Minutes of First 3-day Session
During the first 3-day session, participants discussed the first three of nine proposals. These proposals addressed:
- A minor edit to the FYI Letter sent out each month by the Secretary.
- Adding a sentence to the Weekly Meeting Format Letter to emphasize AA’s principle of anonymity.
- An increase to the monthly contribution GROW makes to oso-aa.org, the server that supports both our e-mail meeting and our website.
Proposal 2.1 – FYI Letter Change
Five people commented on the proposal to delete “d. Website Information” from the table of contents of the FYI letter, all agreeing with it. We will vote on Proposal 2.1 in the next 3-day period. This change was based on the fact that no website information currently appears in the letter. Website information is included in the Listkeeper Letter. During the second 3-day session, participants will vote on whether to adopt the proposal as a Group Conscience Decision.
Proposal 3.1 – “Let It Stay Here” addition to Weekly Meeting Format Letter
Twelve (12) particiants commented on the proposal to add a sentence to emphasize AA’s anonymity principle to the Weekly Meeting Format Letter. The sentence “Who you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here” between the Preamble and “How It Works.” A couple of participants felt the new language was not necessary. One person raised the question of whether we should enforce this principle if a member violated it. No one responded to this query.
Two participants suggested changes to the wording of the insert, and those who commented expressed approval of the changes. Therefore, the Chair incorporated these two changes into a revised Proposal 3.2a upon which we will vote in the second 3-day session. The first would change the word “hear” to “read” to reflect the online nature of our meeting. The second would clarify what we mean by “anonymity” with an additional sentence: “(Anonymity refers to personal information and personal issues – not the message of recovery.)”
When it was revealed that The Weekly Meeting Format Letter already contains a similar sentence (penultimate paragraph of the format), participants generally felt the same message should not appear in the letter twice. Therefore, the Chair prepared a second version of the proposal upon which we will also vote in the second 3-day session. Proposal 3.2b would delete the current penultimate paragraph (“Anonymity Statement: Please remember that “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.” What you hear here and who you “see” here, let it stay here.”
Proposal 4.1 – Increase Contribution to oso-aa.org
Eight (8) participants commented on the proposal. While there were some questions, in the end there was consensus supporting the proposal. In the next 3-day period, we will vote on the proposal as presented during the second 3-day session.
Respectfully,
danna M
GROW Business Chair