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JUNE 2017JUNE 2017 NORTHERN DELAWARE INTERGROUPNORTHERN DELAWARE INTERGROUP

NEWS from

Step Six Were entirely ready

to have God remove

all these defects of

character

Tradition Six An A.A. group ought never en-

dorse, finance, or lend the A.A.

name to any related facility or out-

side enterprise, lest problems of

money, property and prestige di-

vert us from our primary purpose.

(302) 655-5113 Suite 21-B Trolley Square, Wilmington, DE 19806

VISIT OUR WEB SITE—WWW.NDIAA.ORG

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover Story 1

Meeting Notices, etc 2

Anniversaries 3

Anniversary Club 3

Misc. Flyers/AA information 4

Total Contributions/2017 5

Institutional Commitments 6

Step Six/Tradition Six 7

INTERGROUP OFFICERS

Chairman: Bob A.

Vice Chairman: Gary G.

Secretary: Shirl M.

Treasurer: Gene M.

(Continued Next Page)

A tense evening in a local bookstore reminds him that

we’re not really ever done with Step Six.

As recovering alcoholics it’s easy for us to talk about our character

defects. After all, listing our defects and asking to have them removed are two

major steps on our journey in sobriety and spiritual living. In my case, having

lived most of my adult life in AA and going through the Steps four times with

four different sponsors, I thought I knew just about all there was to know

about myself.

But every now and then one pesky little defect kept coming up in

conversations with the significant people in my life. And most notably, it was

always the other person who dragged this defect out of the shadows of my

subconscious and into the light of my day. Here’s how it all started this last

time.

I was sitting at the kitchen table of my lifelong friend Bob. We had

been friends since Little League, and he knows about as much about me as I

do about him. Besides our friendship of more than 50 years, I’ve been spon-

soring him since 1993. That day at the table, Bob said, “John, you were once

the most self-centered person I had ever known.” Now, in my mind I was

thinking, Wow, this is great. What Bob is really saying is a great compliment.

He’s saying, “John, what a remarkable success you’ve made of your recov-

ery—going from the most self-centered person on earth to the utterly selfless

guy you are today.”

Like so many other alcoholics, I have the tendency to hear things that

people didn’t say. This, of course, is yet another character defect that I had

unknowingly carried around with me, sort of like a birthmark that I never

want to look at.

A few months after my conversation with Bob, I read in the newspa-

per that a certain author was coming to our town to talk about his wildly

popular bestselling book. This guy, like me, was a newspaper columnist and

author. His success was on a national scale, while my success as an author

was regional. But my keen alcoholic mind swiftly came up with a plan to

change all that.

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AA NEWS JUNE 2017

No Meeting In July

Northern Delaware Intergroup meetings are held the first Wednesday

of every month at 7:00 pm at St. Marks Lutheran Church, 501

Duncan Road (off Philadelphia Pike, Bellefonte), Wilmington,

DE 19809. All members of Alcoholics Anonymous are welcome.

Meeting Times and NoticesMeeting Times and Notices If you have any information on changes

to meetings, either old or new, please

let the Intergroup office know.

Ph. 302Ph. 302--655655--51135113

“Every person’s life is a series of changes.” P. D. Barrington, IL; June 1981 Grapevine

Although I had never read his book, I bought it and took it with me when I went to his lecture. My plan

was simple: When I got to where he would be signing books, I would hand him my latest book and say something

like, “Welcome to our community. This is the bestselling book in this area and wanted you to have it,” sort of like

a key to the city. Then he would of course read my book on his trip home, and when he went back to work at his

big-city newspaper he would write about me and my book in his column, and my sales would sky rocket, and I

would be on my way to stardom.

But it didn’t work out that way. He spoke for about two hours and answered questions from the mostly

little-old-ladies-in-knit-sweaters audience, so that by the time the 700 or so attendees lined up for the signing and

I—not wanting to jostle the old ladies— was number 700, I couldn’t take it any longer. With my head hung low, I

shuffled out to my car and into an alcoholic pout.

This, then, was the night I came to believe that maybe I was, as Bob had said, the most self- centered per-

son on the planet. While 699 other people had had a great time, I had sat with my mind racing: Should I sign my

book? Would that be presumptuous? Would he even accept my book? Would he read it? What if he hated it?

