Welcome to the March 2022 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Welcome to the January 2022 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the January 2022 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

My experience with New Year’s resolutions never included starting a diet.  My obesity and compulsive eating started in my late 30s and by that time I had had some time as a PhD candidate in Nutrition and had learned the science (as we knew it in the 1990s) that fad diets may result in short term weight loss but that once off them, people tended to gain back all the weight and about 10 lbs. more.  So, knowing that, I didn’t diet. I wanted to lose weight for sure and saw the magazines in the grocery aisle, which made weight loss look so easy; yet I knew it could not be possible.  On the covers of those magazines were people advertised as having loss half their weight and getting them down to a healthy weight.  I’m grateful I never dieted, because inevitably there is the cheat day on a diet, sanctioned or otherwise, and having never made such exceptions, I do not have the habit of thinking I could get away with them.

For me, “no exceptions” is key to my abstinence, and I’ve been abstinent since committing my first weighed and measured meal on 12/20/2018. I lost about 95 lbs. the first year, an additional 34 lbs. the second year, and 29 lbs. in this past year. On December 1^st, I weighed 155 pounds for a total of 153 pounds lost. GreySheet has saved my life—at 5’2”, my 308 lbs. were a lot to carry on my short body. I’d had a stroke 7 years before starting GS, considered and rejected my doctor’s recommendation for a gastric bypass, yet continued to eat compulsively. I was seeking weight loss, sure, when I came to GreySheet, but mostly I wanted to be able to not have crazy food thoughts because I knew that was my main problem.  I’ve lost over half my weight in 3 years, and without serious exercise.  A truly miraculous outcome!

Upcoming Meetings

All Interested GreySheeters Welcome!

Each of these meetings is an opportunity to expand your recovery by learning more about the framework that guides our work together. If you’re a delegate, you’ll want to clear your calendar and attend each of these meetings. This is how we get essential information and guidance for giving our best to the groups we serve.

- Concept 3 meeting ID: 791 453 380 on Sunday, January 16 at 1:00 PM ET
- Tradition 3 meeting ID: 791 453 380 on Sunday, January 23 at 1:00 PM ET
- Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166 on Sunday, January 9, Noon PM ET
- Town Hall meeting ID: 717 731 799 on January 30, 2022, 11:00 am ET

Sustaining our Vital Service Structure
 

Our primary purpose is to stay abstinent and help another compulsive eater achieve abstinence. All of the services that we expect from GSA to support our primary purpose, like literature, website, social media, meeting lists, phone lists, contact lists, and the actual GreySheet food plan itself, are provided by committees of the World Service Conference. These committees are composed of your Group Service Representatives (GSRs) working with Intergroup Service Representatives (ISRs) and Trustees. GSA does not have paid staff. Everything depends on your GSR joining a committee and contributing.

At the WSC2021, the delegates adopted a resolution called Sustaining World Service Conference Committees. That resolution outlined how we can be sure that each committee has the GSRs it needs to provide the services we want.

ISRs play a key role. Here’s what the resolution says:
Within one month of the prior World Service Conference, Intergroup Service Representatives (“ISRs”) shall inform the Recording Secretary of Greysheeters Anonymous World Services (Secretary@greysheet.org) in writing of the top two committee choices of all the GSRs in their Intergroup Area. If a GSR is already on a committee and would like to stay on that committee, the ISR shall include that information.

For those groups that do not have a GSR, ISRs shall work with each group to elect a GSR. Once a GSR is elected, the GSR shall advise the Secretary directly of their top two committee choices within two weeks of their election.                                        
 
So all ISRs of our ten operational intergroups – Connecticut, European, Iceland, Israel, MidWest, New York Metro, NorthEast, Phone Bridge, Southern States, and Western States – will be getting in touch with all GSRs to confirm their committee choice. If you are a GSR, you can make your ISR’s job easier by emailing her or him yourself.
 
