SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
S C A A N
FALL, 2014
Th e S p i r i t o f R o t a t i o n
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: to inform SCA members and the AA fellowship at large,
of selected items from GSO, the area and items of general interest from the District.
AREA WEB ADDRESS: www.aascaa.org Information available in English and Spanish
COMMITMENTS: A PATH TO PERSONAL GROWTH
Agenda, Page 2
Minutes, Page 4
Delegate’s Report
Page 8
Word From the Chair
Page 10
General Service News
Page 17
When this alcoholic first walked through the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous, personal
growth and enrichment were the last things on my mind. All I wanted to do was to find a
way out of the mess I was in. A DUI on New Year’s Day was proof of how unmanageable
my life and I had become. I walked through the doors having alienated myself from my
family, my God and most of all me. I was bitter, ashamed, and alone; an egomaniac with
an inferiority complex. I didn’t want to know you and I knew you would never want to
know me nor would you like me. I walked through the doors just wanting to quit drinking.
I learned and received so much more. And it all started with a commitment.
During those early days, I attended several meetings a week. Desperate to “get it”, I took
suggestions. It was suggested I get a sponsor, I got a sponsor. It was suggested I work the
steps, I started working the steps. It was suggested to newcomers to get a commitment but
all the commitments seemed to be taken so I had to wait until something opened up.
Thank God for the spirit of rotation and the opportunities it provides.
The commitment that opened up for me was, in my opinion, the best commitment in AA. I
became the Chip Chick for my Sunday meeting. I never knew until I accepted and grew in
that commitment just how much I needed those hugs, just how much I needed the
opportunity to get out of myself, to celebrate and appreciate someone else and have them
appreciate me for no other reason than we lived another day without a drink. Through that
commitment, I gained some confidence and a sense of worth that I had not felt in a long a
time. It was a difficult commitment to give up but how could I deprive another newcomer
the chance to change and feel good about him or herself. Each commitment since has
enriched me with its own set of lessons and opportunities.
Some commitments can test your resolve. I have twice, for two different meetings, had the
coffee commitment where the coffee maker not only made the coffee but brought the pot it
was brewed in. Losing trunk space to a coffee pot and supplies then toting said pot and
Continued on page -16-
1
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
A.A. AREA 05 - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
AREA ASSEMBLY AGENDA - THIRD LEGACY ELECTION
“Good Service Leadership In A.A. – An Ever-Vital Need”
1265 Goodrich Boulevard * Commerce * CA * 90022 | Host – District 49
Sunday – October 26, 2014
8:00
9:00
9:05
9:25
9:40
10:00
10:15
10:25
12:30
1:15
Breakfast Fellowship & Registration | Voting Members must sign in | 72 hour advance registration
Call-to-Order – Unity Declaration
2 Minutes Silent Meditation, Serenity Prayer
Welcome and Opening Comments
AA Birthdays (July 27 – October 26)
12 Concepts in Spanish and English
5 minute presentation on Concept IX - Pacific Region Trustee, Joel C.
“Good service leaders, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are at all levels
indispensable for our future functioning and safety.”
Approval of July 26 Assembly Minutes | Approval of October 26 Agenda
Presentation of Area Financial Reports
Contributions Treasurer: Don C - 3rd quarter 2014 Contributions Report
Accounts Treasurer: Lauren A - 3rd quarter 2014 Accounts Report
Presentation of Proposed 2015 Calendar: Thomas S, Secretary
Presentation of Proposed 2015 Budget: Douglas S, Finance Chair
Delegate Report – Panel 63 Area Delegate, Juan M.
Election Roll Call - Area Registrar, Matt P
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION PROCEDURE - PACIFIC REGION TRUSTEE, JOEL C.
Area Guidelines & Policies VII B - Third Legacy Election Procedure (S21 & S22)
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION – AREA DELEGATE
* Qualifications and Duties of Delegate (Service Manual S48, 49 & III E. 2, Area Guideline & Policies)
* Roll Call of Eligible Candidates and Introduction of Candidates
* Balloting and Election of Area Delegate
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION – ALTERNATE DELEGATE
* Qualifications & Duties of Alternate Delegate (Service Manual S50 & III E. 3, Area Guideline & Policies)
* Roll Call of Eligible Candidates and Introduction of Candidates
* Balloting and Election of Alternate Delegate
LUNCH - Estimated Cost for Breakfast & Lunch - $8.00 per person
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION – AREA CHAIRPERSON
* Qualifications & Duties of Area Chairperson (Service Manual S44,45- III E. 4, Area Guideline & Policies)
* Roll Call of Eligible Candidates and Introduction of Candidates
* Balloting and Election of Area Chairperson
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION – SECRETARY
* Qualifications & Duties of Secretary (Service Manual S45- III E. 5, Area Guideline & Policies)
* Roll Call of Eligible Candidates and Introduction of Candidates
* Balloting and Election of Secretary
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION – ACCOUNTS TREASURER
* Qualifications & Duties of Accounts Treasurer (Service Manual S46- III E. 6, Area Guideline &
Policies)
* Roll Call of Eligible Candidates and Introduction of Candidates
* Balloting and Election of Accounts Treasurer
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION – CONTRIBUTIONS TREASURER
* Qualifications & Duties of Contributions Treasurer (III E. 7, Area Guideline & Policies)
* Roll Call of Eligible Candidates and Introduction of Candidates
2
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
4:00
4:10
FALL, 2014
* Balloting and Election of Contributions Treasurer
THIRD LEGACY ELECTION – REGISTRAR
* Qualifications & Duties of Registrar (Service Manual S45, III E. 8, Area Guideline & Policies)
* Roll Call of Eligible Candidates and Introduction of Candidates
* Balloting and Election of Registrar
Presentation of Panel 65 Officers
Good and Welfare Announcements | Closing: Moment of Silence & Responsibility Declaration
Southern California Area Group Contribution Form
GSO Group Service # _____________________ District #__________________________
Group Name _______________________________________________________________
Name _____________________Meeting Day/Time ________________________________
Meeting Address ______________________________ City__________________________
Zip Code_________________
Make Checks Payable to:
Southern California Area Assembly (SCAA)
Mail To:
Southern California Area 05 of Alcoholics Anonymous
3
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA (5)
OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
Saturday – July 26, 2014 ASSEMBLY MINUTES
Recovery, Unity and Service – The Foundation for Our Future
Lincoln Middle School
1501 California Avenue
Santa Monica, Ca. 90403
Host: Westside Combined Districts
Breakfast, Fellowship and Registration - were coordinated and effective, allowing the Assembly to start on
time. Thank you to our Stand-in Registrar and Host.
Welcome and Opening Comments - by the Chair, Thomas B., Panel 63. Everyone was welcomed.
Standing & Ad Hoc Committee Meetings – Chairs were identified, meeting locations indicated and
committee meetings were convened. New GSRs were given an orientation led by Alt. Delegate, Scott M.
Coffee Break and Morning Stretch – enjoyed by all.
Call – to - Order
The Assembly was led in the Unity Declaration by Chair, Thomas B.
1 minute of silent meditation was observed followed by the Serenity Prayer.