That night was a few months back, and I’ve replayed it in my mind dozens of times. Why didn’t it bother

me that I was using other people, places and things to get what I wanted that night? After all, wasn’t I Mr. Sobriety

himself? Was I so caught up In what I wanted that I Justified any means possible to get what I wanted?

Was I really like the guy on the Titanic who pushed the women and children out of his way at the life-

boats?

Regardless of how I might have answered these questions back then, today I know that night changed the

way I look at how self-centered I can still be. It changed the way I look at my life in recovery. Not because it was

on a scale like the tragedy of the Titanic. No, it wasn’t like that. I wasn’t on that doomed ship. But now when I

think of how I lived my life before that night, it becomes for me like being on the Titanic, looking over the edge at

the lifeboats and the deep dark sea below— and making a choice.

Reprinted from June 2014 Grapevine, John Y., Russell, Pa.

“In Tradition Three, A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker,

‘You are an AA member if you say so. You can declare yourself

in; nobody can keep you out.’” — Bill W. from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

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ANNIVERSARY CLUB (Updated 4/28/2016)

Celebrate your anniversary with an act of gratitude that will help Northern Delaware Intergroup continue to carry to the

still suffering alcoholic a message. The idea is to make a

commitment to send N.D.I. a dollar (or whatever you can

afford) for every year sober on your anniversary.

To register, just fill out the form on the right and together

with a check, mail to: Northern Delaware Intergroup Suite 21 B Trolley Square Wilmington, Delaware 19806

Anniversary Club Contribution Card

Sobriety Date

Home Group

Name

Contribution

AA NEWS JUNE 2017

If you or other members of your group have reached an anniversary milestone. Please call or email the

information to the Intergroup office, or to the NewsletterChair@ndiaa.org so that we can let other A.A.

members know of this important achievement. (As of Jan. 2017 we will begin eliminating names not up-to-date.)

Barbara K.

Barbara W.

Becky R. F. 1/19/95

Betsy B. 10/01/00

Betty R.

Beverly F. 09/02/89

Bill C. 05/02/78

Bill D.

Bill F. 8/20/88

Bill W. 07/04/88

Bob A. 7/9/90

Bob M. 1/17/83

Brendan D. 5/3/09

Brenda A. 2/23/85

Candice M.

Carel B. 4/26/04

Carol V.

Carolyn W. 7/15/82

Cathy G.

Charles K.

Christopher K. 11/03

Cindy H.

Connie H.

David C. 2/1/94

David G. 7/6/99

David F. 11/23/07

David K. 12/03/72 44 yrs.

David M. 1964(Deceased)

Debbie G.

Debbie H. 03/16/91

Diane B.

Don B.

Don F.

Doris S. 04/80

Doug W. 2/28/91

Ed B.

Ed H. 01/28/96

Elizabeth A.

Floyd P.

Frances O.

Franny C. 05/07/96

Frank S.

Fred M. 5/5/90

Gail R. 06/04/92

Gene D.

Gene O.

George S.

Helen W.

Harry B.

Jaime B. 08/08/04

Jackie F.

Janice O.

Janice S. 12/25/2010

Jason B. 4/20/09

Jean R.

Jim S. 04/10/88

Joan S.

Joe W.

John R.

Johnny Boy B.

John S.

Kara G. 11/8/12

Kathy O. 6/11/97

Ken H. 11/4/97

Ken P. 09/20/83

Kerry O. 04/20/08

Larry

Laura R. 6/21/95

Leah S.

Len K. date?

Lisa A.

Liza F. 1/20/05

Maria G

Marilyn M. 06/26/99

Marylyn V.W.

Marie R. 9/6/83

Mary Ellen S. 1/24/10 Mary J.

Maryann D.

Matt S.

Melissa S. 06/23/08

Mike M. 4/20/91

Mike N.

Moe McK. 1993 Deceased

Nancy V. 2/21/05

Nell K.

Patricia K. 12/17/87

Patsy M. 1/6/88

Pat J.

Phyllis M. 03/09/88

Rob S.

Rob K.

Sally C. 10/15/95

Sande R.

Shirley U. 3/19/76

Stanley B. 03/05/79

Stacy V.

Susan N.

Suzanne M.04/04

Tenney W. 5/15/1982

Thomas B.

Tom H. 07/02/04

Tom McD. 01/16/96

Toni S.

Tricia B.

Valerie S. 2/3/89

Walt A. 01/94

Walt M.

Wayne S.

