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TRANSCRIPT
DISTRICT 11 A.A. Newsletter
AUGUST 2019 http://www.whatcomaa.org/
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable” eprinted from AA Big Book, page 59
Group Reports & Birthdays
Dry Dock: Beach Party Karaoke, Saturday, August 31, 10pm Birthdays for August: 35 years: Jayne D; 23 years: Marni G; 21 years: Glenn A; 11 years: Shar S.; 9 years: Arne G; 5 years: Karen D.; 4 years: Mary; 2 years: Caleb S, Ed D, Gillian F, Deborah T, Tim R, Tony D, Travis W; 1 year: Danielle B, Jason, Kirsten H, Lu B, Pamela, Patrick G, Pavel R.
Fairhaven: Birthdays for August:. 30 years: Dan L.; 5 years: Maddie D.
Ferndale Unity Group: Come join us on the last Saturday at 7PM. As we celebrate recovery in action, in Ferndale! Also a reminder we have a noon meeting everyday! Birthdays for August: 39Yrs: Barbara; 8Yrs: Tami C., Kim F.; 6Yrs: Michelle P.; 3Yrs Scott M.; 2Yrs Dan O., Ryan H.; 1Yr Stevi D., Joe B., Mark C., Vicki C., Brian O., Rachael, Ronni O., Lucas P., Jeff B., Lu B., Nicole C.
Grateful Hearts: Birthdays for August: 3 yrs: Mary L.
SOS:
Into Action:Please join Into Action on Tuesday nights at 7:30pm for a 12&12 step study on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays, with our birthday meeting on the 4th Tuesday Birthdays for August: Ashley H. 4 Years
Northwest: Northwest group birthday celebration for August will be Saturday the 17th! Come celebrate with us, potluck @ 5:30 p.m. with birthday meeting at 6:30 p.m. Birthdays for August: Sheldon S. and Pamela W.- 1yr, Timothy R.- 2yrs, Michael B., Chris B. and Mary S.- 3yrs, Mary R.- 5 yrs, Chris H. and Kanani G.- 6 yrs, and Trudy with 17 yrs
Women In The Solutions: Women In the Solution is a literature/solution based women's meeting with Child Care. Come have some fellowship and recovery! Birthdays for August: 9years: Amy C, Sharon S, 6years: Kanani G, Chris H, 2years: Gillian F
Ongoing Volunteers Needed for:
The AA HOTLINE – 360-734-1688 [email protected] Ongoing volunteers are needed to take meetings to corrections and treatment facilities, AA Hotline and to speak at non-AA informational meetings. Please attend the monthly Corrections and Treatment meeting to find out the requirements for volunteering (always the 4th Thursday each month at 5:30 pm at Northwest Group)
Committee Announcement 👓 :
The Newsletter Committee is still welcoming members to write stories, write poems, and
incorporate new ideas into your newsletter! We also need submissions from the AA population at large! Ask for participation in your meetings so everyone has a chance to carry the message. Let’s create something everyone wants to read! If you have something to say, write it down and
email it to: [email protected]
Committee Reports & Meetings
PI/CPC – Bridget S. Greetings from your PI/CPC Committee! Many exciting developments are upon us in the PI/CPC committee. We enjoyed a fantastic workshop last month on Anonymity and Speaking on Panels. It was hosted in cooperation with the 3rd Legacy committee, and we enjoyed guest speakers from Area 72, including Tom F., our current Area PI Chair, and Mary T., past Area Web servant and current NAATW Member (National AA Web Steering Committee). It was a fantastic workshop, and we hope to have another later in the year. Thank you to all who helped make it a great event. We’re currently, though our CPC Committee, very excited to be in talks with St. Joe’s Hospital for putting together a Hospital 12 Step System which is being used widely throughout the Area, and is also beginning to take hold slightly around the country. You can view more about this project at AREA72PI.ORG
Phone Service – Craig C. “I am responsible. Whenever anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA to always be there. And for that, I am responsible.” Greetings to all past, present, and future members of Alcoholics Anonymous from all those serving Districts 11 and 4 through the Phone Service. We answer the phone 24/7 whenever anyone calls the AA Hotline in this part of the country. And we are also AA members who have made ourselves available for 12 Step Calls. We are you! Thank for allowing us to be of service to anyone struggling with alcoholism or just looking for a meeting. Right now we are in need of AA members who would like to add their names to the list of those already serving. We need both Hotline and 12 Step volunteers. If you've ever thought about getting on board with the phone service in the past, now is a great time because we need you! Our next information and training workshop in Whatcom County is on September 9th at the Drydock. But you don't have to wait until then if you're interested. Just come to one of our committee meetings which take place the third Thursday of every month at 6:15 at the Drydock. Or contact us [email protected]. Or call the hotline at (360) 374-1688. In love and service, Craig C.
Corrections and Treatment – Ben J. Hello District 11! Things are moving right along with your Corrections and Treatment committee. We're overjoyed at the district's willingness to carry the message to those who still suffer. Recently some of our volunteers for Men's jail have had to step down and we are in desperate need of men to fill those spots. Please email [email protected] or show up to our monthly meeting on the 4th Thursday at 5:30pm at Northwest Hall to get involved. Thanks! Love and Service, Ben J
Poets Wanted Here Your Newsletter Committee invites you to
participate in a monthly AA Poem feature. Please submit your original poems to:
newsletterwhatcomaa.org – 200 words or less.
