Congratulations Mark. There is a pamphlet "General Service Representative" may be the most important job in AA! In it there is an outline of the sort of knowledge you will need and I think it includes a good working knowledge of the traditions and concepts as well as appropriate meeting procedure.
I have just finished a stint as secretary treasurer of our newly established Primary Purpose Group. We adopted the practice of having an alternate secretary treasurer who worked with me to learn the ropes, was the stand in if I couldn't make it, and has now taken over the role. Although only a smal group, we have greeters, birthday person, chairman, litterature person, GSR and events coordinator. We have two mebers on the Public Information Committee, and one on the prisons. The idea is to make sure all our members get a reasonable grounding in the service area so when one steps up to a service role in wider AA, they are knowledgeable and can make a positive contribution.
I also recently did a term on the service center committee whcih involved clarifying the guidelines and setting up appropriate lines of reporting to enable the workers to do their jobs without personal attacks which had been happening. The concepts came in very handy here. 9&10 if i remember correctly.
It is well worth having a copy of the AA Service Manual and 12+12. My sponsor gave me a manual in my first year.
If I could encourage any sponsors to spend some time teaching their pigeons about traditions and concepts, and guiding them towards service work. And if I could discourage sponsors from telling their pigeons what to think - let them research the facts and become properly and independently informed. To the questions "what do you think about "xyz" - 'I'll ask my sponsor" is not the answer you want to hear.
Good luck in your new role.
God Bless. MikeH
-- Edited by Fyne Spirit on Sunday 2nd of December 2012 02:45:20 PM
I took on a service committment today to be a GSR for one of my homegroups. I'm interested if any of you guys may have done this and can share what it was like.
I also figured this would be a good way to start a thread on how many million ways there are to do service in AA.
A couple of things are obvious which include
-Making coffee at meetings
-Being a greeter at meetings
-Being chair person
-Being secretary
-Being treasurer
Some less obvious ones but still important ones include (and these are ones I have not done so I would really like to hear folks experiences if they have done them so newer folks can get an idea of what other service opportunities exist in AA.
Phone relay
Intergroup representative
Jails and istitutions committee (I have taken meetings into a psych unit but only 1 time and have not been on the Jails and Institutions Committee)
and of course General Service Organization Rep (which I will soon find out)
I might be missing something, but I wanted to start a thread on this so folks could see and hear more about service in a broader scale and what your experiences might be with that. It's not so you can brag about whatever service you've done (and I really don't think we have members here that would do that anyhow) but more so folks can see what their future could hold in terms of all the variety of service you can do in AA and what it may have meant to you folks who have done these things (especially the later things I mentioned cuz even I have little knowledge of what they entail).
__________________
Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
I'm gonna listen closely to the responses of this fellowship cause that is what keeps us unified and on hand to help others who do not know the journey of recovery. Service is how I got here and how I stayed here and what I learned here and then changed for the better here. Service from another member and oldtimer who sometimes I called sponsor and other times brother or sister. My spiritual awakening came when I was fully aware that AA and the family groups were a force for cunning, powerful and baffling healing thru love. Yeppers that was it and my intention (spirit) was to help out in anyway I could to spread the opportunity to those who might listen and learn and then come to the understanding I had.
Being of service was to be on hand for myself and others and the others knew it while I then did not...I was asked to make coffee and have it available...service. I had to be at the meeting in order to fulfill that service and therefore I gave and received at the same time...tricky. As time went by I gave up coffee and just focused on my own mental, emotional and spiritual growth. I started putting into action those things I learn while attending meetings so I could make coffee and then another "affair" became available...meeting secretary and they gave me the map and I followed it until it was time to give it away to another and then another affair and another up to and including jails, Public Information, treasurer and meeting sponsor and then meeting founder and co-founder. It isn't "busy" making because I didn't by a franchise I was helping to create that which I participated in and knew worked for me and for the others who taught and led me on the journey...including...my HP who asks for support always from the old-timer.