AA Birthdays from May 19, 2014 to July 26, 2014 were recognized and serenaded.
12 Concepts were read in Spanish and English by Javier F. and Ken T. respectively.
There was a 5 minute presentation on Concept XII and Warranties 1 & 2 by Susanne W.
New GSRs introduced themselves. The GSR Preamble was read in English and Spanish.
Roll Call – by Stand-in Registrar, Matt P.
Date:
July 26, 2014
Distric Location
t
DCMs
2
La Canada, La Crescenta, Montrose,
Sunland
1
3
Altadena, Highland Park, Pasadena, S.
Pasadena, San Marino
1
4
Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina,
Glendora, La Puente, W. Covina
1
5
Culver City, W. LA
6
Brentwood, West LA
Alt DCMs
3
1
4
3
1
4
GSRs
Alt
GSRs
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
7
Hollywood, W. Hollywood
8
Beverly Hills
9
FALL, 2014
1
2
LA Downtown, Echo Park, Silverlake
1
6
10
LA Wilshire Corridor
1
1
13
Alhambra, Arcadia, Duarte, El Monte,
Monrovia, Rosemead, San Gabriel,
Sierra Madre
1
3
14
Downey, Bell Gardens, Montebello,
Paramount, Pico Rivera
3
15
Inglewood, Hawthorne, El Segundo,
Westchester, Crenshaw
1
17
South Gate, Watts, Huntington Park
18
Whittier, La Habra, La Mirada,
Hacienda Heights
1
19
Compton, LA South/Central
1
25
Culver City, W. LA, Marina Center
1
30
Ontario, Upland, Pomona, Claremont,
La Verne, Alta Loma, Rancho
Cucamonga,
1
3
1
Chino, Diamond Bar
33
Spanish Speaking Los Angeles West,
Hollywood Glendale
1
34
Spanish Speaking, San Dimas, Pomona, 1
La Verne, Glendora
35
Spanish Speaking San Gabriel East,
Azusa, Baldwin Park, El Monte,
Pomona, Whittier
36
West LA, Ohio Ave.
1
2
37/38
West Los Angeles, Pico Bl., Bel Air,
Westwood, West LA
1
3
39/40
Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica 1
3
41
West LA, Palms, Rancho Park, Culver
City
2
1
5
1
1
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
43
West Hollywood, Fairfax, Beverly Hills
1
45
Marina del Rey, Westchester, Playa del
Rey, Venice, Santa Monica
1
3
46
Santa Monica
1
2
49
Spanish Speaking LA East, Lincoln Hts, 1
Bell/Cudahy, Montebello, Pico Rivera
55
Spanish Speaking, LA South/Central,
Lynwood, Inglewood, Culver City,
Santa Monica
56
Hollywood, Los Feliz
58
Wilshire, Melrose
6
Total DCM, GSR, & Others
19
DCMCs (WSCD, Spanish Sp,
HWDTC)
2
AREA OFFICERS
7
STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS
& ALTERNATES
17
PAST DELEGATES
3
3
53
1
May 18, 2014 SCAA Minutes - motion to approve by secretary and second accepted by Chair. The motion was
unanimously approved. The minutes were included in the Summer 2014 English and Spanish language
SCAAN and posted on the area website.
July 26, 2014 SCAA Agenda – the agenda was available for pick-up in Spanish and English prior to the
Assembly starting, distributed by email by the Chair, included in the Summer 2014 SCAAN and posted on the
area website. The Chair moved to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.
Third Legacy Election for Area 5 Registrar – led by Jeryl T, past delegate Area 9 and participation by
representatives from Areas 8, 9 & 93. A Third Legacy Procedure instruction sheet was distributed to all voters.
Five qualified candidates were nominated, Matt, Susan, Laura, Doc and Al, not necessarily in that order. There
were 97 verified votes submitted for the 1st ballot, requiring 65 votes for 2/3 majority. 2/3 was not received.
96 votes were cast on the 2nd ballot. 64 was 2/3 and it was not obtained. 1/5 was 20 votes and 3 of the 5 were
below 1/5, therefore dropped for the 3rd ballot. 96 votes were cast on the 3rd ballot, requiring 64 votes for 2/3
majority. Matt had 69 votes and was therefore elected Registrar for Area 5 serving out the Panel 63 term,
ending December 31, 2014.
Delegate Report of 64th General Service Conference – Juan M. Panel 63 – Juan spoke of the recently held
Pacific Regional Forum, the 2015 Int’l Convention with registration starting September 3, 2014 and more
about the 64th Conference and Final Conference Report due out in August.
6
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
Terri C., filling in for Doug S., our Finance Chair, indicated that $5.40 per person was the suggested
contribution for lunch and other refreshments for the day. Expenses were $698.00 and $693.00 7th Tradition was
collected.
Lunch – served and enjoyed.
Officer Reports
The Chair congratulated Matt on his election as Registrar to complete the term in Panel 63.
The Registrar, Secretary, Alternate Delegate, Accounts Treasurer and Contribution Treasurer gave their reports.
2nd Quarter Financial Report and Contribution Report were available in Spanish and English.
Board Audit Sub-committee – Jim I., non-executive auditor on the committee, indicated that the Financial
Report and Contribution Report had been reviewed with no discrepancies observed.
Area 5 Chair Report – Thomas B. reported past ACM actions. Members of the Assembly can question or
rescind actions approved at the ACM. Agenda items were requested from Assembly members for the upcoming
ACM and next Assembly
Assembly GSR/DCM Sharing Session – Building our Unity/Carrying the AA Message through Service. There
were several 2 minute presentations followed by an open mike sharing session.
Standing Committee Reports – Area 5 has 15 Standing Committees, 1 Ad Hoc committee and a Webmaster.
Chairs or Alternates gave reports with the exception of the Registration and Registration Ad Hoc committees,
the Translation committee and the Webmaster.
Terri C., standing in for Finance Chair, Doug S., stressed the upcoming Finance Committee meeting to
complete the 2015 Budget and the need for all required to complete their budget request forms.
Unfinished/New Business
Area 5 Participation in the Conference Process – the 3 agenda items that were proposed all passed by the
Assembly. They were previously discussed and approved by the Area committee. The proposed conference
agenda items are adding the 12 concepts to the 12 and 12, updating the Gay & Lesbian Pamphlet and
supporting La Vina as a service. Presentations and Q & A preceded the motions to approve and the voting.
Scott M. presented a proposed change to G & P to include the existence and make-up of the Board Audit Subcommittee. There was discussion, a motion with second and a vote. The motion passed.
All proposals noted above were also available in writing, Spanish and English, at the Assembly.
Report on XXXVI Foro, Good and Welfare Announcements – followed by a motion and second to adjourn.
Closing – a moment of silence followed by the Responsibility Statement in Spanish and English.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas S.
Panel 63 Southern California Alcoholics Anonymous Area 5 Secretary
7
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
Delegate’s Report
Delegate’s Report – The Spirit of Rotation
This article is directed to all new General Service Representatives (GSRs). It is intended as an introduction to
any members who are not familiar with what A.A. General Service is or how it works
My name is Juan and I am an alcoholic. My sobriety date is August 28, 1989.
