MBAIAA Newsletter – APRIL 2018

Published on April 19, 2018

Step 4 – “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves”

“We have not once sought to be one in a family, to be a friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society. Always we tried to struggle to the top of the heap, or to hide underneath it. This self-centered behavior blocked a partnership relation with any one of those about us. Of true brotherhood we had small comprehension.”
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 53

Alcoholics Anonymous Events To Plan For

Monterey Intergroup Birthday / Speaker Meeting
Saturday, April 28th @ 7:30 PM

Hosted this month by Seniors in Sobriety 2 – a group that meets Thursdays at 3:00 PM in Monterey at St James Church. The speaker will be Mary.
This is a monthly birthday meeting held on the last Saturday of each month (except for December when the meeting is held along with a holiday banquet ). The first part of the meeting includes a presentation of birthday medallions for those celebrating annual A.A. anniversaries and all are invited to participate. Birthdays are followed by an A.A. speaker who shares for 40 to 45 minutes and the meeting ends about 9pm. Coffee is typically ready no later than 7pm. Arrive early for good parking, fellowship and a great seat!

Monterey High School Cafeteria
Herman Drive at Larkin, Monterey CA 93940

Be sure to check out our website Events Calendar as there are many festivities ahead this spring and summer!

News From General Service

I received some interesting information regarding a conference being held in New Mexico in May.
The exciting news about this conference is that it will include the first presentation of our Big Book that has been translated into the Navajo language.
“With the completion of the Big Book into Navajo, GSO Chair, Michele Grinberg, is coming to The Red Road AA Convention in Albuquerque, NM, May 4-6, 2018 to present to the President of the Navajo Nation, Russell Begaye, the first official copy available for sale. In addition, A.A.W.S. Publication Direct, David R. and project translator, Eugene Plumber will be in attendance, along with may of our Area 3 members, including myself and other Past Delegates that aided with the project. Past Delegate, Kathi F. has done a great deal of the work in coordinating with everyone involved. I also believe our Past Regional Trustee, Rod B., will be in attendance. We recently created a PSA in Navajo, with a hotline in both English and Navajo. The presentation will be at 9:30 am on May 5th, 2018 at the event. I will be a momentous occasion in our history. If you are available to attend I think it will be very memorable. Since this is there only Big Book the cost is only $9.10 and is available for $7 until the end of June. There is an article coming soon in Box 459, reviewing the entire translation process.”

To see current IGR minutes and financial reports CLICK HERE

A Note From Jana

I get all sorts of interesting emails here at the office. I received one today from a fellow who has a Crosstalk meeting going on that you can be a part of by phone. Here is the info:

April 5th 2018 – Have you ever not been able to get to a meeting yet feel like you need one? Today, we would like to announce that feeling is no longer an excuse. Our continued work and availability of the CrossTalk group, which is a free telephone meeting, is for all Alcoholics but especially designed for those AA members who may be homebound, traveling, immobilized, in nursing homes, or unavailable to get to a conventional meeting
The CrossTalk group was started in 2015 and is recognized by both GSO and the Loners International Homer’s Directory which can be found at your local intergroup office. Our group number is 717886. The Crosstalk Group meetings are available Sunday through Thursday at Midnight EST (9pm on the West Coast). To participate in this meeting, please call 712-451-0235 and enter the Participant Code of 979634 then press #. If you have any additional questions about this group, please feel free to contact Peter B at: peter@coolaastuff.com.
I checked this out with GSO, and it does have their okay.
Never a substitute for a person to person contact meeting, but sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we just need some kind of contact with another alcoholic.

I am looking for people to step up to help plan our Unity Day celebration on June 17th and also the event I told you about last month – our Fellowship is celebrating 50 years and we are having a party to celebrate on July 21st. We need help! It’s a great way to be of service and you will have fun too.

Another thing I mentioned last month is that group contributions are down for the first quarter of the year. I think I have noticed a small uptick in April, and I thank you for that. Please keep it going. If you can afford to put a little extra in the basket, please do so. It is vital that we are able to continue to allow for the hand of AA to always be there. “ Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.”

In closing, let me just say that someone stopped by the office just now who I happened to meet at her first meeting, She was shaking and crying on that day and I told her it would get better if she just kept coming back, That was 10 months ago, and she walked in today with a smile and plan to see her sponsor this afternoon. The rewards of this program are endless, if we just keep coming back.

We Are Always In Need Of People To Be Of Service

If you are interested in being a part of what we do here at Central Office, I am always looking for office volunteers . People to be on the other end of the phone when someone reaches out for help. It is generally a four hour commitment (either 9:30 – 1:30 or 1:30 – 5:30) 1 day per week. Currently, I need a few people to keep on a list of those that are willing to fill in for these positions once in a while. Call or come by and let’s talk!

In closing, please feel free to stop by Central Office. If you are one of the ‘Trusted Servants’ at a meeting (Secretary, Treasurer,etc,) and you have any questions about the responsibilities of that position, don’t hesitate to ask what those responsibilities might be.

I am in the office Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 -5:00.