first district meeting I really didn’t realize how much there was to A.A. A.A. was meetings. I took meetings into the county jail. I didn’t think about who took meetings into the city jail, or the treatment center. I never thought about how people that called the A.A. group found the num- ber. I didn’t know that A.A. printed its own literature or how it got to the groups. At that first district meeting I quickly found out why we had districts and why “WE” covered not just members working the steps, but also applied to groups working together to carry the message in a way one individual or even one group could not. In my district we had 3 jails, 3 treatment centers, 3 hospitals, 2 treatment centers, 2 newspapers, 1 TV station, etc. Certainly more than one group could cover, but easy for several groups working togeth- er. Each district meeting I attended there was time to report what had been accomplished since the last meeting. And time to review and coordinate between the groups everything that needed to be covered during the next month. The district purchased a set of public service announcements for radio stations. This was possible because all the groups contributed to the district and they also shared the usage of the PSAs. Schedules were set for which group was going to work with which station. There was so much to do. So many aspects of A.A. To cover it all it was easy to see why WE could do it better than any one of us or any one group could do it alone. When I returned to the area assembly it was a little different than my first trip. First of all 6 of us trav- eled together. My first van trip. The dollars that I was given to help me attend the assembly went a lot further when WE pooled our financial resources. More people could fulfill the responsibilities they had accepted for less cost. The more experienced members of the trip took me under their wing. They guided me from committee to committee and showed me all the important stuff like where the coffee and bathrooms were. Slumber parties were never meant for slumber. At night WE shared a hotel room. WE were definitely able to do more together than any of us could afford to do separately. My questions about the day’s activities were answered. Stories of what would happen the next day were told, but that was the least of it. What I remember the most, was the feeling of being a part of something wonderful. At the time being the newcomer I was, for sure, the least experienced and prob- ably therefore the least capable. But being a part of WE I never felt that way. And so as a Fellowship we have developed not only a program of recovery but also a structure of ser- vice based on “WE”. Based on bringing together our ideas and talents and energy. By working togeth- er we can do some amazing things. WE can stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. Cheri INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Birthdays, Over Thirty 2 Calendar of Events 3 Area & District Meetings Obits 4 Donation info 5 Group Changes, Recurring Events Office numbers 6 How an AA group works 7 Central Office Delegate Minutes 8 Concepts 10 Special of the month Letter to the Editor 11 Group Donations 12 Co Finances 13 This is the Year of Service! Changing Times July 2016 Volume 47, Issue 7
14
Embed
Changing Times July 2016 · 2018-07-05 · July 10, 2016 2PM Liberty Group 1323 E. H Hwy Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-9766 DISTRICT 6 MO July 24, 2016 1:30PM at Kansas City Group #1
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
It’s A We Program One of the first things I was told when I sobered up was that the first word of the first step was “We”. It was a “We” program and I never had to do anything alone again.
I thought that meant working the steps. I thought that meant that I would get a sponsor and WE would work the steps together. I soon found out that it also meant that on Saturday mornings several of us would get together and WE would clean the meeting hall. As early sobriety progressed I learned that WE also made decisions together through a group conscience. But it wasn’t until I became a GSR and began serving the Fellowship outside the group that I found out how much WE really covered.
There is a saying I heard, or read, someplace that defines WE for me. It is “Some of us are more ca-pable than others of us, but none of us are as capable as all of us.” It’s not a conferenced approved saying, but I think it describes perfectly how AA functions for recovery and service.
Until I went to my first district meeting I really didn’t realize how much there was to A.A. A.A. was meetings. I took meetings into the county jail. I didn’t think about who took meetings into the city jail, or the treatment center. I never thought about how people that called the A.A. group found the num-ber. I didn’t know that A.A. printed its own literature or how it got to the groups. At that first district meeting I quickly found out why we had districts and why “WE” covered not just members working the steps, but also applied to groups working together to carry the message in a way one individual or even one group could not.