When I arrived in Alcoholics Anonymous, AA was ready for me. Although AA’s co-founders had been dead for
more than a few decades, they had constructed a way to pass along the AA message to me and to you. Our A.A.
founders built a service structure, guided by spiritual principles, known as “AA General Service”. This service
structure gave AA Groups the ultimate responsibility and authority for the maintenance and growth of AA. The
AA Groups accepted this responsibility, and in 1955, the torch of leadership passed - and the AA General
Service Conference service structure was born.
The first 37 delegates to the General Service Conference had been elected by their Areas a few years earlier, in
1951. These “Panel 1” delegates from the U.S. and Canada came to New York and spent three days meeting
with the 15 trustees, Bill W, staff members from G.S.O. and the Grapevine. The 1951 Conference was the very
first Conference held during the “trial period” leading up to 1955. In the next year, 1952, 38 more delegates
were elected from the remaining states and provinces of the United States and Canada to attend the second
Conference. These were called Panel 2 delegates, and were from Areas that had not elected a delegate in the
first year, In accordance with the service structure developed at that time, and still true today, all Area Officers,
all Area Committee Chairpersons, DCMs and GSRs serve only a 2 year term -- which they must then pass on to
another trusted servant. Per our service structure, roatating leadership affords each one of us the opportunity to
serve at any level of service.
The General Service Conference (GSC) of AA consists of you and I, as members and representatives (GSRs) of
our AA Groups. The General Service Conference also includes our districts, and our Area Assemblies. General
Service provides information to the public at large and to professionals who come into contact with alcoholics
about Alcoholics Anonymous: that AA exists and concerning what AA does and does not do. General Service
also serves as the conduit for carrying all of AA’s experience, strength and hope, and our service structure gives
our AA members a voice in the decisions that affect the whole of our AA Fellowship. A.A. General Service
operates in a democratric structure built upon checks and balances which help keep our egos and emotions in
balance.
At your first general service meeting, there are a lot of details, and becoming familiar with how AA General
Servjce works can seem frustrating, so please feel free to ask questions of me or anyone else in general service
– just like you did when you came to your very first AA meeting.
The theme of our next Conference is "Celebrating 80 Years of Recovery, Unity, and Service". We practice
our legacy of unity as an Area, in the same way that we practice our legacy of recovery in our home group, that
is, one on one, through communication and listening to each other. In just this way, we build a path to secure
our future, guided by the collective group consciences of our AA Fellowship. The idea is for each of our AA
groups to have a GSR who regularly reports on what is going on in AA, who reports back on any questions
AA members may personally have, and communicates ideas from the group members for improving our ability
to carry the AA message through AA literature, policies and procedures. There are many, many groups like
these, and they each have a strong foundation. If you want to build a service structure that will last a long time,
it is best to have a good foundation. Forging a path forward can sometimes be frustrating, and we do not look
8
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
for the results immediately. But thanks to A.A., we agree on the principles for our way forward,
which are the Twelve Traditions.
Our GSRs help carry the AA message worldwide. If your group does not have a General Service
Representative (GSR), please encourage your group to try to get one.
As you know, the General Service Conference is represented by 93 delegates from the different geographic
areas in the United States and Canada. Half of the delegates are elected in odd years and the other half are
elected in even-numbered years.
The next panel number of delegates is Panel 65, and new Panel 65 delegates and officers will be elected in
each of the odd numbered areas, including Area 05. We will be choosing our next delegate and officers for
Panel 65 in our next Assembly.
Immediately after our elections, we will send the results to the General Service Office and all the delegates of
Panel 63 and 64, and they will give a big welcome to our new delegate. I am proud of my area. Our area has
experience and success, we are truly involved in AA service.
I hope that each of you can see the magnificence of this movement called Alcoholics Anonymous, the
program of recovery from alcoholism that saved my life and supported me in this divine world.
This is my last report as your delegate. Your next article will be from the delegate that you choose in our
elections. He or she will take our group consciences to the General Service Conference and bring the
information to back to our Area’s groups. We will also choose the new Panel 65 Area Officers, our trusted
servants, through our election process, and will welcome and support all the new GSRs who will represent
their groups and carry the spiritual conscience of their AA groups to the rest of our AA Fellowship.
Juan M
Delegate - Panel 63
Southern California Area 05
Don’t snatch!
9
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
A Word From Your Chair
EVER ONWARD - THE SPIRIT OF ROTATION
Concept IX: Good service leaders, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are at all levels
indispensable for our future functioning and safety.
Due to A. A.'s principle of rotation, furnishing our service structure with able and willing workers has to be a continuous
effort.
"No matter how carefully we design our service structure of principles and relationships, no matter how well we
apportion authority and responsibility, the operating results of our structure can be no better than the personal
performance of those who must man it and make it work . . ."
"No society can function well without able leadership in all its levels, and A. A. can be no exception. Fortunately,
Alcoholics Anonymous is blessed with any amount of real leadership - the active people of today and the potential
leaders of tomorrow as each new generation of able members swarms in. We have an abundance of men and women
whose dedication, stability, vision, and special skills make them capable of dealing with every possible service
assignment. We have only to seek these folks out and trust them to serve us.”
- From "The 12 Concepts Illustrated", Concept IX
This edition of the SCAAN focuses on the Spirit of Rotation, and features many inspiring articles from our trusted
servants in Area 05. Each author, in his or her own way, offers a stirring personal example of the humility, selfless
service and the spiritual growth which underlies our tradition of rotating leadership. As you read these accounts, it will
become clear to you, as it is for me, that we in Southern California Area 05 are truly blessed “by an abundance of trusted
leadership” and “men and women whose dedication, stability, vision, and special skills make them capable of dealing
with every possible service assignment.”
All trusted leadership in Alcoholics Anonymous is governed by the spirit of rotation. Rotation keeps AA leaders from
becoming “fixtures” in office. This tends to keep personality politics out of the mix and helps many of us power
grabbers refrain from power grabbing.
As he did throughout his life, our co-founder, Bill W provided an able example of leadership in this regard for us to
follow. At the 1955 Convention in St. Louis, Bill W passed on to the fellowship the responsibility for the Three Legacies
of Recovery, Unity, and Service.
Just imagine how difficult that must have been for Bill.
Bill had formalized the Twelve Steps, Traditions, and Concepts and wrote most of our literature. He set up our service
structure and had helped make AA available worldwide. Bill was the driving force behind the movement, and now. . .
here he was, letting go of the reins . . . and allowing the Conference to act in his stead.
In our book Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Bill describes the emotion and challenges of stepping down as a
leader of Alcoholic Anonymous and speaks about AA being safe in the hands of the fellowship --- even from him. Bill
knew the pitfalls of having a person in a position of power in AA and of the problems it could cause within an AA
group, a district, or an area. He knew how easy it could be for any one of us to be deluded into thinking we are an
expert, that we have some measure of importance, and that we don’t have to abide by the group conscience because we
“know better”.
Bill understood that rotating leadership is best. Rotating leadership insures that group tasks, like nearly everything else
in AA, are passed around for all to share.
