MBAIAA Newsletter – September 2021

Published on September 24, 2021

Step 9 – “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions – Page 83

Good Judgement, a careful sense of timing, courage, and prudence – these are the qualities we shall need when we take Step Nine.

After we have made a list of all people we have harmed, have reflected carefully upon each instance, and have tried to possess ourselves of the right attitude in which to proceed, we will see that the making of direct amends divides those we should approach into several classes.  There will be those who ought to be dealt with just as soon as we become reasonably confident that we can maintain our sobriety.  There will be those to whom we can make only partial restitution, lest complete disclosures do them or others more harm than good.  There will be other cases where action ought to be deferred, and in still others in which by the very nature of the situation we shall never be able to make direct personal contact at all.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions – Pages 83

What’s Happening Locally

September Birthday Meeting – Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00PM

The Birthday meeting is on Saturday, September 25th at 7:00pm and will be held on Zoom.  This month the meeting is hosted by The Mighty Muffins.  Currently a hybrid meeting, the Muffins meet daily both in Carmel Valley and on Zoom.  On weekends, they meet in the large room at The Community Center at 8:00am and during the week they meet in the small room on the side of the Community Center at 7:00am.  This month the speaker will be Rod H.

Please join us!  There will be a 50/50 raffle which you can participate in by sending money through Venmo.  Tickets are 3 for $5.00 and be sure to put the word ‘Raffle” on the transaction.  We will be drawing the winner at the end of the meeting.  The meeting will be open at least 20 minutes early and after the meeting for fellowshipping.  Come a little early, stay a little late, we will have time for fellowshipping. It will be wonderful to see all of your faces.  During this time of ‘Shelter in Place’, we cannot gather together in celebration as we usually do, so this will be the next best thing!

  • Zoom Meeting ID:  652 224 0517
  • Password:  Sobriety

First Ever MBAIAA Dog Show – Saturday, October 23rd at Oak Newton Park in Monterey

Come join us for this FREE, FUN, OUTDOOR event and show us your pooches!  Our first in-person event in way too long.  We will have a bunch of silly categories- Goofiest grin, Waggiest tail, best costume etc.  All dogs will win a medal!  There will be a topic meeting at 11:00am and the topic will be ‘How has your sobriety affected your pet and how does your pet enhance your sobriety.

Hot dogs, veggie dogs and watermelon and will be served at Noon.  Then we will have a dog show and parade and medals will be awarded at 1:00.  It’s all FREE so come join in the festivities.  Bring a chair and be sure that your four legged pals are on a leash.

Monterey Bay Area Roundup (MBAR)

The Monterey Bay Area Roundup (MBAR) committee has made the decision to put all of it’s efforts into a face-to-face conference to be held on Labor Day 2022.  If you would like to participate in putting this fun event together, the planning meetings are on the second Saturday of each month at 11:00 am.

  • Zoom Meeting ID:  831 4306 2293
  • Password: 2022

MBAR’s next meeting will be held Saturday October 9th @ 11 AM.

Online Meeting Listings

Note that our website has a new format for listing our Online and In-person meetings on Meeting Guide Online. All Online meetings have been moved to this new format.

On your mobile device you can also access meetings using the Meeting Guide Mobile App.

Digital Contributions At Online Meetings 1

Online meeting spaces make it difficult to “pass the basket”.  Some groups have set up digital contribution accounts with services like Venmo, PayPal, Google Pay, etc. to deal with this problem. Now might be a good time to review an essential piece of AA literature, “Self-Support: Where Money and Spirituality Mix”.

Each group is autonomous and might consider taking a group conscience on whether digital contributions are an option, and which platform (or mix of platforms) best suits their groups’ needs.

Why collect 7th Tradition for an online meeting?

Our regular meeting locations still have operating expenses

  • Our meetings facilities may rely on contributions to pay their rent and utilities
  • Meeting supplies will still be needed when our meetings reopen – coffee, paper products, literature, refreshments. And after an extended closure, we may experience a large influx of people who are motivated to re-join the fellowship in person.

Central Office and the General Service Office still have operating expenses

  • Websites – which we may now rely on more than ever!
  • Phone lines, rent and insurance on office space
  • Utility and other ongoing expenses
  • Paid Special Workers who deserve our continued support. Their compensation is crucial to their ability to serve us.

Our Districts and Areas and H&I still have expenses

  • Regular expenses to support the work of committees and events that will take place when the crisis has passed are still there.
  • Web services support for groups
  • Expenses for venues for events that have been cancelled may still need to be met, since any income from the event won’t be there to support the pre-payment of reservations, cancellation fees, etc. The expense of re-arranging for venues to reschedule events is very real.

News From General Service

Announcement from the General Service Office:  New Service Material – “Safety and A.A. Flyer”

A new,optional service material flyer that can be displayed or made available at groups who wish to use it.  Please see the links below:

“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.”
Responsibility Statement

Current IGR Minutes & Financial Reports

A Note From Jana

Central Office is fully open.  We are now open Mon – Fri 9:30 – 5:30.  We have a wonderful staff of volunteers who answer the phones and address the daily tasks of facilitating 12th step calls and being there to help the alcoholic who still suffers.  We are fully stocked with World Service approved literature and have a couple of new books from the Grapevine. ‘ Mujeres en AA’ Women in AA (Spanish-language) is a collection of stories taken from the pages of Grapevine and La Viña.  We also have ‘Free on the Inside’ which features 50+ powerful stories by sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous who have experienced AA in prison.  There is also a new collection of 3 volumes of “The Best of the Grapevine.  Come by and check them out!

We have recently experienced a paper shortage, so General Service has been unable to send certain books.  That said, we received a large shipment of literature this week and are fully stocked with World Service approved literature.

We are updating the website everyday.  Many meetings are opening up to face to face meetings and some have chosen to do a hybrid of Zoom and face to face.  As things begin to look more positive in terms of the pandemic, each group has the autonomy to decide their own method of re-entering the traditional ways that we meet.  I would suggest that each group has business meetings addressing these issues. Please be sure that if any changes are to be made in the way that you meet, you inform the webteam so that people can find you.  The email is webteam@aamonterey.org. Also, if you could send an email to me at info@aamonterey.org to let me know the changes as well, it would be appreciated.

There has been a discussion about when to resume the in-person Birthday Meeting.  There are many issues o consider.  First, of course, is the reopening of Monterey High School for outside events.  That was accomplished last week (mid-September).  Then there are issues about their COVID protocols and our own COVID protocols.  Trust that we are making every effort to resume the long-held tradition of the monthly Birthday Meeting, but we must do so in a well thought-out and cautious manner.  Please feel free to come by or call – (831) 373-3713) – so that we can discuss this matter and get a consensus of opinion.  Emails are also more than welcome – you can reach us at: info@aamonterey.org.   Just as we were able to respond to the shutdown, we will respond to the changes carefully and TOGETHER.

Personally, I am happy to be back in the office on a regular basis.  If you would like to be a part of the process, the best way to get involved is to step-up and volunteer to serve as an Intergroup representative.  Intergroup meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm on Zoom – then, you take the information back to your group.  That is the way this fellowship best functions!

Look after each other, support each other, remember that we can’t stay sober alone.  Share with others what was so freely given to you.  Thanks again everybody and HAPPY FALL!

“Nothing is so bad that a drink won’t make it worse.”
The Best of the Grapevine volume 3

1 This information is from the AA Intergroup of SF & Marin Online Contributions page.