Wes J. 4/21/75

Wes M. 2/1/94

William M.

Wilson S.

The Forgotten Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous 2101 Lancaster Ave.

Wilmington, DE 19805 12:00PM on Tuesdays at Zion Lutheran Church

This is an OpenOpen AA meeting! 3rd Tradition attendees only! (The only

requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.)

•1st Tues. Step Meeting • 2nd Tues. (2 Speaker Discussion Meeting)

• 3rd Tues. Big Book • 4th Tues. AA Double Winner Speaker Discussion

• 5thTues. Open Discussion

ARE YOU restless, discontent, and irritable IN SOBRIETY?ARE YOU restless, discontent, and irritable IN SOBRIETY?Father’s Day, Sunday 18th

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AA NEWS JUNE 2017

Northern Delaware Intergroup

NDIAA Family Picnic

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Banning Park

Friday, June 16, 2017

Starts at 6:30pm

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CONTRIBUTIONS in 2017 to Northern Delaware Intergroup

AA NEWS JUNE 2017

GROUP NAME 2017 YTD MAY

AA Basics $ 165.69 $ -

Agnostic Delaware $ 111.62 $ -

Alone Together Group $ - $ -

Anonymous Group $ - $ -

Arden Group $ - $ -

As Bill Sees It $ - $ -

Augustine Group $ 20.00 $ -

Back to Basic Big Book Group $ - $ -

Basic 12 Steps $ - $ -

Basic Big Book $ 96.00 $ -

Beaten Path $ - $ -

Beginners Freedom Group $ - $ -

Bellefonte Group $ 75.00 $ 75.00

Big Book Group $ 100.00 $ 100.00

Big Book Tuesday $ - $ -

Blue Rock Group $ - $ -

Brandywine Open God Step Group $ - $ -

Brandywine Springs Group $ - $ -

Brooklyn Terrace $ - $ -

BYOBB $ 321.00 $ 321.00

Canby Park $ 25.00 $ -

Carry The Message Friday Night $ - $ -

Cedars Tuesday Night $ 100.00 $ -

Chadds Ford Group $ 75.00 $ -

Chichester Step Group $ - $ -

Christ Church Group $ 164.40 $ -

Come As You Are Group $ - $ -

Conscious Contact $ 744.00 $ -

Claymont Group $ - $ -

Courage to Change $ 640.89 $ -

Dawn Patrol $ 1,315.79 $ 292.43

DECCYPAA $ - $ -

Delaware City Group $ 435.60 $ -

Diamonds & Pearls Group $ - $ -

Displaced Park Place Group $ - $ -

Doorkeepers $ 100.00 $ -

Downtowner's Group $ - $ -

Early Risers $ 2,281.79 $ -

Esh Group - Newark $ - $ -

ESH Group - Wilm. $ 150.00 $ -

Eye Opener $ 1,562.47 $ 291.78

Fairfax Speaker Meeting $ 601.00 $ 306.00

First Stop Friday $ 960.00 $ -

First Stop Wednesday $ 115.00 $ 50.00

First Things First Group $ - $ -

Five Alive Group $ 667.00 $ 667.00

Freedom Group $ 100.00 $ -

Fresh air Group $ 165.00 $ -

Friendship House $ - $ -

God Step $ - $ -

G.O.Y.A. $ - $ -

Glasgow Pines $ - $ -

Greenhill Beginners $ 520.00 $ 200.00

Greenhill Open Step Group $ 300.00 $ -

Greenwood Group $ 200.00 $ 200.00

Growing and Learning $ 300.00 $ -

Growth Group $ 300.00 $ -

Happy Hour Group $ 175.00 $ -

Hockessin Women’s $ - $ -

How It Works Group $ 100.00 $ -

Hudson Center $ 150.00 $ -

Humble Beginnings $ - $ -

In Bills Steps $ 154.44 $ -

Into Action $ 250.00 $ -

Just Do It $ 125.00 $ -

Just for Today $ 564.00 $ -

Keep it Green $ - $ -

Keep it Simple Newark $ - $ -

Keep it Simple, Wilmington $ 15.00 $ -

Kingswood Men’s $ 400.00 $ -

Ladies of Literature $ 174.32 $ 27.00

Lamplighters $ - $ -