10
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
The wisdom of this principle is easy enough to state, but our experience in realizing and practicing it is
always intensely personal. My service as your Area Chairperson today, and for the past two years,
marks my seventh two-year service panel (Panel 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61 and 63). Because I have actively
participated in the work of AA general service since 2001, and because I was blessed to have been
afforded the opportunity to serve in positions of increasing responsibility in each panel throughout this
entire period, I am certainly no stranger to our tradition of rotation.
But lest you think this was easy for me -- and to everyone who is in their first few years of general service -- please
understand that my initial reaction to our tradition of rotation was probably much like most of yours. For when I was a
newcomer to AA, humility was a completely foreign concept to me -- as it probably was at the beginning for each of us.
None of us exactly glided into AA on the “wings of victory”, and it is probable also that none of us practiced much
humility. Only by working all 12 steps with a sponsor, did I begin to gain a modicum of experience, understanding and
appreciation for the value of humility -- as a way of life.
But although our twelve steps encourage us to practice the principles of A.A. recovery in all our affairs, we often
compartmentalize certain aspects of our lives, and in general service there exists, at times, a disconcerting disconnect
between our recovery life and our service life. For though I had thoroughly worked all 12 steps before arriving as a
“wide-eyed” GSR for my very first general service district meeting on February 11, 2001, the wisdom of our Spirit of
Rotation and the value of practicing a genuine humility -- now made obvious to me through the forge of time by my own
personal service experience -- were certainly NOT learned readily by me . . . nor did I eagerly embrace them all at once.
My first experience is instructive. My AA sponsor Vernon M, a former GSR, helped me through my first few months,
pushing me to take an active role in my own general service education and participation. Because making the message of
AA available to the public at large seemed a very important and vital task, I joined and became an active member of the
Public Information Committee at both the district and area level. I read and studied the service manual from beginning to
end (often falling asleep in the process if I read late at night, but getting it done nonetheless). I read the service materials,
Box 4-5-9, the service guides from AA’s General Service Office. I listened to the reports of my delegate (Mary T, Panel
51) and took copious notes to share with my group. I read the conference report and asked questions.
And only four months later, on June 10, 2001, the Westside Combined Districts’ Public Information chairperson, who
was also the DCM for District 45, came to our monthly meeting and abruptly resigned, citing burnout and family issues.
When the time came that Sunday to elect a new committee chairperson, I was the only one of the three committee
members in attendance who made myself available. And thus, to my great surprise, I was elected – mostly by default -- as
the Westside Combined District’s Public Information Chairperson for the remainder of Panel 51.
I was, in a word, jazzed. Of course, I told my AA sponsor. At my sponsor’s urging, I studied the Public Information
workbook from the General Service Office. I set up and communicated committee agendas and obtained input from
committee members in advance of our meetings. And as interest grew, and our tiny committee of 3 grew to 12 to 15
members, we began to work on time-tested public information projects straight out of the GSO workbook, making the
real world contacts required to make the hand of AA available. While it was my job as chair to set the direction of our
activities, I also began to learn and experience the value of listening to and working cooperatively with others as partners
in a common effort. Those were exciting days!
Throughout the course of the next year and seven months, our Public Information committee had:
(1)
Put meeting schedules behind the front desks at every hotel/motel on the Westside
(2)
Sent letters to high schools offering A.A. Literature and/or a presentation on A.A.
(3)
Sent letters to convalescent homes and senior centers within the Westside Districts offering A.A.
literature and/or a presentation, and taken 3 panels to senior centers (this was long before any Cooperation with
the Elderly Community committee, standing or ad hoc, had been established by either our combined districts or
Area 05).
(4)
Paid for space and placed AA Public Service Messages on bus benches
(5)
Obtained radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) cassettes from the GSO, contacted radio station
public relations managers resulting in the airing of AA PSAs on two local FM radio stations in the Los Angeles
area (but not without controversy and a practical lesson on the meaning of Tradition 4 -- as I was very abruptly
made aware – due to the unauthorized use of LACO’s telephone number in the PSA tagline).
(6)
Compiled a list of public libraries and organized a Big Book and Twelve and Twelve drive - making
sure that every library on our list had at least one copy of the Big Book and Twelve and Twelve.
The time sped by, and at the end of 2002 . . . I was informed that it was time for me to rotate out. My attitude: Rotate
out?? Why? Things were going good! In fact, better than ever! I was glad to be of service to AA and feeling useful!
11
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
Wasn’t everyone happy with the way things were going? Weren’t we doing work that made a
difference? You see, in my own mind, I was so absolutely certain no one else would ever put in the
amount of time and effort I had put into our committee’s public information work. It would be a
disservice to move on. Why can’t I hang on? Why shouldn’t I stay on for another term? Isn’t that
what’s really best for AA?
My sponsor and others set me straight, with a gentle, but firm, “No”: Rotating leadership is best, Thomas. Rotate your
service position and just be willing to make yourself available to be of service wherever your higher power and the
group conscience decides.
And so I did, albeit reluctantly -- and was promptly elected as an officer of the Combined Districts – Registrar.
Registration! Ugh. A support function, a clerical task, tons of time-consuming detail work, not a front line job in
carrying the message --- this was my initial reaction and complaint to my AA sponsor. But my sponsor (who in the face
of every one my misgivings urged me to “do it anyway”) calmly suggested that for me, serving as Registrar was “the
next right thing” and that I should fully embrace the change.
Vernon went on to explain that it is never the particular tasks for which we are responsible, but rather the effort that we
give to their performance, that is always the essential ingredient. He told me I was to bloom wherever I was planted -and that true humility was to give my best effort to every service position, no matter how seemingly small or
insignificant. This, my sponsor assured me, was the path to lasting spiritual growth and AA service maturity.
Please understand that humility and spiritual growth does not necessarily come naturally to me. I have to diligently work
at it, and then act my way into right thinking. But as I took action to perform my commitment well, I began to discover
as I went along, bit by bit, the profound wisdom of our tradition of service rotation and just how right my sponsor was.
How often in life we well fulfill a task that was beyond the capability of the person we were when we started it?
Over the years, I began to slowly feel the wisdom of the spirit of rotation in my heart as well as in my head -- and to
recognize the hand of a higher power at work. Throughout, my sponsor reminded me often of the meaning of my third
step decision, asking me to simply renew my faith at every opportunity and place my full trust in the process. Looking
back, that trust has been amply rewarded. In hindsight, every service commitment has been exactly the right one for me,
and for AA as a whole, at the time I held it.
As Combined Districts Registrar (Panel 53), and despite my misgivings, I became responsible for what I soon found to
be very essential work in maintaining accurate registration information of AA groups and GSRs and working with the
Area Registrar and Delegate to coordinate group registration and communication.
As Combined Districts Treasurer (Panel 55) I learned how to be responsible for preparing the budget, income and
expense reports and paying expenses for the operation of the Westside Districts. Just as importantly, I discovered the
value of maintaining contact with the AA groups to encourage self-support and group contributions.
It is also very important to remember the due to ongoing work of our service committees, no one, and I repeat, no one
of us who wishes to serve is ever shut out of service because we are not elected to an area or district office or appointed
as a committee chair or alternate. During Panel 55, I was encouraged to serve on the Area Finance Committee, working
with our past delegate (then Finance Chair) Mike P as the committee worked to develop new Area Financial Guidelines,
the annual Area budget, and assisting the Area in making financial decisions.
