MBAIAA Newsletter – July 2024

Published on July 27, 2024

Step 7 – “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”

“Indeed, the attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of A.A.’s Twelve Steps. For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all. Nearly all A.A.’s have found, too, that unless they develop much more of this precious quality than may be required just for sobriety, they still haven’t much chance of becoming truly happy. Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency.”

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions – Page 70

What’s Happening Locally

Monthly Intergroup Birthday Meeting – Saturday, July 27th @ 7:00PM

This month’s host group is The Noon Group, held daily at 12:00PM at the Monterey Fellowship Hall – 519 Hartnell St, Monterey, CA.  We’ll have a great speaker!

Time: Saturday, July 27th at 7:00PM
Place:  Monterey High School Cafeteria – 101 Herrmann Dr. Monterey CA 93940

Please come and support the fellowship!  You’re encouraged you to celebrate in whatever way makes you comfortable – wear a mask, don’t wear a mask, hug, don’t hug.  No judging of others who may or may not do things the way you would like them to.  Kindness, love and celebration will be the order of the day.  Wear a costume if you’d like!  We will have cake & coffee and there will be much to celebrate – TOGETHER!

The monthly birthday meeting is 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 – 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 8:30pm.  Coffee is typically ready no later than 6:30pm.  Arrive early for good parking, fellowship, and a great seat!

Monthly MBAR Planning meetings

Monterey Bay Area Roundup is a conference held at the conference center in Monterey in September – every other year.  Get Involved in the planning- fun, and fellowship!  The meetings are on the 2nd Saturday of every month at 10:00 am on Zoom.

  • ID 831 4306 2293
  • Password 2024

Be sure to join them as they plan the big MBAR event for September 2024!  You can register for the conference online now at: https://montereybayarearoundup.org/.  The cost of registration is $45.00 until July 31st.  It will be $50.00 after that.

News From General Service

District 01 Alternate District Committee Chair Elena B just got back from the Pacific Regional Forum in Las Vegas. The following is her report on what she saw, heard and
felt at the Forum:

Members from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California, and Hawaii all came together for an incredible few days of learning and connection. It happened last weekend and provided a fantastic chance for everyone involved in the service structure to share information and experiences. These Regional Forum events are so important for bringing together

• The General Service Board
• A.A. World Services, Inc.
• A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
• The General Service Office and Grapevine staff
• A.A. members
• Newcomers to service
• Trusted servants

The forum kicked off on Friday night with presentations from Area Delegates. We had the special honor of meeting the new General Service Board (GSB) chair, the first Class B GSB Chair in A.A. history! Traditionally, the board had two-thirds non-members and always a non-member as Chair, but after 90 years, it was time for a change. This shows our maturity and readiness to have a member as the Chair.

Saturday was packed with activities, starting with an in-depth look at the AAWS Board and Your GSO. We got a detailed breakdown of their departments and enjoyed a fun video presentation about the roles of GSO staff members, many of whom are not alcoholics. GSO General Manager Bob gave a visual presentation of his office and his responsibilities.
I attended two workshops: one on Safety in A.A. and another on the role of DCMs (District Committee Members). The Safety in A.A. workshop was especially emotional for me. It
highlighted that not only predatory behavior but also gossiping, discussing other people’s private lives, judging can make A.A. feel unsafe. It’s essential to address these issues to ensure A.A. remains a safe and supportive environment for everyone. I’m excited to announce that District 04/San Jose North is holding a hybrid Safety workshop on October 19th in Campbell. This hybrid event will be and will provide an excellent opportunity for further discussion on maintaining safety within our A.A. community.

Saturday afternoon was filled with amazing presentations. We heard from the Grapevine/LaVina non-trustee director and editor about the structure of the Grapevine/LaVina board and the status of the magazines. One key takeaway was that there are 69,000 groups in the U.S. and Canada. If 10% subscribe to Grapevine or LaVina, or if just one person per group does, it would help tremendously. Trustee at Large Marita gave a beautiful PowerPoint presentation with photos showing A.A. around the world, highlighting the countries she visited. Our Class A trustee Kevin Prior, the GSB Treasurer, conducted a finance presentation, giving a complete breakdown of finances. He noted that 7th Tradition contributions have been record-
breaking since 2021. He also mentioned that mail contributions cost $5.60 to process, while online contributions cost $2.93, saving $2.67.

We also received a brief update on the 2025 International Convention, with an intro to the skit themed around the Addams Family. Registration opens in September, and the convention will be in Vancouver, Canada. For details on how to prepare for the trip, check aa.org.

IGR Minutes & Current Financial Reports

A Note From Central Office

Hi everyone!

I am happy to say that we have settled into the new office  – 546 Hartnell St Suite E.   It is directly across the street and up a short driveway from Carl’s Alley, next to the Fellowship Hall.  This new location is starting to feel like home –  please come by and see your new office.  We have come back from the pandemic and are on the right track to continue our fellowship well into the future. – Thank you all so much for your support!

We have so much to be grateful for, and to look forward to.  Please continue to support AA with service opportunities and financially, in any way that you are able.  We are looking for a couple of new members for our Steering Committee which meets once a month on Zoom (you are also obliged to one additional meeting per month- also on Zoom) – it is a terrific way to be of service.

There is MBAR to look forward to next month! It has traditionally been an event to really look forward to and deserves our heartfelt attention. Be sure to register for the Conference before the end of July if you can, as you can get a nice discount by registering before midnight, July 31st.

Look after and support each other and remember that we can’t stay sober alone. Share with others what was so freely given to you.

Thank you!

Jana

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