Landenburg Group $ 110.00 $ 60.00

Last Stop Friday Group $ - $ -

Late For Dinner Group $ 220.00 $ -

Living In The Solution $ 52.50 $ -

Manor of Living Group $ - $ -

Member $ - $ -

Men of New Garden $ 237.83 $ 237.83

Metroform $ - $ -

Middletown Step and Tradition $ - $ -

Millennium Group $ - $ -

Naaman’s Step Group $ 420.00 $ -

New Castle Group $ - $ -

New Day Group $ 1,117.00 $ -

New Hope Group $ - $ -

New Life Group $ 100.00 $ -

Newark Group $ - $ -

Newport Breakdown $ 466.00 $ -

Newport Group $ - $ -

No Excuses $ 300.00 $ -

North St. George's Group $ 85.00 $ -

Pace - Walt $ - $ -

Pacific Group $ - $ -

Pencader Group $ - $ -

Pike Creek Group $ 111.00 $ -

Pioneers Group $ - $ -

Prices Run Group $ - $ -

Promises Women $ 184.40 $ 70.00

Raphael Group $ 90.00 $ 75.00

Red Lion / Sat. $ - $ -

Red Lion Search for Serenity $ - $ -

S.A.G.A. $ - $ -

S.O.S. Group $ - $ -

Saturday Solutions $ 65.00 $ -

Second Chance $ 517.20 $ -

Serenity at Sunrise $ 144.47 $ -

Serenity for the Week $ - $ -

Silver Fox $ - $ -

Silverbrook Group $ 180.00 $ 180.00

Sisters in Serenity $ 206.30 $ -

Sober and Gay Group $ - $ -

Sojourners $ - $ -

Solutions $ 60.00 $ -

South College Speaker Group $ - $ -

Spirit of Truth $ 410.64 $ -

St. Andrews 102 $ - $ -

St. Nicholas Group (Tues.) $ - $ -

Stepping Stones $ 150.00 $ 75.00

Sunday Literature Meeting $ - $ -

Sunday Night Big Book $ - $ -

Sunrise Group $ - $ -

Swanwick Holloway Terrace $ - $ -

Swanwick Holloway Terrace Group $ - $ -

The Forgotten Steps $ 10.00 $ 5.00

Today Group, Wilmington $ 444.00 $ -

Trolley Square BB $ 400.00 $ -

Tuesday Big Book $ 165.00 $ -

Twelve & Twelve $ - $ -

Twelve & Twelve Step $ 160.00 $ -

Twelve Keys to Freedom $ 181.50 $ -

Twelves Keys Group $ - $ -

Upper Room Group $ 87.00 $ -

US Group $ - $ -

Vent-a-Laters $ - $ -

Vet's Hospital Group $ 100.00 $ -

Wed Night Beginners $ - $ -

Welcome Group $ 265.00 $ -

Wilmington Group $ 100.00 $ -

Women's Friday Morning $ 272.65 $ -

Women's Sober Hour $ - $ -

Yorklyn Diner Groups $ 1,400.00 $ -

Zion Tuesday $ - $ -

TOTALS $ 23,632.50 $ 3,233.04

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INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENTS FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE

AA NEWS JUNE 2017

Note: * These Institutions have requested a confirmation call of a meeting on the day of the commitment. Please call your Intergroup Rep.

INSTITUTION DAY TIME HOME GROUP CONTACT

Connections Brandywine Women TUESDAY 7:00 PM Early Risers Kim

Connections Brandywine Women WEDNESDAY 7:30 PM Just For Today Eva

GAUDENZIA MONDAY 7:00 PM 12 Keys John

GAUDENZIA 3rd floor MONDAY 7:00 PM BB Tuesday Kelly

GAUDENZIA FRIDAY 7:00 PM Fresh Air Mark

GAUDENZIA 3rd floor FRIDAY 7:00 PM Men of New Garden Mark

GAUDENZIA SATURDAY 7:00 PM Fairfax Speaker Tim B.

GAUDENZIA 3rd floor SATURDAY 7:00 PM Today Group Jack C.

NDI Meeting WEDNESDAY 6:15 PM Silverbrook Men Hank

KIRKWOOD DETOX SUNDAY 8:00 PM Freedom Group Tom D.

KIRKWOOD DETOX MONDAY 8:00 PM AA Basics Anna

KIRKWOOD DETOX WEDNESDAY 8:00 PM Early Risers Kim

KIRKWOOD DETOX FRIDAY 8:00 PM BB Study Bill H.