When elected Alternate DCMC for the Westside Combined Districts (Panel 57), I was at first disappointed that the
service position did not provide for the same level of engagement I had known as Treasurer. But I soon learned to
embrace one of our most valuable and essential responsibilities of this service position: orientation of all new General
Service Representatives, and assisting them in the development of leadership, knowledge, experience and the tools to do
effective General Service work.
As District Committee Member Chair (DCMC) for the Westside Combined Districts (Panel 59) I learned to be
responsible for building and maintaining an effective service organization throughout the 15 combined districts,
establishing agendas, directing and chairing combined districts meetings of the assembly of GSRs, working with service
committee chairs to extend the hand of AA and make 12th step work possible, working with DCMs to help groups to
exercise their voice in Alcoholics Anonymous, and serving as the representative link between the Combined Districts,
12
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
the Area and the Delegate. And although I certainly did not know it at the time, this was great
preparation for my current service position as your Area Chairperson.
As Area Secretary (Panel 61) I was given the unparalleled opportunity to learn the value of concretely
listening -- because the job required it -- to all of the many voices and opinions in our Area. I also
realized the value in providing an accurate historical record upon which our Area could rely. Just as
importantly, I saw the value of the minutes as an effective communication tool to make it easy for GSRs and DCMs to
educate, inform and to better report on service work and activities in the Area, to provide important pieces of information
that can help GSRs make their reports on items from the General Service Conference, the general service process,
service work in the area, and on ways in which members of their group can help carry the message.
So that is my story – and how I have learned – sometimes kicking, dragging and screaming at the outset -- to embrace
and trust our principle of rotation. In my AA recovery life, I have adopted a firm and unwavering trust that nothing
happens in this Universe by mistake, that everything is unfolding exactly as it is meant to be, and that my only job is to
give my best to every situation, come what may. Thus, our tradition of rotation and embracing the way ever forward –
whatever that may be -- has provided spiritual rewards in general service that I could not have possibly foreseen.
This reminder that every position of trusted responsibility that we hold in general service is but a one-time shot has
prompted many of us to give our best to our positions. With the sure knowledge that the time we have been given is
limited, we work to be of maximum service to Alcoholics Anonymous, to do all the good we can, while we can and for
so long as we can. As my good friend and DCM of District 34, Arnulfo G stated during his July Assembly presentation,
“when we attend, when we are present, when we participate” -- when we serve diligently and well in our respective
capacities -- “we are all practicing unity, we are doing our part to give life to our service structure as we continue to
pass on the AA message”.
And so we work to strengthen our unity, to secure the future well-being, growth and effectiveness of our Fellowship, to
make the real world contacts required to carry the message of AA, to give our best efforts in making 12th step work
possible and in that process fulfill AA's responsibility declaration, so that whenever anyone, anywhere reaches out for
help, the hand of AA will always be there.
Rotation helps to bring those of us who are involved in service spiritual rewards far more enduring than any fame. With
no AA 'status' at stake, we needn't compete for titles or praise -- we have complete freedom to serve as we are needed.
As our SCAAN editor, Lee K, so aptly observed: “Rotation keeps it flowing”. As we “pass it on” by rotating out of our
current AA service positions to keep the lifeblood of AA service flowing, we discover the essence of true humility – that
each of us has been given an ever-deepening purpose in our lives, that we are all part of something that is much larger
than ourselves.
As he so often did, Bill W expressed this best in his 1965 Grapevine article, “Our Great Responsibility - The Guidance of
A.A.’s World Affairs”:
“As we know, all AA progress can be reckoned in terms of just two words: humility and responsibility. Our
whole spiritual development can be accurately measured by our degree of adherence to these magnificent
standards. Ever deepening humility, accompanied by an ever greater willingness to accept and to act upon
clear-cut obligations--these are truly our touchstones for all growth in the life of the spirit. They hold up to us
the very essence of right being and right doing. It is by them that we are enabled to find and to do God's will.”
May it ever be so.
In Closing – Ever Onward. Time flies. It really does. For all Panel 63 elected officers, DCMs, committee chairs and
their alternates, our two-year service rotation is coming to a close. Now is the time to reflect upon the progress we have
made as an AA general service organization and all the value we've created while working together -- as partners in a
common effort -- during these past two years.
I want to first express my sense of profound gratitude for the legacy of service left behind by my great friend, our Area
Delegate, Juan M. Simply put, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with Juan. Juan has a mountain of love for
AA, and he has worked diligently and tirelessly to make AA the best that it can be.
13
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
FALL, 2014
And to our Area officers – Don C, Lauren A, Rebecca D, Matt P, Thomas S and Scott M – I could not
have asked for a more effective and superbly functional executive committee. Each of you have
performed his or her position with exceptional skill, dedication and personal sacrifice. You have made
my job easy, and I am exceedingly grateful for the manner and grace in which we have worked
together to serve our Area.
My successor as Chairperson should note that you will be responsible for appointing the committee chairs and their
alternates (with the consent of the officers) for the next panel. It is an awesome responsibility, one that should not be
taken lightly. As for our currently serving committee chairs and alternates – our Area is proud of all that you have
achieved this panel, individually and collectively. I wish there was space to begin to detail or single out truly exceptional
performance and the prodigies of service rendered by so many.
As for myself, I am grateful to be free today--free from alcohol. It is my individual responsibility to continue to grow,
with the help of a Higher Power, a sponsor, and the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is our responsibility as
trusted servants--both individually and collectively--to carry the message of Alcoholics Anonymous and to give back
that which has so freely been given to us.
I once asked my sponsor when I was new to General Service, "How do you pay back something that can't really be
repaid?"
"Pass it on," he said, "and help keep this thing together." As trusted servants of our groups, each of us plays a vital role
in that endeavor.
“Action" is still the magic word for each of us in general service. Ever forward, let’s make the commitment to live the
principles of AA’s steps, traditions and concepts in our service work, to give, to love, to be a positive force in carrying
the message, and to seize our opportunity to live with meaning and purpose as we approach the next panel.
Finally, I try not to get too nostalgic, personally. But after two years, this will be my last article as your Chair and our
election Assembly will be the very last Assembly I will chair as your Area Chairperson. Sharing with you a little of what
it has been like for me: I am glad to have suited up and showed up all these years and I am grateful for all the
opportunities for genuine AA service which that attendance helped provide.
Attendance and participation in AA general service, in performing whatever task it has been my responsibility to
perform in the full Spirit of Rotation, has helped me to learn to be faithful in seemingly small things -- for it is there
where each of our greatest strengths actually lies.
And as I step aside and rotate out of as your Area Chairperson, I can't begin to tell you how much each of you - in your
own way - have meant and continue to mean to me . . .and how privileged I have been, and how profoundly grateful I
am . . . for having had the responsibility of this position and to have served with you.
"None of us ever do great things of ourselves.
But we can each do small things. . .
. . . with great love.
And together, we can do something wonderful."
- Mother Teresa
Thank you for all that each of you has given to me, and may God bless you all.
In love and service,
Thomas B.