CT-ISR@greysheet.org
Europe-ISR@greysheet.org
Iceland-ISR@greysheet.org
Israel-ISR@greysheet.org
Midwest-ISR@greysheet.org
NorthEast-ISR@greysheet.org
NY-ISR@greysheet.org
PhoneBridge-ISR@greysheet.org
SouthernStates-ISR@greysheet.org
WesternStates-ISR@greysheet.org
 
Together we don’t eat no matter what AND we carry the GSA message of hope to another compulsive eater.

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Archives: We are Living History

 

The purpose of the Archives Committee is to collect, organize, categorize, copy, preserve, and electronically store historically valued documents, digital materials, printed materials, and historical items of GreySheeters Anonymous World Services, Inc.  

Our goal is to make the Archives searchable, and consistent file naming will insure this ideal.  Remember, we are living history, and the future is curious.
 
All trusted servants are asked to keep a copy of their documents on the GSAWS website so they may be archived and ensure continuity of record keeping as positions rotate.  The Archives Committee Collection Policy provides more detail and is attached.  How do you ensure that file naming remains consistent as positions rotate?  Create a template that is passed to the next trusted servant.
 
Does your meeting host events, keep minutes or treasury reports?  Your documents and flyers can be stored on the GSAWS website under your Intergroup. Contact: secretary@greysheet.org for a link to your folder.
 
A file name has 3 parts: (Origin) (Document Name) (Date)
 
- Phone Bridge Meeting example:  PB Tues 10 Am ET MINUTES 2021 12 16
- Live Meeting example:  Winthrop Mineola Sat 0930 ET Treasury Report 2021 11 29
- Zoom Meeting example: WE Thurs Eur 2000 UK Z SPEAKER EVENT 2021 Oct 11
 
Recording our growth as a program will help us move forward as we reach out to the sick and suffering.

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Start Up Sponsor Teams

 

GSRs: please read to your groups

 

Are you a GSer who has been abstinent for a while but has not felt ready to sponsor someone on the GreySheet? Have you lost sponsees during the pandemic or has your life situation changed, making full time sponsoring difficult right now? If so, the Start Up Sponsor Team might be a great option for you in 2022.
 
One of the most exciting resolutions that received an overwhelming vote of confidence by the WSC in October was the creation of an official Start up Sponsor Team under the auspices of the Communication Committee. The group has been working for the past two years with people new to GSA who have found our solution on-line at our website or via YouTube videos and Zoom meetings. How do people get and stay abstinent with few (if any) face to face meetings to meet potential sponsors? This is the problem we face as our fellowship reaches more and more people, many of whom may not live anywhere near an active GreySheet community and made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Start up Sponsor Team is the solution we are creating, and with your help, we can grow this arm of service to help the compulsive eater who still suffers.
 
Start up Sponsors work with individuals one-on-one with individuals who are ready to start their GreySheet abstinence.  Once you are part of the team, you attend a training for all new start up sponsors so that the information we give is the same. Using the Clarifications of GS Abstinence, you help the newcomer to know what is and is not abstinent on the GreySheet and help them plan the next 3 meals by phone. This initial contact takes about one hour. Then, you give the newcomer a list of ten eligible sponsors (people with 90 days of back-to-back GS abstinence) from the Phone List who are in their time zone and/or are the same gender with the instruction to call at least 3 people on the list every day until they find someone to sponsor them.  You agree to take the newcomer's food for the first 24 hours, up to a few days until the newcomer finds someone to sponsor them. Start Up Sponsors do not commit to sponsoring a newcomer full time.  Instead, they commit to being available to newcomers for a few days. Then once a newcomer has a sponsor, the SUS becomes available to help another newcomer. This is a one-year service commitment.
 
What's in it for the Newcomer?
1. They receive the time and loving attention of someone familiar with GS who can answer their questions. 
2. They can start immediately and have an experience of GS abstinence instead of waiting days or even weeks until they meet 'the right someone.'
 
What's in it for the Start Up Sponsor?
1. They get the satisfaction of helping someone desperate enough to reach out via our GS website and make our solution possible and doable in those crucial early days.
 