KIRKWOOD DETOX SATURDAY 8:00 PM Yorklyn Diner Margaret

**MARY MOTHER of HOPE (women) THURSDAY 8:00 PM 1st Stop Wed MaryAnn

*MEADOW WOOD MONDAY 8:00 PM Delaware City Kevin

*MEADOW WOOD TUESDAY 8:00 PM Newark Dave H.

*MEADOW WOOD SATURDAY 8:00 PM Late For Dinner Terri

*MEADOW WOOD SUNDAY 8:00 PM Red Lion Saturday Ed

RVRC MONDAY 7:00 PM Happy Hour Keith

*ROCKFORD CENTER TUESDAY 7:00 PM Pike Creek Ray

*ROCKFORD CENTER (Adolescent) MONDAY 7:00 PM Greenhill Open Step Tom H.

*WILMINGTON HOSPITAL TUESDAY 7:00 PM Back to Basics Chris

*WILMINGTON HOSPITAL SATURDAY 7:00 PM ESH Wilmington Susan D.

Questions? Call 302-655-5113 Intergroup Office

Note: **The Mary Mother of Hope commitment is only on 2nd and 4th week of the month.

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Let us know what’s going on. •Anniversaries

•Special Events

•Meeting Changes

• Experience, Strength, and

Hope Messages You write it, we will print it.You write it, we will print it.

AA NEWS JUNE 2017

For an additional articles on the Steps ,

visit the Grapevine website at

www.aagrapevine.orgwww.aagrapevine.orgwww.aagrapevine.org

You can carry the You can carry the You can carry the message, but not the message, but not the message, but not the

alcoholic. alcoholic. alcoholic.

Step Six Were entirely ready

to have God remove

all these defects

of character

Tradition Six An A.A. group ought never en-

dorse, finance, or lend the A.A.

name to any related facility or out-

side enterprise, lest problems of

money, property and prestige di-

vert us from our primary purpose.

I am Responsible When Anyone, Anywhere Reaches

Out For Help, I Want The Hand Of

A.A. Always To Be There. And For

That, I Am Responsible !

God grant me the serenity to accept

the things I cannot change, courage to

change the things I can, and wisdom to

know the difference.

Safety is an important issue within A.A. — one that all groups and members can ad-

dress to develop workable solutions and help keep our meetings safe based on the

fundamental principles of the Fellowship.*

*Excerpts continued from Service Material from the G. S. O.– SMF-209 www.aa.org

A.A. and the Law

Common sense and experience suggest that A.A. membership does not

grant immunity from local regulations and being at an A.A. meeting does not put

anyone beyond the jurisdiction of law enforcement officers. As individuals, A.A.

members are also “citizens of the world,” and as citizens we are not above the law.

Through the group conscience process, many groups have established

guidelines regarding when it may be appropriate to call authorities and handle a

given situation within the legal system. No A.A. group has to tolerate illegal behav-

ior and any activity within an A.A. meeting is subject to the same laws that apply

outside the meeting. The nature of illegal acts that groups have faced include vio-

lence, embezzlement, theft of property, drug sales at a meeting, and more.

Emergencies

Injuries, accidents, fires, etc., sometimes do occur during meetings. To

accommodate these situations, groups can also develop plans and procedures, often

in consultation with their landlord or local authorities. Addressing an emergency

situation is more important than continuing the meeting, and members should not

hesitate to call emergency personnel in critical situations.

Keeping the Focus on Our Primary Purpose

It is hoped that our common suffering as alcoholics and our common solu-

tion in A.A. would transcend most issues and curtail negative behaviors. As noted

in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, “Love and tolerance of others is our

code.”

Safety, however, is important to the functioning of the group. By main-

taining order and safety in meetings, the group as a whole will benefit and members

will be able to focus on recovery from alcoholism and a life of sobriety.

Ultimately, the experience of how these situations are handled can be as

varied as our Fellowship. Good judgment and common sense, informed by the

Twelve Traditions, seem to provide the best guide.

What Can Groups and Members Do?

Groups and members can discuss the topic of safety, to raise awareness in

the Fellowship and seek through sponsorship, workshops and meetings, to create as

safe an environment as possible for the newcomer, and other members or potential

members. This can be the subject of sharing among groups at the district or area

level.

8

SUITE 21-B TROLLEY SQUARE

WILMINGTON, DE 19806

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Name Email

Address

City State ZIP

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