14
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
F ALL, 2014
Continued from page -1supplies to a third floor meeting room on a weekly
basis is not what I thought of as recovery. Half way
through the first commitment period I thought, “This
has got to be the worst commitment in the world.”
And yet it gave me the opportunity to perfect my
time and space management skills. Responsibility
and dependability were rewarded by the appreciation
of the coffee drinking meeting members. But more
importantly, the requirement to be at the meeting
early gave me the opportunity to get to know the
other members of the meeting. I faked it until I made
it. Even though I felt shy or awkward, I learned to
reach out my hand, especially to newcomers, and to
make fellow AAers feel welcome. Confidence and
self-esteem continued to grow along with the
knowledge that with rotation the commitment would
not last forever.
I have had the opportunity to serve as Secretary or
Treasurer at various meetings during my sobriety.
Early on, it was hard not to let my ego get in the way.
When elected I would think, “They like me. They
really like me. They recognize just how good I am.
They just can’t get along without me.” And then the
lessons in right sizing would be learned as I realized
that I was perhaps the only one, at that moment, with
enough time or ability to fulfill the commitment. I
was the candidate of convenience and not necessarily
of choice. This type of realization, I believe, is my
Higher Power’s way of telling me to “get over
myself”. I am still an alcoholic. I am still that
egomaniac with an inferiority complex. One moment
I am thinking that the meeting can’t get along
without me and isn’t it wonderful that the meeting is
growing. And on the flip side should people move or
the size of the meeting change, it is because they
don’t like me. It is humbling to know that meetings
need only a Higher Power (not me) and sober, well
intentioned warm bodies to be effective. In service to
a meeting I am given the opportunity to improve my
contact with a Higher Power as manifested in the
meeting and its members.
The commitment to General Service has provided
lessons in trust, patience, tolerance and acceptance.
As a new General Service representative I did not
understand how slowly and deliberately the wheels of
General Service turn. Bill W., Dr. Bob and God,
having determined and set up the best structure and
organization to assure the continued existence of
Alcoholics Anonymous, made it difficult to change.
Things don’t happen overnight in AA. As an
organization we pause, we ruminate, we consider.
We ask for the minority opinion, then we consider
again. My lack of understanding of the process led in
the beginning of my service to frustration and a sense
that nothing would ever get done. How wrong I was.
I began to change as my way of thinking changed.
Over time I realized that it is the process itself that
leads to trust, patience, tolerance and acceptance.
Growth can occur when one must slow down, not to
make a decision “halfcocked” but to make one that is
sober, clear and considered.
Through service commitments, this alcoholic has
grown in confidence and is at far greater ease with
the world than when she first walked through the
doors of Alcoholics Anonymous. Personal growth
achieved through service and a Higher Power, one
day at a time.
Nikki U
GSR
GO TO:
www.aagrapevi
15
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
F ALL, 2014
ROTATION KEEPS IT FLOWING
treasurer. We didn’t think much of it at the time but
two things happened that made us to see things
differently. The meeting attendance declined. It went
from a thriving meeting with new people coming
every day
to only the
same core
members.
T h e
second
thing that
happened
was that
t
h
e
treasurer
passed away suddenly.
The meeting was left
devastated for some time. She had been treasurer for
so long no one else had a clue what to do. It was a
group that meets seven times per week and she had
been treasurer for all seven meetings. It took some
time and there was a set-back but the meeting did
survive. Today we have a healthy annual rotation of
officers and commitments.
The Spirit of Rotation also speaks to the concept of
the “Bleeding Deacon” that is discussed in Tradition
Two in the “Twelve and Twelve”. It is human nature
for someone to exert their authority and influence
when they have been in a position too long. Rotation
offers those who have already served the meeting an
opportunity to function as an “Elder Statesmen.” It
provides them an chance to make suggestions and
give advice when needed or asked. The AA “Twelve
and Twelve” says the elder statesmen, “becomes the
real and permeant leadership of AA.” We must never
forget that that there is but one ultimate authority, “a
loving God as he may express himself in our group
conscious. Our leaders are but trusted servants they
do not govern.” In some cases it is better for a
position to go unfilled than to have someone stay in a
situation longer than they should.
I like rotation. Sometimes positions I would like to
obtain have given me a reason to “keep coming
back.” I have also had commitments that I couldn’t
The Dead Sea is actually a Lake in the Middle East.
It borders Jordan to the east and Palestine and Israel
on the west side. It was named the Dead Sea because
water does not flow out of it. Several rivers flow into
this Lake, but nothing flows out. Natives of the area
say rivers go there to die. That is why it was named
the Dead Sea. It is believed to be without much
aquatic life. Only certain types of algae can live in it.
Due to the high salt content aquatic animals can’t
possibly live in the Dead Sea.
When I consider the reasons for the Spirit of Rotation
in Alcoholic Anonymous I can’t help but reflect on the
Dead Sea and how rivers and marine life go there to
die! Like the Dead Sea when a situation remains
stagnant, life can’t survive. If a member stays in a
commitment too long it stops the flow of the meeting.
It’s difficult for the meeting to sustain new growth.
Newcomers don’t get an opportunity to become a part
of the meeting and eventually the meeting starts to
die. Regular rotation of commitments and officers is
healthy for any organization.
Dave C an alternate delegate from Area 53 spoke on
the spirit of rotation at a December 2011 Assembly.
He uncovered in his research that rotation was a
practice used in AA’s early days. The Cleveland AA
groups are credited with the first practice of rotation
as we know it. The old-timers in Cleveland relied on
rotation to give newcomers opportunities to serve.
Rotation, along with sponsorship provided AA with
experienced people who knew how things functioned
and gave a reason for working together. Dave stated
in his talk. “I found in my research that rotation is a
practical, organizational and spiritual principle.
The 9th Tradition and the 2nd Tradition show that there
is a connection rotation has with the principle of
leadership and of being a trusted servant. Alternation
is Vital in AA at every level of service; from the
meeting level to the board of Trustees. In my home
group we had to learn the hard way that it is better for
commitments to be turned over than it is to let one
person stay in a commitment too long. In one of our
meeting we had two important officers stay in the
same position for several years; the secretary and the
16
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
F ALL, 2014
wait until it was time to rotate. Also there have been several commitments that I loved and
didn’t want to ever give them up. But once I rotated out I found another commitment and it
started a whole new learning curve. Because of AA and the Spirit of Rotation I have had an
opportunity to learn things I never would have. I have had experience as an ashtray cleaner,
coffee maker, maintenance person, meeting secretary, meeting treasurer, literature person,
phone list person, general service representive, bookkeeper, District meeting chairperson, and now newsletter
editor. Wow!
In concept IX, Bill eluded to the Spirit of Rotation when he talked about Leadership: “ Fortunately Our Society is
blessed with any amount of real leadership-the active people of today and the potential leaders of tomorrow as
each new generation of able members swarm in. We have an abundance of men and women whose dedication,
stability, vision and special skills make them capable of dealing with every possible service assignment. We need
only to seek those folks out and trust them to serve us.”
There really isn’t any excuse for not practicing the Spirit of Rotation. As Bill mentioned there are plenty of able
dedicate members of the Fellowship willing to serve. It is our job to seek them out and keep everything flowing.
