360-376-4522 info@orcasislandaa.org
Eastsound Group Inventory

Eastsound Group Inventory

First off, I would like to say Congratulations to the East Sound Group for having such committed homegroup members. It tells me that you all want your group to function at its best. It was my pleasure to meet you all. 

It is interesting that you have a Group Inventory Committee, that was a first. I was told you were most interested in Diversity, Covid, and Safety. These were all discussed in depth. 

Even though the I like to stick to the Group Inventory questions that are put together by The General Service Office for A. A. Groups.  

I asked Question #1-what is the basic purpose of our group? 

The answer: To carry the message “in and out of the group”. To remain open minded, and to meet people where they are, ex: spiritually and financially.  

Question #2-Do new members stick with us, or does the turnover seem excessive? 

Answer: A lot of young people move on and you want them to move on to better their lives. There were “newcomers” in the inventory (23 days, 60 days, and 90 days online) they kept coming back which is a good sign. 

Question #3– Do we emphasize the importance of sponsorship? 

Answer: 2 of the “newcomers” one in person and one online both expressed their experience. The in-person said that no one had spoken to him about sponsorship as of yet and he was 23 days or so sober. The online/hybrid member said she didn’t know anything about getting a sponsor for 3 months.  

It was brought up during the inventory that the East Sound Group has safety issues. The only specific example was a possible Sponsor/sponsee scenario although there was no mention of a specific case actually happening. Other idea that other safety issues were happening by another member but nothing specific was given.  

It was mentioned that there are 15 East Sound Group meetings. One Mindfulness meeting, one Women’s Tradition hybrid meeting, one Men’s meeting discussion online only meeting, one (Burning Desire) in person Daily Reflections meeting, one evening non-conference approved literature online only meeting, one As Bill Sees It hybrid meeting, one 3-7-11 step prayers meeting, one speaker tape discussion online only meeting. Once a month, the last Friday of the month there is a speaker meeting and one Sunday night speaker meeting hybrid meeting. Most of these begin at 5:30pm or so. 

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO ALL THINGS DISCUSSED: 

Create more Big Book Study meetings

Create more 1st step meetings for newcomers. Stress the importance of sponsors and the steps(program) 

Add a line during the readings about sponsorship, whatever the group conscience decides.  

Pass out the “Yellow Safety Card” to newcomers and explain it. Perhaps even mention it in the readings during the meetings. 

Make speaker meetings more inviting so members get to know people with sobriety better, making it easier for newcomers and others to pick a sponsor. More examples of the program and newcomers won’t feel pressured to share. 

Go back to the “good old days” of paper flyers. Get the word out that AA meetings exist on Orcas. Perhaps leaving the “business card” anywhere and everywhere. They are easy to place and easy to pick up. 

Change the time of some of the meetings to make it easier for people with jobs and families to make it to the meeting. 

Using the Chair positions and the District and Area level to help with things like Public Information (PI), Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC), Language Chair at the Area level to assist with translation. The Area level knows of translation for Russian, French, Spanish. Both the District and Area chairs are eager to help. There are Spanish speaking meetings that are translated into English. These are hybrid meetings.  

There was considerable discussion of outside events. It was suggested that expanding fellowship opportunities outside meetings could improve the group’s attractiveness. It was also suggested that CPC and PI could raise the exposure of the group to outside organizations and individuals. 

Grapevine Audio Project

Grapevine Audio Project

AA Grapevine is collecting up to 7-minute-long stories from the Fellowship in the form of audio recordings. Share as you would in a meeting—or pick a topic of your own choosing, from making amends to working a particular Step.

If your audio story is accepted by the AA Grapevine editorial staff, Grapevine will publish it as a YouTube playlist or on another media platform.

Grapevine does not collect recordings from speakers at AA meetings.

District 46 Call to Service

District 46 Call to Service

It’s close to that time of year again where service positions roll over and new folks take over in the spirit of rotation. Ever wonder what D46 does? Or “how” it does the work of assisting all the island groups in the northwest? A couple points of clarification here:

  • You don’t need to know how to fill a specific position- you will be helped. There’s a few positions, like web or treasurer where it would be useful to know some of the basics.
  • You don’t need to have filled a prior position in order to qualify for a new position.
  • You don’t necessarily have to physically attend meetings to fill a position. Our 2023 DCM, alt DCM and Treasurer all live on islands accessible only by ferry. There will probably be times where they can’t attend business meetings on the mainland.
  • Here is a link (https://www.district46aawa.org/trusted-servants.html) to the various service positions and current servants. Interested in finding out more? Give them a call or email.
  • Finally, service position descriptions can be found HERE.

Want a sneak peak? Attend our November 19th or December 17th business meeting beginning at 9:30 am. You can go in person or via Zoom at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9590072772

District 46 Sponsorship Workshop

District 46 Sponsorship Workshop

Come join us again at the Village Pizza for a wonderful Workshop on Sponsorship. It’s on Saturday, November 5 from 1:30 to 3:30. What do sponsors do? What makes a good Sponsor? Bryan B will be one of the panelists. It’s a hybrid meeting, so you can attend via Zoom by using this meeting ID: 959 007 2772

Young People’s Video Project

Young People’s Video Project

AA can use your help! We are looking for those 35 and under to share a video of their AA experience in sobriety for those seeking it. Be of service and a part of history! You can get more information and a printable flyer by clicking HERE. All submissions must be in by November 7, 2022. Worried about anonymity? The flyer has all the answers!

Area 72 Assembly

October 7-9

Every year, Western Washington Area 72 holds a weekend conference to conduct the business of AA, including voting on service position candidates and motions. Additionally, there are speakers and workshops on a wide variety of topics. This year includes general elections and at least three motions coming from the quarterlies. Click HERE for the motions and background information.

As a hybrid event, you can attend in person (it’s being held in Renton) or online via zoom. Click HERE to register for either or both.

Wondering what happens at what time on what day?
Click HERE for link to the Assembly agenda.

Area 72 Assembly a Wrap!

Area 72 Assembly a Wrap!

We made it through another, successful Virtual Assembly. This time around, dedicated volunteers from the Area handled the tech end of things. Great start on demonstrating we are “self-supporting. 

Here is a LINK to the Area 72 website page containing ALL the information relevant to the Assembly. 

Here is a link to the summary of Assembly actions.