2. They get experience helping people understand the GS. For a person just starting out as a sponsor, it's an opportunity to learn by teaching -- and build confidence to be a full-time sponsor. It's also a great way to meet more GSers.
 
3. They get to watch people grow who are new to GS.
 
4. They can ask for help from their own sponsor when they have questions that stump them. 
 
5. They are part of a team that is doing some of the most important work in GSA by helping compulsive eaters who still suffer.
 
If you or someone you know or sponsor (with a minimum of 90 days of back to back abstinence) would like to get involved, please send an email with your name, location, phone number and time zone as well as your abstinence date to: startupsponsor@greysheet.org.

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GreySheeters Anonymous World Services

Share the Vision Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Report¹ , December 19th, 2021

 

Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think of GreySheet.

1. WSC2021 Minutes and Transcripts Corrections Deadline December 31^st 2021
   a. Minutes on greysheet.org / World Service / WSC2021
   b. Delegates received link to the transcript
   c. Send corrections to Secretary@greysheet.org

2. Registering GSA Groups (and Listing Their Meetings) January-February 2022
   a. New registration form will launch on January 1^st.
         i. Link in Service Matters and on website: http://www.update.greysheet.org/groups/group-registration-form
         ii. Email to currently listed Trusted Servants
   b. Groups will have until February 28^th to register their groups and provide updated  information for their meetings. 
    c. Only those groups which register and update their meetings will be listed on the GSA  website and eligible to register a WSC2022 delegate. 
   d. Groups may register later. The online meeting list will be updated approximately  monthly until the new website launches. 

3. GSR Orientation January 16 and 18^th, 2022
     a. Sunday January 16^th 10 AM ET 896 6591 9622 
     b. Tuesday January 18^th at 6 PM ET 838 9475 2685 
     c. Notes with Q&A will be published on greysheet.org / World Service / GSR Orientation. 
     d. We had a request for ISR Orientation, too. Stay tuned.

4. Quarterly Town Hall January 30^th at 11 am ET  https://zoom.us/j/717731799 GSA Passcode
     a. Your chance to raise questions, concerns, and suggestions about World Service. 
     b. What you need to do to implement resolutions adopted by WSC2021. 
     c. What’s unique and wonderful about the Western States and MidWest Intergroup.

5. World Service Opportunities
     a. Secretary: Abstinence: 5 years; Term: 3 years. Records the minutes of the decision making meetings of World Service, i.e., Chairs/ISRs, Board of Trustees, and World  Service Conference. Nominating@greysheet.org
     b. Note Taker: Abstinence 1 year; Term 1 year. Records attendance and main points of  presentations and discussions at non-decision-making Committees Connecting meeting.  greysheet@greysheet.org  


¹ For Board of Trustees Liaisons to share with intergroups; ISRs to share with their GSRs; and GSRs to  share with their groups. Committee Chairs may also choose to share this report with their committee  members.

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Online Meetings List

Registrar@greysheet.org
 

We have our first GSAWS Group Registrar! This new World Service position supports the GSAWS Secretary by maintaining a complete record of all registered GSA Groups and their meetings. The Registrar receives all updates to groups and their meetings, updates GSAWS records, and submits to the Webservant for the online meeting list. Email Registrar@greysheet.org to make any changes to your group’s meeting information on the website.

FYI: The online meeting list will only list Meeting Contact People and their email addresses, i.e., people who have committed to respond to email inquiries about the meeting within 24 hours. We will no longer list other trusted servants online (although we need this information in our offline records).

Coming soon: New online Group Registration form to list your meeting on our NEW website! Stay tuned.
More information: Registrar@greysheet.org or Secretary@greysheet.org

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Conference Committee News

Registrar@greysheet.org
 

The Conference Committee of the World Service Conference will be holding its 7th World Service Conference meeting on Sunday October 23, 2022 via Zoom.