When we come to the end of our commitments we should have already groomed one or two members to be ready
and willing to step into our role. We definitely don’t want to get stagnate and stale like “The Dead Sea.”
Lee K
Scaan Chairperson
A LITTLE AA HISTORY
THE FIRST LADY
According to members list kept by the Chicago group, Sylvia’s date of sobriety was
September 13, 1939. Sylvia was probably the first woman to achieve permanent long term
sobriety, from her sobriety date until her death.
Sylvia was raised in a good environment with loving and conscientious parents and given
every advantage: the best schools, summer camps, resort vacations. Between the ages of twenty-five and thirty she tried everything. She moved to Chicago
thinking a new environment would help. She tried all sorts of things to control her
SYLVIA
K. beer diet, the wine diet, timing, measuring, and spacing of drinks. Nothing worked.
drinking: the
There was one doctor who did not give up on her. He tried everything he could think of to help her to control her
drinking; including going to mass every morning at 6 a.m. and performing the most menial labor for his charity
patients. The doctor apparently had the intuitive knowledge that spirituality and helping others might be the
answer.
In the 1939 the doctor heard of the book Alcoholics Anonymous and wrote to New York for a copy. After reading
it he tucked it under his arm and called Sylvia. That visit marked the turning point of her life.
17
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
F ALL, 2014
Mind the Gap
Bridging the Gap Workshop Weekend
Kansas City, MO September 5-7, 2014
weekend was indicative of a greater significance to
the success of all of the participants’ work from AA
groups, districts and areas across the country, namely,
a broad sharing of resources. Indeed, the entire
weekend was just that, sharing resources that each
workshop participant found useful in their respective
communities in order to carry the message to the
alcoholic who still suffers. In some areas and
communities, sharing resources occurs between Area
and Central Office, between Area Committees,
widely among Districts, among the professional
community at large, and, of course, among the AA
members themselves. The shared resources vary from
simple sign-up sheet templates, reading material,
collaboration among entities to put on Bridging the
Gap Training Workshops, staffing information tables
at AA events, to sharing volunteer and 12-Step call
lists.
As I sit down to write about my first Bridging the
Gap Weekend Workshop, held this past September
5-7, 2014 in Kansas City, MO, I recall the many
misconceptions I used to have about AA’s Bridging
the Gap Program. The first time I heard about
“Bridging the Gap,”
I was immediately reminded of that familiar subway
voice in London to “mind the gap.” Of course, that is
not what this important A program means at all. It
refers to that crucial 48-hour period when one is
released from a treatment or corrections facility and
then attends one’s first meeting on the “outside.” A
Temporary Contact on the “outside” helps the newly
released individual attend their first meeting, and
perhaps a few more. Just to be clear, Bridging the
Gap is not “promotion,” for as we know, AA does not
“Furnish initial motivation for alcoholics to
recover.” (Pamphlet “What AA Does Not Do.”) These
individuals first heard the message while in their
respective facilities from members of the Fellowship
like you who brought them meetings and panels.
During their time on the “inside,” these individuals
took the initiative to reach out to those of us doing
Bridging the Gap work and asked for our help.
Perhaps what I experienced in Kansas City was an
example of how all of us can function, in harmony
with one another. What went on in Kansas City was
not simply a sharing of ideas and resources, but it was
also a stirring expression of Unity, Recovery and
Service. Our 12 Step work is not done in a vacuum.
Sponsors and sponsees need literature to work with;
12 Step volunteers and those reaching out for help
need some kind of system and database to match
them up in the first place; 12 Step volunteers cannot
be offered this kind of work without GSRs making
their announcements; announcements cannot be made
without sympathetic DCMs. The list can go on. With
regard to this kind of cooperation, we can look to our
4th Tradition, not so much as what we don’t do, but
what we can do, all to make 12th Step work possible
at many levels that affect other groups and AA as a
whole.
What struck me about the weekend in Kansas City,
MO was the wide acceptance of all of the various
names Bridging the Gap can go by: Temporary
Contact Program, TCP, Pre-Release Program, Contact
On Release, Contact Upon Release, BTG, Bridging
the Gap Treatment, Bridging the Gap Corrections and
so on. The inclusivity that I experienced over the
So if you ever get a phone call and someone says they
have “a bridge” for you, try not to hang up. They are
not trying to sell you something. They are asking if
you can be of service. Additionally, that phone call
18
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
F ALL, 2014
I recall I was presented with a
program based on three
legacies: Recovery ,Unity and
Service. With time, I have
learned. Throughout the years I
have personally tried, with the
help of others, to educate myself on the importance of
protecting these 3 legacies -- first for my own
recovery and then for the recovery of those to come.
Our program makes it very clear that without unity,
the heart of AA would cease to beat and our world’s
arteries would no longer carry the life giving grace of
God as we understand Him.
would be a perfect time to take a moment to think of
all the people involved in helping to make that very
phone call possible. Let us all enjoy the experience of
Unity, Recovery, and Service, a vital spiritual
experience.
Eugene C.
Member, Area Corrections Committee
BUILDING OUR UNITY
CARRYING THE AA MESSAGE
THROUGH SERVICE
I think we should reflect on this truth more often.
Members of the first general service conference
gathered at New York City in April 1951. The
conference was comprised of 37 US and Canadian
delegates plus AA service general staff and trustees.
The single purpose of that conference was to serve
AA throughout the world. That same principle applies
today.
July 26th Area 05 Assembly
My name is Arnulfo and I am an Alcoholic. In the
English speaking community they know me as Al.
My sobriety date is September 22nd 2002 my home
group is La Salida in Upland, California. I am
currently the DCM for District #34.
For many years my selfishness did not allow me to
care for others in my worst drinking years .Thanks to
AA, I have regained a purpose in life that I didn’t
have before that I didn’t even know existed.
I want to thank our Area Chairperson, Thomas B.,
for inviting me to give this presentation. I am
privileged to be part of Area 05 and I am grateful for
the day I decided I needed help and decided to accept
the help and found a community of people that were
willing to lend me their hand. These were people who
told me everything will get better one day at a time.
These were people I had never met before, though
they treated me like we had known each other all our
lives. They would tell me: “We know who you are
already and know more about you than you might
think. We will just wait to hear it from you.”
In general service we are taught about the service
structure of AA. We learned that in AA general
service, just like our recovery, we could not do it by
ourselves. The same principle applies in general
service. Through our unity we together do things that
cannot be done individually. In a collective effort we
work with the GSRS, DCMs, Comittee Chairs, the
Area officers, the Delegate and anybody that is part
of general service.
We here in area 05 are privileged to be very active in
both the English and Spanish speaking community,
but we only give life to one language -- which is the
language of the heart. We learn that we may not
always agree with one another, but we also learn to
work each other for what is best for AA as a whole.
They made me feel right at home. They would
actually tell me “this is your new home and you may
stay here as long as you desire and nobody can tell
you otherwise”.
So, just as in my own personal recovery, in general
service, I need to take responsibility for my own
actions. Responsibility in being a guardian to our
traditions, responsibility for following our principles
and being responsible in the performance of my
duties based on our service manual and our 12
In a couple of months, when I became secretary of
my A group, they gave me a key to my new home at
the time: Grupo Guadalupano in the city of Ontario.
