After hearing the feedback from the Fellowship, and a thorough review of the process to bring Non Conference Approved Literature into the bookstore, Sonoma County Intergroup Fellowship (SCIF) Steering Committee has realized the need for an informed group conscience and vote by the Fellowship. SCIF kindly requests each meeting gather their group conscience and take a vote at meeting level (typically for multiple consecutive meetings, not just one.)
At the December General Meeting, there will be a vote on whether the Bookstore should sell Non Conference Approved Literature. If you have further questions, please reach out to Amber C., SCIF Chair at sonomacountyaa2024@gmail.com.
Informed Group Conscience
As stated in Tradition Two, our sole authority is a “… loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.”
The late Dean K., Past Delegate from California Northern Interior Area, said there are two ways to arrive at a group conscience: “The competitive way permits the person with the loudest voice to push his ideas across, take a vote and come up with a ‘majority’ decision. This is not informed group conscience. In the cooperative way, group members come together in mutual trust to arrive at a group decision, not one individual’s personal triumph.” (Box 459, Vol. 35, no. 1 February/March 1989)
What is an informed group conscience and how is it achieved?
“The group conscience is the collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial unanimity on an issue before definitive action is taken.” This “... implies that pertinent information has been studied and all views have been heard before the group votes.” (The A.A. Group pamphlet pp. 26-27)
Concept One states “the final responsibility for A.A. World Services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole fellowship.” No one person or group should make our decisions for us, no matter how persuasive they may be.” As stated in Tradition Two (short form) “… Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.”
How to Set Up a Sharing Session
(from the A.A. Service Manual, 2009-10 edition, pg. S40)
In a sharing session, everyone has a chance to use their experience, strength and hope to contribute ideas and opinions about the welfare of A.A. It can be set up anywhere for any group of people, but it is especially useful for assemblies and district meetings. Its format is aimed at drawing out the ideas of even the shyest participant, and keeps the more articulate from dominating the meetings. Each person offers an opinion, and never needs to defend it. The chairperson, or a leader, functions more as a timekeeper than as a participant.
Here is how it works: Let’s say that the topic is “How can we get more A.A.s interested in General Service?” The leader, armed with a loud bell and a watch or stopwatch, reads the questions and explains the rules. Each member present may talk for a specified time (a minute and a half or two minutes is typical – whatever the group agrees upon). Usually no one is permitted to speak twice on the same subject until all who wish to have spoken. The leader continues until the topic has been fully explored.
A member takes down the essence of the meeting; these notes will provide good ideas for use by committee officers, committee members and GSRs.
Thanks,
Amber C.
Added Thoughts Regarding Non Conference Literature Sent in by Member Steve Z.
Why Sonoma County Intergroup Fellowship
Should Not be Selling Non-Conference Approved Literature
We are writing this article because our Intergroup leadership gave us a wonderful opportunity to dig into
the purpose and meaning of our Twelve Traditions and to look at our Fellowship standing in honoring and
following the Twelve Traditions.
This December our Fellowship will be voting on whether or not the Intergroup Office/ Bookstore should
continue selling Non-Conference Approved Literature (Non- CAL). This decision belongs to the
Fellowship and in order to arrive at an informed group conscience, there needs to be a robust discussion
of the issues.
Our Intergroup Newsletter published a well written statement from the general service office on what is
and is not Conference Approved Literature and how the General Service Office arrives at its decisions.
Now, we’d like to highlight some of the conflicts with our Traditions arising when an AA group or
Service Entity sells Non CAL.
Tradition One: “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.”
Disagreements about these materials create conflict within our Fellowship, it harms our unity therefore is
in conflict with this Tradition (or there would be no need for this article). While many people will like
those ideas and opinions, many will find them offensive and/or incompatible with AA principles. This
Tradition so clearly states that for most of us there is no sobriety without AA; our life depends on our
unity and on the preservation of our program.
Tradition Six: “An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility
or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.”
When our bookstore sells Non-CAL there is an implied endorsement of the ideas and opinions of the
authors of that material. There is also a lending of the A.A. name to the outside enterprises publishing
these materials. It appears that money and property are diverting us from our primary purpose.
Tradition Seven has immense spiritual significance for us individually and collectively as an organization.
It tells us to be responsible for ourselves financially; not depending on outside sources, and that includes
running a business. This Tradition also tells our Trusted Servants that we need to live within our means –
the contributions – and if they need more money, they need to come to us, the Fellowship. Engaging in
money making business is a perilous activity for us, alcoholics. An AA group and Service Entity is best
served by only selling Conference Approved Literature. Our Fellowship would be equally well served by
our Bookstore Manager and volunteers if they explained to people asking for Non-Cal and other
merchandise that our Traditions, preserving our unity and future is the reason why our Bookstore doesn’t
sell Non-CAL.
One of the most frequently heard arguments in favor of selling Non-CAL is that people ask for it.
However, everything that people ask for is easily and readily obtainable online or at Amazon. Even if
that were not the case, the considerable problems that Non-CAL sales pose with our Traditions, should
deter us from following that course.
Please keep in mind the PREAMBLE to our SCIF By-laws which state that SCIF “…is a service body
directly responsible to the A.A. groups and to provide services as required (emphasis added).”
“In all of its proceedings, the Sonoma County Intergroup shall observe the spirit of A.A. Traditions and
Concepts (emphasis added).”
There is no requirement for SCIF to be selling Non-CAL and since it’s mandatory for SCIF to observe
A.A. Traditions, then any conflict with any tradition should be a compelling reason to stop selling it.