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GreySheet Service Opportunities

Board Secretary
Your Board of Trustees has an unexpected opening for the position of Secretary. The Secretary of the Board of Trustees is a critical member of the board as she or he records the minutes of the monthly Board of Trustees meetings which provide a record of our decision making. We publish those minutes for full transparency to our fellowship: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees The Secretary is a trustee, i.e., the requirement is five years of back to back GreySheet abstinence and the term of office is three years. If you or anyone you know is qualified and interested, please contact Grainne, Chair - Board of Trustees at President@greysheet.org or Linda, Chair - Nominating Committee at Nominating@greysheet.org. We will be happy to answer your questions.

 
Note Taker
The Note Taker records attendance and main points of discussion at the monthly Committees Connecting World Service meeting. One year abstinence/one year term. 2 hours a month. If interested, please email Grainne, Chair – Board of Trustees at greysheet@greysheet.org.

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To my fellow GreySheeters,
 
I am a compulsive eater. Abstinent and Grateful One Day at a Time.
 
Are you a doer? Do you like making things happen? Are you a passionate compulsive eater? Are you a social media junkie? If any of these questions resonate with you, come join us. We are forming a taskforce to look at what recommendations we can come up with for the Board of Trustees to form an  Internal GSAWS Facebook account. The GSAWS Facebook Taskforce will consist of a temporary unit of passionate GreySheeters that will meet monthly for three months to provide recommendations (not a decision-making body) on the structures of developing an Internal Facebook account. 
 
Please indicate your interest by emailing me at Jmelmore.jm@gmail.com.  We are planning to meet every second Sunday of the month for three months via zoom from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m EST.
 
WDENMW,
Joey M
Board Member

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GreySheet Anonymous World Service

 

2021 Direct 7th Tradition Donations Target - $42,000

 

Welcome to the December 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the December 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?”

regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

‘Tis the season of gratitude and what better way to express our gratitude toward GreySheet and our abstinence than to give back by helping to implement the newly passed resolutions!
 
Each committee needs new members with creative ideas and fresh energy to move forward.  We ask all ISR's, GSR's and members to help GSA achieve our goals and resolutions.  If you or someone you sponsor would like to get involved and participate, please email the committee you're interested in:

Start up Sponsor Teams

GSR's: please read to your groups

GSAWS Monthly Recurring Donations

a.k.a. Club 164

There’s a really easy way for any GreySheeter who is able, to make a monthly recurring donation via PayPal or Text to Donate.  Just go to www.greysheet.org and look for the “donations” tab.  From that page, the gold donate button will automatically direct you to the GSAWS donation page in PayPal.   Check the box “make this a recurring payment”  and you’re all set.  If you prefer text to donate (USA only), you can text NMW to 443-21.  You will be directed to a page where you choose the amount to donate and whether to donate monthly or one-time.   If you choose to sign up, a donation will automatically come out of your checking account or credit card each month.

Some GreySheeters have been doing this since 2015 when the practice of monthly recurring donations was first encouraged.  These donations were tracked and called “Club 164”, named after the first 164 pages of the Big Book.  In 2015 and 2016, approximately $8,500 was collected from monthly recurring donations.

Below is a pie chart where you can see the amount of donations that GSAWS has received as of August 31, 2021.  In August, 37 GreySheeters contributed $528 bringing the total year-to-date amount contributed from monthly recurring donations to $3,881 this year.  If you are able, please consider setting up a monthly, recurring donation.  Thank you and NMW!

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Online Meeting List

We have our first GSAWS Group Registrar! This new World Service position supports the GSAWS Secretary by maintaining a complete record of all registered GSA Groups and their meetings. The Registrar receives all updates to groups and their meetings, updates GSAWS records, and submits to the Webservant for the online meeting list. Email Registrar@greysheet.org to make any changes to your group’s meeting information on the website.

FYI: The online meeting list will only list Meeting Contact People and their email addresses, i.e., people who have committed to respond to email inquiries about the meeting within 24 hours. We will no longer list other trusted servants online (although we need this information in our offline records).

Coming soon: New online Group Registration form to list your meeting on our NEW website! Stay tuned.