I'm listening because I'm always in learning mode...progress is the behavior...share with us please.
I like to pick out newcomers and buy them a big book, show them around, take them under my wing a little and introduce them to people that I know are willing and looking for sponsee's. It's what I would have wanted, so I try very hard to make sure new people don't have to feel like I did my first day. I usually ask people where they are from and make small talk. If they say they are staying at the sober house, I usually tell them I live close to that and can help them with rides if they have lost their license or just want to ride together and have someone to talk to. It's a great way to get to know a lot of different people better, and hear a lot of different stories. It's always neat to see the ones who stick around later on doing well, and see how far they've come from those first days... which I know a lot more about than when I just say hello to someone and a general welcome. I guess in depth welcome's are very special to me now that I think about it.
Other than that, I haven't done anything but chair meetings and make coffee/greet - so I'll be waiting for more responses here too. I don't really know how things work yet as far as the rest of the commitments go.
Thanks for the thread Mark : )
__________________
Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
I've decided to take a break from AlAnon and just focus on AA right now. In doing so, I will be giving up my committments-intergroup rep and set up. I already told the secretary for one meeting that I was giving up set up. It's such as easy meeting to set up for that I don't feel so bad. In fact, I created the position just so I could get there on time. : ) I feel guilty about giving up intergroup because nobody wants that one. It was a difficult committment for me, though, and was actually a big trigger for emotional issues being set in my ex's neighborhood. In two of my now regular AA meetings, committments are due to be rotated. I would really like to take one on. I know it will be one more positive behavior to strengthen my recovery.
I serve as treasurer for my home group but I also serve by baking treats! I make homemade cakes, cookies, and candies for our business meetings and birthday meetings. I love extending myself this way and it seems to be appreciated as well. :)
__________________
I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
I've done everything from coffee maker to chairperson. Booking meetings were always my favorite. It felt like the stock exchange, all the chaos and everything. It would only last for about 15 minutes -give or take, but the energy was through the roof. I never did the GSR commitment, but they did have a meeting (for GSR's only) once a month. I could only imagine what that was like. Anyway, I love to do service, just in a different capacity nowadays. I'll do anything for this program, without question. How about You?
I served as Treasurer for 2 different groups for years, (I'm a bookkeeper by trade), Secretary, coffee maker, set up person, raffle ticket seller and greeter. I have to say the greeter position was the most humbling, as I have a hard time remembering names, and if people liked to be hugged or not. Weird I know, but it freaked me out in early sobriety. Right now I'm taking a break from any formal position.
I serve as treasurer for my home group but I also serve by baking treats! I make homemade cakes, cookies, and candies for our business meetings and birthday meetings. I love extending myself this way and it seems to be appreciated as well. :)
Okay Vixen, ... I just need to know one thing, where's your group meet and at what times ... I'll bring a napkin ...
We wouldn't last long without service to the cause!!!
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
*lol* I'd even make homemade ice cream sundaes if you came, Pappy. :)
__________________
I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
I didn't know how to start doing service work, so I started by cleaning up after meetings. Picking up coffee cups, emptying trash, little things like that. Once a week people are asked to stay and help clean our meeting hall. We rent an older two bedroom house that has been converted to hold meetings, and there are over 32 meetings a week held there. That's a lot of people through the place in the course of a week. Most weeks, I am the only one who stays, and even if others stay, no one wants to clean the bathrooms. So I do. It can be unpleasant at times, but necessary. I will admit, the first couple of times I stayed and no one else did, I b#%£¥?d and moaned to myself. Then I started finding pennies, every time I stayed and cleaned. Pennies from heaven, God letting me know that what I am doing is not going unnoticed or unappreciated. I am unable to commit to a service position that doesn't allow flexibility due to my home life, so cleaning works great. It gets me out of my head for a bit, and I'm good at it.
__________________
I asked God for all things that I may enjoy life. He gave me life so that I may enjoy all things.
