Last Updated on August 12, 2022 by Technical Advisor
As we approach the upcoming election assembly on September 11 th , I find myself reflecting on what Bill W. wrote in A.A.’s Legacy of Service…
“A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die. Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer—ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.’s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service.”
—Bill W., A.A.’s Legacy of Service
This reflects my perspective on what has brought immense joy to me as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. For me, engaging in area service is an essential part of my recovery process as it helped to transform my perspective from “what can I get out of this” to “what can I give back.”
The fact that this is a WE program, and we are willing to reach out and help one another embodies the true meaning of service work and the Three Legacies of AA—recovery, unity, and service. One may serve as a GSR for their home group, a DCM for a district or one may also serve in a position within the Area. With the latter in mind, I would like to ask each of you reading this to consider standing for a position that you believe you qualify for at our upcoming election assembly. If not you, then please consider encouraging another A.A. member to stand for a position that they may qualify for.
Area service is a great responsibility, but it is also a way of building a strong and sober support group as we are introduced others we may not have met otherwise. It is vital to our sobriety that some form of service work be performed. In this spirit, I would like to close with the Alcoholics Anonymous Responsibility Statement:
“I am Responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there. And for that: I am responsible.”
Marcia H., Area Chair, Panel 71