More information: Registrar@greysheet.org or Secretary@greysheet.org

GreySheet Opportunities

Board Secretary
Your Board of Trustees has an unexpected opening for the position of Secretary. The Secretary of the Board of Trustees is a critical member of the board as she or he records the minutes of the monthly Board of Trustees meetings which provide a record of our decision making. We publish those minutes for full transparency to our fellowship: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees The Secretary is a trustee, i.e., the requirement is five years of back to back GreySheet abstinence and the term of office is three years. If you or anyone you know is qualified and interested, please contact Grainne, Chair - Board of Trustees at President@greysheet.org or Linda, Chair - Nominating Committee at Nominating@greysheet.org. We will be happy to answer your questions.

 
Note Taker
The Note Taker records attendance and main points of discussion at the monthly Committees Connecting World Service meeting. One year abstinence/one year term. 2 hours a month. If interested, please email Grainne, Chair – Board of Trustees at greysheet@greysheet.org

GreySheet Anonymous World Service

Welcome to the November 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the November 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?”

regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Upcoming Meetings

All Interested GreySheeters Welcome!

- Concept 1 meeting ID: 791 453 380 on Sunday, November 21 at 1:00 PM ET
- Tradition 1 meeting ID: 791 453 380 on Sunday, November 28 at 1:00 PM ET
- Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166 on Sunday, November 14, Noon PM ET

2021 World Service Conference Reflection

The 2021 World Service Conference was a beautiful GreySheet success!  After months of hard work by the committees, GSRs, ISRs, volunteers and trusted servants in our community, we gathered on October 17^,th for over 5 hours to decide on the 16 resolutions that were presented for consideration.  Committees had worked diligently crafting their resolutions, presenting them to our membership and making revisions with the feedback received.  Unlike previous conferences that were held in person, thanks to the pandemic, this year we met via Zoom.  The social connectedness that is always such a wonderful benefit of in-person conferences was certainly missed.  But in its place was an opportunity for strong group representation from around the globe and an efficiency in group process.

62 delegates attended, supported by a contingent of volunteer moderators who managed the technical end of Zoom conferencing (no simple feat!) and timers who kept us weighed and measured in our presentations.  Returning from our previous conference were our trusted parliamentarian who helped us navigate all procedural questions and our transcriptionist who took down every word – and there were a lot of them!

Each resolution was presented by a member of the sponsoring committee speaking on behalf of the proposal.  Two members speaking against the resolution followed and an additional member speaking in favor of the resolution concluded.  In order to pass, resolutions were required to have approval by a minimum of 2/3rds of the delegates.  A representative from the minority opinion was given time to speak after the vote was taken and an opportunity to reconsider the motion was offered up.   Ultimately, all but one of the resolutions passed – some with little opposition, others with greater.  The one resolution that failed (#4) addressed the parameters for World Service Conference delegate participation.  There was significant concern about members with less than a year of back-to-back GreySheet abstinence taking on the position of GSR that ultimately leads to serving as a WSC delegate.  Clearly service is a crucial piece of staying abstinent. But in looking out for newer members, the opinion fell in favor of offering other service opportunities which would not include the responsibility and possible stress that can accompany the role of GSR/WSC delegate.

My personal takeaway from the conference was a feeling of awe at our amazing GreySheet community.  So many people committing hours, days, months in preparation.  So much care was taken in conducting a fair and transparent conference.  People remained open to hearing differing opinions and considering opposing viewpoints.  Sometimes minds were changed; always respect was shown.  The bottom line, that our primary purpose is to stay abstinent and to help another compulsive eater to achieve abstinence, was our guide throughout the process. I believe that the work that was done at the conference, along with the direction voted upon for future action, will continue to strengthen our program and our community, ensuring that GSA will remain a solid answer for people looking for a solution to their problem with food. 

A huge thank you to all who participated!!!!

Laura L.
BOT Vice-Chair

31st Annual NYC GreySheet Roundup via Zoom

Sunday November 14, 2021 
Celebrating RoundUps, Fellowship and Love!
 

 
Time: 1:00pm - 4:15pm ET 
Zoom information: Meeting ID: 853 6312 0160
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85363120160
Passcode: Universal
 
Suggested donation is $5 to NY Metro Intergroup. 
 