In my district we had 3 jails, 3 treatment centers, 3 hospitals, 2 treatment centers, 2 newspapers, 1 TV station, etc. Certainly more than one group could cover, but easy for several groups working togeth-er. Each district meeting I attended there was time to report what had been accomplished since the last meeting. And time to review and coordinate between the groups everything that needed to be covered during the next month. The district purchased a set of public service announcements for radio stations. This was possible because all the groups contributed to the district and they also shared the usage of the PSAs. Schedules were set for which group was going to work with which station. There was so much to do. So many aspects of A.A. To cover it all it was easy to see why WE could do it better than any one of us or any one group could do it alone.
When I returned to the area assembly it was a little different than my first trip. First of all 6 of us trav-eled together. My first van trip. The dollars that I was given to help me attend the assembly went a lot further when WE pooled our financial resources. More people could fulfill the responsibilities they had accepted for less cost. The more experienced members of the trip took me under their wing. They guided me from committee to committee and showed me all the important stuff like where the coffee and bathrooms were. Slumber parties were never meant for slumber. At night WE shared a hotel room. WE were definitely able to do more together than any of us could afford to do separately.
My questions about the day’s activities were answered. Stories of what would happen the next day were told, but that was the least of it. What I remember the most, was the feeling of being a part of something wonderful. At the time being the newcomer I was, for sure, the least experienced and prob-ably therefore the least capable. But being a part of WE I never felt that way.
And so as a Fellowship we have developed not only a program of recovery but also a structure of ser-vice based on “WE”. Based on bringing together our ideas and talents and energy. By working togeth-er we can do some amazing things. WE can stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.
Cheri
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Birthdays, Over
Thirty 2
Calendar of Events 3
Area & District
Meetings
Obits
4
Donation info 5
Group Changes,
Recurring Events
Office numbers
6
How an AA group
works 7
Central Office
Delegate Minutes 8
Concepts 10
Special of the
month
Letter to the Editor
11
Group Donations 12
Co Finances
13
This is the Year of Service!
Changing Times July 2016 Volume 47, Issue 7
P a g e 2 C h a n g i n g T i m e s
Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays!
Happy, Happy Birthday!
Dana P. 5 Years Hope Group
Tamika B. 8 Years Paseo Group
John J. 25 Years Northeast AA
Carol N. 38 Years Bill’s Friends
These are folks who have donated at
least one dollar a year in gratitude
for their sobriety to YOUR Central
Office. There are birthday envelopes
available at the office or you can get
them from your Central Office Dele-
gate. We appreciate the people who
show their gratitude this way. Con-
gratulations!
Don’t know what to get that special person for his/her AA birthday??
Come see us! We are expanding our line of “drunk junk”! We also
have all the AAWS Books, Grapevine Books and many other things
that all of us want! Come on in for some coffee, conversation and a
little shopping!!
The Over Thirty Club
Keep Coming Back!
Harold S. 38 Years Courage to Change
Carol N. 38 Years Bill’s Friends
Mike M. 37 Years N. Kansas City
B.J. W. 34 Years Bethel
Garry B. 34 Years Nuts & Bolts Lawrence
Bob K. 33 Years Chapter 5
Steve G. 32 Years Wing & A Prayer
Bob H. 30 Years Bethel
All of these people got their
names in the paper because
someone took the time and trou-
ble to let us know they were cele-
brating. Be proud of your old-
timers! Call the office 816-471-
7229 and let us know of anyone
who is celebrating 30 or more
years of sobriety. Let them know
you care enough to share!
JULY 2016
9 VOICE OF TRUTH FISH FRY 6 PM 611 E. Walnut Raymore, MO 64083 Potluck! Please bring a dish to share!
9 BLUE SPRINGS AA DANCE 8PM to 12AM 499 HWY 7 Blue Spr ings, MO 64105 $5 Dona
tion. Raffle prizes and Sobriety Countdown ! See flyer in this newsletter! 10 CENTRAL OFFICE DELEGATE’S MEETING 10AM Bethel Group 7856 Leavenworth Rd.
