MBAIAA Newsletter – April 2021

Published on April 22, 2021

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

“Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door ever so slightly open, we find that we can open it some more.”

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions – Page 42

“Why is it that the alcoholic is so unwilling to accept responsibility? I used to drink because of the things that other people did to me.  Once I came to AA I was told to look at where I had been wrong.  What did I have to do with all these different matters?  When I simply accepted that I had a part in them, I was able to put it on paper and see it for what it was – humanness.  I am not expected to be perfect! I have made errors before and I will make them again.  To be honest about them allows me to accept them – and myself – and those with whom I had the differences, from there, recovery is just a short distance ahead.”

Daily Reflections – Page 102

What’s Happening Locally

April Birthday Meeting – Saturday April 24th @ 7:00PM

The Birthday Meeting is hosted this month by The Wild Women group.  They meet on Wednesdays at noon on Zoom and traditionally meet at the Center for Spiritual Awakening located at 522 Central Ave in Pacific Grove.  This meeting began in the early sixties and is one of the largest women’s meetings on the peninsula.  They will host our monthly birthday meeting on Saturday, April 24th at 7:00pm.  The speaker will be Jane P.

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!

Also, we are happy to mail you a sobriety coin if you are celebrating a milestone.  Just send an email to Central Office and let us know your mailing address and the number of years you are celebrating.

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

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 May 8th @ 11 AM.

Founder’s Day

To commemorate the founding of our program, MBAIAA is hosting a Zoom event called Founder’s Day on June 12th (June 10th is Dr. Bob’s sobriety date).  There will be a speaker meeting and various break out rooms (WITH PRIZES!) for trivia, music and fun.  There will be lots of time for fellowship and new ways to enjoy festivities on Zoom.  Be sure to join us and also be sure to spread the word.  We are reaching out to the Salinas and Santa Cruz fellowships and hope that you can help us in that endeavor too.  Make announcements at your meetings and bring friends. For the first time, this event will have a Spanish interpreter, so alert all of your Spanish speaking friends as well.

We will have 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.

Central Office Reopening

The other big news is that we are reopening Central Office , gradually at first, to serve your needs.  Starting April 27th the hours will be as follows:

  • Tuesdays 9:30am – 12:30 pm
  • Thursdays 12:30pm – 3:30pm
  • Saturdays 10:30am – 1:30pm

We ask that you be considerate of others and wear a mask and maintain 6ft social distance.

Remote Meetings

We have page on the website listing all of our remote meetings.  The Remote Meetings page also lists information on protecting our anonymity at virtual meetings.  Read it carefully and join us online. We need each other to continue our sobriety.

There are physical meetings happening as well – you can check the website for those too.  All meetings are following safe practices.

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

Monterey General Service is so grateful and excited about our local AA participation in the agenda topic discussions.  If your group has a GSR and took part in agenda topic group consciences, those discussion notes are being delivered by our Area Delegate to New York at this very moment.  Our Area Delegate, Jennifer, will be delivering a Delegate’s Report at our June District Meeting.  All AA members are welcome to attend and listen to results, next steps etc.

Monterey General Service welcomed 2 new GSR’s at this month’s meeting and they are both already heavily involved.  If your group does not have a General Service Representative, please consider electing a GSR.  Your GSR is the key communicator between your group and AA as a whole. WE are AA.  About the GSR position: It is a two year commitment – a foundation in the Steps and Traditions is very helpful.  As a G.S.R. you are conveying the information, without giving your opinion, to your group.  Willingness is the key.  Your understanding will grow within these two years.  We meet the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. via a digital platform.  Please read the pamphlet and, if interested , let your group know you are ready to be of service.

With gratitude and service,

Jessica A.

Current IGR Minutes and Financial Reports

A Note From Jana

It has been well over a year that the Shelter-in Place order became a reality in all of our lives.  I am sure that none of us ever expected it to last this long.  Congratulations go to all of us – we were able to find a way to meet and continue to support one another.  There have been many changes in the way that we do things, but we have been able to welcome many newcomers and continue this great fellowship in new and exciting ways.  You have supported MBAIAA in a way that has moved me and the Steering Committee in a profound way.

“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.