TIME ZONES:
12:45pm ET - log in to see a friend!
1:00pm - 4:15pm ET
Noon - 3:00pm CT
11:00am - 2:00pm MT
10:00am - 1:00pm PT
6:00pm - 9:00pm London, Iceland
7:00pm - 10:00pm Paris
8:00pm - 11:00pm Israel
 
7th TRADITION: https://greysheetny.org/donations/
 
1:00pm - 2:00pm   PANEL: It Works If You Work It
2:00pm - 3:00pm   Breakout session #1 The Steps We Take
3:00pm - 4:00pm   Breakout session #2 Living Abstinent
 
We would love to see you on video, if possible. Please keep your laptop, phone and background still!

GSR Orientation

Saturday December 12^th at 10 am ET and Tuesday December 14^th at 6 pm ET

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Welcome to the October 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the October 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?”

regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE NEWS!

Dear Fellow GreySheeters,
 
We will hold our 2021 World Service Conference on Sunday, October 17 from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm ET. This will be our first virtual conference. As we learn from our fellowship the meaning of a “WE” program, its success depends on how we actively participate in the process. We encourage everyone to understand the Standing Rules of the Conference. This will facilitate a smooth flow of our work on the resolutions and most of all, an enjoyable experience.
 
In preparation for the conference, we stress the following Standing Rules:
 

1. Let’s talk about our food. There is a 30-minute break during the second session to eat a meal. At this time, we may turn off our video (but not log off from Zoom.) We encourage you to prepare your food before the start of the conference, so you have time to enjoy your delicious meal.
2. Let’s talk about questions. Raise your digital hand ONLY to ask questions on the application of Robert’s Rules of Order or the Standing Rules of the Conference. No questions on the CONTENT of the resolutions or (this is new) anything said in DEBATE.
3. Ensure your video is always ON except during the 15 and 30-minute breaks. The moderator will send us a chat if we turn off video and, if we do not respond within 30 seconds, she will remove us from the session.
4. Roll Call at the start of Session 2. After the 15-minute break, we must respond to the roll call at the start of session two with our video on or be excluded from the entire second session.
5. What is a Minority Opinion? After the vote on a resolution, the Chair will ask if anyone in the minority (those who voted against the motion if it passed; those who voted for the motion if it failed) would like to speak for the minority. Then the chair will ask if anyone in the MAJORITY would like to make and second a motion to reconsider the first vote. Only those who voted in the majority may make and second a motion to reconsider. We rely on your integrity.

 
The updated materials for the conference are available for download using this link: https://greysheet.org/world-services/world-service-conference/world-service-conference-2021
 
Wishing all delegates of the 2021 World Service Conference a wonderful experience as we Trudge the Road of Happy Destiny!!!
 
Yours in Service,
 
Joey M, 
Board Member

A Message for the Delegates:
 

The Conference Committee of the World Service Conference would like to reiterate some of the Zoom guidelines for our World Service Conference meeting to be held on Sunday October 17, 2021.
 
Please remember to sign in with the name you used to register, or you will not be recognized and we will not be able to admit you from the waiting room. 
 
For the conference, please remember to arrive between 08:45am - 9:15am ET. The Zoom meeting room will be locked at 09:30 AM ET. If you arrive after 9:30am, you will be unable to join the first session and will remain in the waiting room until the second session begins at 11:10am ET. 
FYI: We have 3 non-delegate GSers who will moderate the conference.
 
Your video must remain on during the entire conference, except for breaks and lunch. Please keep your device still. Please use a laptop or desktop only.
 
Make sure your internet connection is STRONG. If you lose internet connection, unfortunately you will not be able to come back into the conference (Stated in Standing Rules of the Conference) until the next session.
 
Please remember:

• To keep your space free of all distractions such as family, pets or deliveries etc.
• Please stay muted at all times and remember no multitasking
• No eating - abstinent gum and drinks are acceptable
• Turn off ceiling fans visible on camera, as the movement can be very distracting

For more details on the Conference’s Standing Rules, please visit https://greysheet.org/world-services/world-service-conference/world-service-conference-2021
 
We look forward to a productive GreySheet World Service Conference meeting!