Reflections
ON TRADITION THREE
EDITORIAL BY BILL W REPRINTED FROM
THE GRAPEVINE, DECEMBER 1947
“Our membership ought to include all who
suffer alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none
who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A.
membership ever depend upon money or
conformity. Any two or three alcoholics
gathered together for sobriety may call
themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as
a group, they have no other affiliation.”
This is a sweeping statement indeed; it takes
in a lot of territory. Some people might think
it too idealistic to be practical. It tells every
alcoholic in the world that he may become,
and remain, a member of Alcoholics
Anonymous so long as he says so. In short,
Alcoholics Anonymous has no membership
rule.
Why is this so? Our answer is simple and
practical. Even in self protection, we do not
wish to erect the slightest barrier between
ourselves and the brother alcoholic who still
suffers. We know that society has been
demanding that he conform to its laws and
conventions. But the essence of his alcoholic
malady is the fact that he has been unable
or unwilling to conform either to the laws of
man or God. If he is anything, the sick
alcoholic is a rebellious nonconformist. How
well we understand that; every member of
Alcoholics Anonymous was once a rebel
himself. Hence we cannot offer to meet him
at any half-way mark. We must enter the
dark cave where he is and show him that we
understand. We realize that he is altogether
too weak and confused to jump hurdles. If
we raise obstacles, he might stay away and
perish. He might be denied his priceless
opportunity.
So when he asks, “Are there any
conditions?” we joyfully reply, “No, not a
one.” When skeptically he comes back
saying, “But certainly there must be things
that I have to do and believe,” we quickly
answer, “In Alcoholics Anonymous there are
no musts.” Cynically, perhaps, he then
inquires, “What is this all going to cost me?”
We are able to laugh and say, “Nothing at all,
there are no fees and dues.” Thus, in a brief
hour, is our friend disarmed of his suspicion
and rebellion. His eyes begin to open on a
new world of friendship and understanding.
Bankrupt idealist that he has been, his ideal
is no longer a dream. After years of lonely
search it now stands revealed. The reality of
Alcoholics Anonymous bursts upon him. For
Alcoholics Anonymous is saying, “We have
something priceless to give, if only you will
receive.” That is all. But to our new friend, it
is everything. Without more ado, he becomes
one of us.
Our membership tradition does contain,
however, one vitally important qualification.
That qualification relates to the use of our
name, Alcoholics Anonymous. We believe
that any two or three alcoholics gathered
together for sobriety may call themselves an
A.A. group provided that, as a group, they
have no other affiliation. Here our purpose is
clear and unequivocal. For obvious reasons
we wish the name Alcoholics Anonymous to
be used only in connection with straight A.A.
activities. One can think of no A.A. member
who would like, for example, to see the
formation of “dry” A.A. groups, “wet” A.A.
groups, Republican A.A. groups, Communist
A.A. groups. Few, if any, would wish our
groups to be designated by religious
denominations. We cannot lend the A.A.
name, even indirectly to other activities,
however worthy. If we do so we shall become
hopelessly compromised and divided. We
think that A.A. should offer its experience to
the whole world for whatever use can be
made of it. But not its name. Nothing could
be more certain.
Let us of A.A. therefore resolve that we shall
always be inclusive, and never exclusive,
offering all we have to all men save our title.
May all barriers be thus leveled, may our
unity thus be preserved. And may God grant
us a long life –and a useful one!
Bill W.
The A.A. Grapevine, February, 1948
AUGUST 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 Detox, 7pm Accessibility Mtg @NW, 5:45pm
2 St. Joes 7pm
3 Detox, 7pm **WWA72-Archives Quarterly
4 PCN, 7pm **Pre-Assembly
5 St. Joes, 4pm
6 Detox, 7pm
7 Visions, 7pm
8 Detox, 7pm
9 St. Joes 7pm
10 Detox, 7pm **WWA72- PICPC Quarterly
11
12 St. Joes, 4pm
13 Detox, 7pm *Gratitude Banquet Planning Committee
14 Visions, 7pm ~Deadline for Newsletter~
15 Detox, 7pm Phone Service Mtg. @ Dry Dock, 6:15pm
16 St. Joes 7pm
17 Detox, 7pm Literature Mtg. @ FUG 10:30am
18
19 St. Joes, 4pm
20 Detox, 7pm
21 Visions, 7pm GSR District Mtg. @ Dry Dock, 6:30p
22 Detox, 7pm PI/CPC Mtg. @ Dry Dock, 6:30pm C&T Mtg. @ NW, 5:30pm
23 St. Joes 7pm
24 Detox, 7pm
25
26 St. Joes, 4pm
27 Detox, 7pm 3rd Legacy Committee Mtg. @ Dry Dock, 6:30pm
28 Visions, 7pm
29 Detox, 7pm
30 St. Joes 7pm
31 Detox, 7pm
*For information please visit whatcomaa.org. **For information about quarterly committee meetings and area events go to www.area72aa.org