To date, I still have a key as I am the secretary to
Thursday night meetings at La Salida (the way out).
19
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
F ALL, 2014
concepts. At least make an effort as much as I can. It is my responsibility to go out and do
what is required of me as an individual; to be an AA member who is a piece of a larger
whole.
We hear about it repearedly: that when our founders, Bill and Bob, knew they were going
to die someday, they also knew that someone had to take their place -- and so the decision
was made to turn it all over to the AA fellowship.
So now it is up to us, as we are part of the AA fellowship and we need to sometimes sacrifice our personal
desires and ambitions for the preservation of our fellowship.
It is said that unity and service equal recovery. General Service has been vital to AA growth and we all have to
remind ourselves we are part of that continuous growth.
In chapter two of our service manual it states for most AA’s membership in a home group is one of the keys to
continued sobriety. In a home group we accept service responsibilities and learn to sustain friendships. The home
group affords individual AAs the privilege of voting on issues that affect the fellowship as a whole.
The home group is the very basis of the service structure. Once elected as a GSR the general service
representative has the job of linking his or her group with AA as a whole. Once the GSR is elected as DCM, the
district committee member is an essential link between the group GSR and the area delegate to the general
service conference.
Both the GSR and DCM have duties of assisting to different service meetings, area assemblies, workshops,
forums. They both participate in
elections in their area. And the more involved and active we are, the more understanding that will be achieved of
the purpose of general service.
In our case here in area 05, when we attend, and when we are present, when we participate, when we help, when
we sponsor, when we serve as a guide and try to be a leader in AA -- we are all practicing unity. We are doing our
part to give life to our service structure and we continue to pass on the AAmessage: the message of hope, the
message of light, the message of a new life -- which is what AA has given me.
Most of us are our in the second year of our term. We soon will need individually to make our own decision of
what we will do after this year ends. For me personally, I can’t ignore what AA has done for me. I cannot forget
the life and situation I was in before I found AA. Without service my recovery would not be complete. It might
be in my home group, in an interoffice, convention committee or in general service. I will leave that up to my
higher power, but we are both aware we need to make up our minds soon. Thank you all for allowing me to be
part of this service panel, Panel 63.
With that, I will end with the Declaration of Unity:
This we owe to AA’s future;
To place our common welfare first;
To keep our fellowship united.
For on AA unity depend our lives and
the lives of those to come.
Thank You.
Arnulfo G.
DCM DISTRICT#34
20
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
F ALL, 2014
ROTATE THE SPIRIT
Webster’s Dictionary defines “rotation” as:
• a complete turn around a central point
• the act of regularly changing something by
replacing it with something else
How appropriate that AA’s Spirit of Rotation revolves
around our central spiritual point, the program of
Alcoholics Anonymous and that it involves the process of
change and renewal.
SECRETARY, A TRUSTED SERVANT
Throughout my recovery I have had the opportunity to be
the group secretary for several meetings, and it always
gives me yet another aspect on my recovery, of being of
service, and connecting to AA's singleness of purpose,
"carrying the message..." Regardless of the size or type of
meeting, I have received an unparalleled sense of humility
and serendipity in being a trusted servant, being
accountable for my presence, and simply being in the
middle of our AA fellowship.
In some ways our practice of moving on was alien to me
when I first came to the program. I was used to a life-long
process of striving for something, attaining it and keeping
it - a degree, a job or a house. I did not work in a team
building type of environment for most of my career.
Instead, we had top and middle managers and then the
employees. I found it stifling. When I came into sobriety,
my methods and goals changed. The rotation of jobs at the
general service office impresses me because they have
built a team. Instead of one person quitting and another
person replacing without the benefit of the prior person’s
expertise, they remain and are available to answer
questions.
However, just as easy as it is for me to be humble, and
being of service to the group, it is even easier for me to
start believing that it is "my" meeting, and to buy into the
idea that "I" am more important than the service of which
I am there to provide for others.
I have slowly learned the best way to keep our program
fresh is to lovingly let go of a commitment by passing it
on to another person. It keeps a meeting, district, area and
conference fresh and filled with new ideas. No one is able
to stay in a rut, of their own design or by default. Ruts lead
to boredom and lack of interest. I know for myself, if I
stay in the same committee for years, the spark may die.
Boredom is an enemy.
I encountered my ego on several occasions, thinking that I
knew what was best for the group, and having an urge to
impose my will on what decisions were to be made. From
what constitutes an "appropriate" share, to how the chairs
"should" be arranged and holding on to the position in
order to maintain a false sense of self-worth. I thank the
universe for the grace to pause when I am agitated and full
of fear, and that there are traditions in place to allow the
sunlight of the spirit to shine in the midst of my character
defects.
On the other hand, it is much more comfortable for me to
stay in a duty I’m used to. When I know the score I feel
comfortable. By asking me to move on, the AA program is
also asking me to challenge myself a bit. This allows
growth. I was a GSR for more than 2 years. No one
stepped up when asked. Then I announced that I would be
leaving at the end of the year and stuck to it. As so often
happens, another member stepped forward and is
performing the GSR duties better than I ever did.
I am continually learning the spirituality within our AA
traditions, learning that they are in place so that the "we"
of AA can survive, and learning to smash my ego. By
allowing God to live in the group conscience, I can see the
perfect work of the universe. And by the spirit of rotation,
I get to see and experience other alcoholics enjoy and
receive the gifts of being in service that I have.
Bottom line, the spirit of rotation has required me to be a
bit humble; to be a bit courageous; to be willing – willing
to rotate the spirit.
DOC F,
GSR
DRU R,
DCM
21
SCAAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
Officers
Delegate
Juan M
[email protected]
Alternate Delegate
Scott M
[email protected]
Chairperson
Thomas B
[email protected]
Secretary
Thomas S
[email protected]
Accounts Treasurer
Lauren A
[email protected]
Contribution Treasurer
Don C
[email protected]
Registrar
Rebecca D
[email protected]
Committees
Archives
Tom B
[email protected]
Audio/Visual
Chuck D
[email protected]
Cooperation with the
Professional Community
Bobbi T
[email protected]
Cooperation with the
Elder Community
Laura A
[email protected]
Corrections
Mike P
[email protected]
FALL, 2014
Finance
Doug S
[email protected]
Guidelines and Policies
Marcus F
[email protected]
Grapevine/La Vina
Kristy L
[email protected]
Literature
Marilyn N
[email protected]
Newsletter (SCAAN)
Lee K
[email protected]
Public Information
William S
[email protected]
Registration
Laura K
[email protected]
Translation
Neftali L
[email protected]
Treatment Facilities
Sam
[email protected]
Website
Erich M
[email protected]
AD-Hoc Committees
Finance Committee Audit
Sub-Committee
Jim I
[email protected]
Registration Committee
Area
Structure Sub-Committee
Jim W
[email protected]
22
General Service Office
PO Box 459
New York, NY 10163
212 870 3400
www.aa.org
Southern California Area
05 Alcoholic Anonymous
PO Box 481193
Los Angeles, CA 90048
www.aascaa.org
23
24