31st Annual NYC GreySheet Roundup via Zoom

Sunday November 14, 2021 
Celebrating RoundUps, Fellowship and Love!
 

 
Time: 1:00pm - 4:15pm ET 
Zoom information: Meeting ID: 853 6312 0160
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85363120160
Passcode: Universal
 
Suggested donation is $5 to NY Metro Intergroup. 
 
TIME ZONES:
12:45pm ET - log in to see a friend!
1:00pm - 4:15pm ET
Noon - 3:00pm CT
11:00am - 2:00pm MT
10:00am - 1:00pm PT
6:00pm - 9:00pm London, Iceland
7:00pm - 10:00pm Paris
8:00pm - 11:00pm Israel
 
7th TRADITION: https://greysheetny.org/donations/
 
1:00pm - 2:00pm   PANEL: It Works If You Work It
2:00pm - 3:00pm   Breakout session #1 The Steps We Take
3:00pm - 4:00pm   Breakout session #2 Living Abstinent
 
We would love to see you on video, if possible. Please keep your laptop, phone and background still!

Upcoming Meetings
All Interested GreySheeters Welcome!

• Committees Connecting mtg. ID: 663 470 166 on Sunday, October 10 Noon PM ET
• GSA World Service Conference mtg., ID: 818 7770 0569 on Sunday, October 17, Arrival Time: 8:45 AM – 9:15 AM ET

GreySheet Anonymous World Service

Board of Trustees' Column

My name is Joey M. and I’m a grateful compulsive eater. Today, I take responsibility for my actions. That means I weigh and measure my food, I write it down, I call and commit to my sponsor on time and I don’t eat No Matter What. My primary purpose is to stay abstinent so I can help the next compulsive eater.
 
I am your trusted servant, a Board of Trustees member, 7th Tradition sub-committee, and Assistant Treasurer since 2019. It’s been an amazing journey as a board member. The idea of a service position at a World Service level was such a foreign language for me when I started. As I learn the Traditions and Concepts, I am able to provide the level of service that I can be proud of as a member of the GreySheet community. I learned to be open and humble, that there is wisdom in accepting that I may not be able to know all the answers, and how to trust that I can be guided by a Higher Power in all of my affairs. And with these attitudes I am provided an opportunity to be the person that I can be and not the person that I thought I needed to be.
 
We currently have openings for service positions: Trustee/Secretary, European Board member, Registrar, European ISR, Website committee members/volunteers. If you are interested in joining and doing service at a World Service level, you can contact the Chair of the Nominating committee-Linda GS or click on this link. https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees/nominating-committee

And if you are as energized as I am, I encourage you to join me as we trek this amazing journey to happy destiny. My name is Joey M and I am Abstinent and Grateful.

GreySheet Opportunities

Board Secretary
Your Board of Trustees has an unexpected opening for the position of Secretary. The Secretary of the Board of Trustees is a critical member of the board as she or he records the minutes of the monthly Board of Trustees meetings which provide a record of our decision making. We publish those minutes for full transparency to our fellowship: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees The Secretary is a trustee, i.e., the requirement is five years of back to back GreySheet abstinence and the term of office is three years. If you or anyone you know is qualified and interested, please contact Grainne, Chair - Board of Trustees at President@greysheet.org or Linda, Chair - Nominating Committee at Nominating@greysheet.org. We will be happy to answer your questions.