Kansas City, KS 66109 913-334-5636 ALL ARE WELCOME! 15-17 AREA 25 ASSEMBLY Quality Inn2110 W. Crawford Salina, KS 67401 Let your groups’ voices be heard! For an agenda, go to the Kansas AA website www.kansas-aa.org and click on doc uments. 23 KC CENTRAL OFFICE SPONSORSHIP WORKSHOP 1:30PM Hosted by the Basehor
Group 14604 State Ave. Basehor, KS 66007 913-724-5172 Bring your best questions and a snack to share! See flyer in this newsletter!
29-31 65TH ANNUAL MO STATE CONVENTRION Capital Plaza Hotel 415 W. McCar ty St. Jefferson City, MO 65101 Hotel # 1-800-338-8088 See flyer in this newsletter! 30 NUTS AND BOLTS KC 23RD ANNIVERSARY Cedar Ridge Chr istian Church 8835 Lack man Road Lenexa, KS 1PM—3PM Workshop 7PM Speaker See flyer in this newsletter!
Calendar of Events
P a g e 3 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7
The Kansas City Central Office publishes the “Changing Times”. The views and opinions expressed
are not necessarily those of the Central Office or AAWS, Inc. The editor reserves the right to edit for
length and clarity, and for accuracy concerning the quoting of AA material. “Changing Times” is
about, by, and for the members of the Fellowship of AA. Quotes from Alcoholics Anonymous, the
Twelve Step and Twelve Traditions, The Service Manual and Conference Approved literature and pam-
phlets reprinted with permission of AA World Services, Inc. and the Grapevine, Inc. There is a sub-
scription form on the back page of the issue. It is $12.00 per year. All groups get one sent to them at
no cost. Thank you all for your contributions and support of the Changing Times and your Central Of-
fice. We publish something for everyone, the mistakes are in the newsletter for a reason, so everyone
will have something to appreciate.
IT’s A BLAST
If you would like to get e-mail blasts with event information,
Please visit our website at www.kc-aa.org and sign up
Service, Service, Service
P a g e 4 C h a n g i n g T i m e s
District Service Schedule
DISTRICT 9 KS
Second Thursday of each month at the Bethel Group, 7856 Leav-
enworth Rd. Kansas City, KS 66109. Committees meet at
6:30PM, District meeting at 7PM.
DISTRICT 10 KS
First Thursday of the month at the Steps in Action Group, 10300
Antioch Rd., Overland Park, KS 66212. Committees meet at
6PM, District meeting at 6:30PM
DISTRICT 23 KS
Second Saturday of the month at Westside Presbyterian Church
It suggested that each group pay its bills and establish a prudent reserve based on monthly
expenses. Once this is done, the excess amount may be distributed as follows:
10% to District
10% to Area Committee
30% to General Service Office
50% to Central Office
This is one suggested distribution plan from the pamphlet, “Self-Support: Where Money
and Spirituality Mix. F-3. It is available here at the office.
GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE PO Box 459 Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163 Or online at www.aa.org
KS DISTRICT 23 Treasurer PO Box 1939 Lawrence, KS 66044
WAMO DISTRICT 4 Treasurer Lewis B. 202 Lake Street Sweet Springs, MO 65351
KANSAS AREA 25 KASO PO Box 1773 Salina, KS 67402-1773 Or online at www.kansas-aa.org
WESTERN AREA MISSOURI AREA 39 WAMO TREASURER 25904 E. 267th Harrisonville, MO 64701
WAMO DISTRICT 6 Treasurer PO Box 410894 Kansas City, MO 64141
YELLOW CAN FUND PO Box 67711 Topeka, KS 66667
WAMO DISTRICT 1 Treasurer Tim C. PO Box 62 Rock Port, MO 64481
WAMO DISTRICT 7 Treasurer 5229 Fuller Drive Kansas City, MO 64133
KS DISTICT 9 Treasurer PO Box 12518 Kansas City, KS 66112
WAMO DISTRICT 2 Treasurer 2248 175th Road Wathena, KS 66090
WAMO DISTRICT 10 Treasurer 25904 E. 267th Harrisonville, MO 64701
KS DISTRICT 10 Treasurer PO Box 15436 Overland Park, KS 66285
WAMO DISTRICT 3 Treasurer 609 Central St. Unit #1310 Kansas City, MO 64105
WAMO DISTRICT 17 Treasurer 19577 Bow Drive Linneus, MO 64653
P a g e 6 C h a n g i n g T i m e s
Group Changes !
OP Fellowship Group 12251 Antioch Rd. Over-
land Park, KS 66212 Tuesday 7:330PM Men’s BB
Study is no longer meeting.
Turner AA Group 4835 Shawnee Drive Kansas
City, KS 66102 Add: Monday 7PM Open BB
The MAPS Group 9091 Stateline Rd. Kansas
City, MO 64114 is no longer meeting.
Marceline Group 190 W. Crocker Marceline,
MO 64658 All meetings now open
Alive Again Group 919 S. Delaware Independ-
ence, MO 64050 Delete all 8:30AM meetings.
Parkhill Group 216 Business Park Lane River -
side, MO 64150 816-584-0768 Change Thursday
8PM to 7:30PM.
Lawrence Community Shelter 3655 E. 25th St.
Lawrence, KS 66046 Delete: Mon & Fri AM Meet-
ings Add: Sun & Wed. 8PM Closed
Shawnee Group 5725 Niemen Rd Shawnee, KS
913-631-1212 Add Wednesday 5:30PM Closed
Warrensburg AA Group 300 2nd St Warrens-
burg, MO 64093 New phone # 660-624-4132 Only
meeting times are Tues & Thurs at 7PM.
Freedom II Group 105 N. 13th St. Kansas City,
KS Change Monday, Wednesday & Friday 8PM to
7PM
New Groups!
Welcome to the Family!
Living Sober on Baltimore 1708 Baltimore Kan-
sas City, MO 64112 Friday 6PM Open Living So-
ber Meeting No meeting first Friday of the month.
Wednesday Women’s 201 Westpor t Rd. Kansas
City, MO 64111 Wed. 6PM C and child friendly
Enter door from parking lot behind church
Recurring Events
24 & 7 11 E. Gregory Suite 100 Kansas City,
MO 64114 See flyer in this newsletter!
Sober @ 7 1522 McGee Kansas City, MO
64108 Wed & Fri at 7AM No better way to start
your day!
Unity on the Plaza 707 W. 47th Kansas City,
MO 64112 Last Saturday of the month 6PM is
ASL (American Sign Language) Tues. 6PM is
also ASL
Lenexa Group 13005 W. 92nd Place Lenexa,
KS 66215 Big Book Study with Jimmy C. start-
ing Monday, January 11,2016 8PM.
Simply AA KC 8801 Nall Prair ie Village, KS
66208 Sunday 7PM Beginner’s BB Study
Post your on-going events here! Let people know about
what is happening at your group. Call us and we will post
it here and on the web.
CENTRAL OFFICE CALLS
MAY 2016
GROUP INFORMATION 161
12 STEP 4
BRIDGE THE GAP 0
ALANON 4
OFFICE INFORMATION 45
NA/CA/OTHER 2
DETOX/TREATMENT 5
MISC. 79
WEBSITE 0
WET DRUNKS 14
VISITORS 292
AFTER HOURS HOTLINE 271
P a g e 7 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7
How an AA Group Works
Rarely have we seen a group fail that has thoroughly followed AA Traditions. Those who do not follow them are
groups who cannot or will not accept these simple principles, usually groups that are constitutionally incapable of being
humble . There are such unfortunate groups. They are not at fault, they seem to have been developed that way. They are nat-
urally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of functioning which demands practicing group humility. Their chanc-
es of surviving are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from affiliation and guruitus, but many of them do
survive if they are willing to refrain from these activities.
Our group meetings disclose in a general way how we handle our affairs, remain in unity, and seek to carry AA’s
message. If a group decided it wants recovery, unity and service to be its experience, and is willing to practice humility to
get them– it is then ready to adopt certain principles.
At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, more effective way. But we could not. With all
the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold
onto money, power and prestige and the result was chaos until we practiced the Traditions in all of our group life.
Remember that we deal with alcoholics, seeking to direct rather than be guided, affiliate rather than cooperate, to
accumulate rather than to pass it on. Without help unity is beyond our reach. But there is One who has all power, that One is
God. May you find Him in your group conscience now!
Warping the Traditions availed us nothing. We began to see our coming destruction. We asked His guidance toward
unity with honest humility .
Here are the principles which are suggested as the way towards group unity:
Tradition One – “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.”
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.”
Tradition Three – “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.”
Tradition Four – “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.”
Tradition Five – “Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”
Tradition Six – “An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enter-prise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.”
Tradition Seven – “Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.”
Tradition Eight – “Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ spe-cial workers.”
Tradition Nine – “A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly re-sponsible to those they serve.”
Tradition Ten – “Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.”
Tradition Eleven – “Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.”
Tradition Twelve – “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles be-fore personalities.”
Many of us exclaimed, “Those don't apply to this situation.” Do not be unique. No group has had the misfortune of “curing” all alcoholics or people with other problems. We are not magicians. The Traditions are not as old-fashioned as they seem. The point is they guide us in how to be of service to fellow sufferers. The principles set down are guides to group progress. Better to be of a service to some than of no use to all. We hope to see our group progress, that is why we have group inven-tories. Not to become the model for AA as a whole.
Continued on page 11
P a g e 8 C h a n g i n g T i m e s
Central Office Delegate Meeting Minutes at Macken Park – June 12, 2016
John J. – opened meeting at 10:05 a.m. with the Serenity Prayer.
Janet B. – Secretary’s report was given and approved by the delegates.
Art S. – Financial report for May given by Sue Ann in Art’s absence. Income $10,422.65 ~ Expenses $10,727.81 ~ leaves a net
loss ($305.16). Group donations were down, leading to the loss. We depend on group donations to keep the doors open so
please keep them coming.
Bill B. – Board Report from May. Old business – packets went to groups with information about Central Office. We discussed
the workshop on 13th Step and will have it in Sept at NEJC. More info to come. A flyer for a conference with some controversial
language was brought forward to decide if it should be included in the newsletter and after much discussion, it was decided to go
ahead and include it.
Sue Ann K. – Office Report: The shelves are stocked and the bills are paid. Need a Wed volunteer – someone with at least 1
year of sobriety, some office experience and computer literate. Experience with QuickBooks would be great, but not required.
Also need to have good knowledge of traditions and concepts – need to apply these when on the phone. We need to support our
PI and CPC committees to get the word out there about AA. Easy to hand that blue card to your doctor – let’s spread the word
because there are still a lot of people who do not know that Alcoholics Anonymous is here to help! Basehor group is hosting the
next Central Office workshop on Sponsorship – please bring a snack to share. Keep Teresa’s brother in your prayers. He had a
stroke on Friday and is doing better, but prayers are always a good thing!
Cheri J. – IT Report.
Seminar – we are getting registrations. People want to come to KC for BBQ and the day trip to the Psychiatric Museum. Just
waiting now for more registrations to come in and getting the information recorded.
IT – Travel Icon coming to the website to click to find Central Offices around the country to help those going out of town to lo-