 
Website Committee
Your Website Committee has many opportunities for willing volunteers to help with the many non-technical tasks that it takes to keep the current website up and running and get the new website ready to launch. If you are an elected GSR, you can join the committee as a voting member if you want to help make decisions about the website or you can assist the committee with time-limited tasks as a non-voting volunteer. There’s lots to be done that doesn’t require web development or programming skills. Our website is the public face of GreySheeters Anonymous – the first thing that many newcomers see when they look for a solution online. Help us make it serve our primary purpose. Contact Linda, chair Nominating Committee at Nominating@greysheet.org

Links to Notes of Meetings 

If you missed attending these meetings, never fear. Click on these links to see notes from these meetings; Notes are also available at https://bit.ly/2RSoD6E
 
Notes from September Committees Connecting meeting:  https://bit.ly/3liz3IE
Notes from August Concepts meeting: https://bit.ly/3EV7UDu
Notes from August Traditions meeting: https://bit.ly/3CU7qLU

Welcome to the September 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the September 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Hello dear community of fellow GSers:

We, in the Literature Committee, are so excited and grateful that you love the book Living Abstinent. Your feedback to us via your meetings is encouraging us to keep producing more literature for you.

One of the goals of the Literature Committee is to have literature that is available to Everyone, especially those still suffering who need to know about our wonderful solution. Putting reviews up on Amazon, and Goodreads and wherever else you can tell the world about our solution and our book, is one of the best services you can do to get the word out there. 

Please consider writing a short review and posting it. That way, other CE and food addicts can see how it has helped others.

Thank you so much,
In gratitude,
Sara S. in Paris
Chair, Literature Committee of GSA

Upcoming Meetings

1. Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166
    Sunday, September 12, at Noon ET

TWO CONCEPTS AND TWO TRADITIONS IN ONE MEETING!

2. Concept 11 and 12 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, September 19, at 1:00pm ET*
 
3. Tradition 11 and 12 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, September 26, at 1:00 pm ET*

*Each meeting will be one (1) hour long.

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GreySheet Anonymous World Service

2021 Direct 7th Tradition Donations Target - $42,000

 

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GreySheet Opportunities

Board Secretary
Your Board of Trustees has an unexpected opening for the position of Secretary. The Secretary of the Board of Trustees is a critical member of the board as she or he records the minutes of the monthly Board of Trustees meetings which provide a record of our decision making. We publish those minutes for full transparency to our fellowship: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees The Secretary is a trustee, i.e., the requirement is five years of back to back GreySheet abstinence and the term of office is three years. If you or anyone you know is qualified and interested, please contact Grainne, Chair - Board of Trustees at President@greysheet.org or Linda, Chair - Nominating Committee at Nominating@greysheet.org. We will be happy to answer your questions.

 
Website Committee
Your Website Committee has many opportunities for willing volunteers to help with the many non-technical tasks that it takes to keep the current website up and running and get the new website ready to launch. If you are an elected GSR, you can join the committee as a voting member if you want to help make decisions about the website or you can assist the committee with time-limited tasks as a non-voting volunteer. There’s lots to be done that doesn’t require web development or programming skills. Our website is the public face of GreySheeters Anonymous – the first thing that many newcomers see when they look for a solution online. Help us make it serve our primary purpose. Contact Linda, chair Nominating Committee at Nominating@greysheet.org

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Links to Notes of Meetings 

If you missed attending these meetings, never fear. Click on these links to see notes from these meetings; Notes are also available at https://bit.ly/2RSoD6E
 
Notes from June Committees Connecting meeting:  https://bit.ly/3630qxT
Notes from July Concepts meeting: https://bit.ly/2Wrwkmi
Notes from July Traditions meeting: https://bit.ly/3ykklEr

Welcome to the August 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the August 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.   

Attention GSRs:
Upcoming Committees Connecting Resolutions - August 8th, at 12:00 Noon ET

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Board of Trustees Column

Greetings GreySheet Community,

 My name is Dan, and I am your non-abstinent Board of Trustees member.

As you know, this program borrows a lot of its operations and traditions from other 12 Step programs, especially AA.

Bill W., a co-founder of AA, realized that he could no longer be the elder statesman, and that some form of long-term management was going to have to be set up if the program was to outlive him. He had set up various management boards to get literature published and sold, clubs run etc. Mostly they were operated by “Friends of AA” as drunks were not to be trusted. From a business standpoint this made sense. But Bill and the early members realized that no group of drunks in Omaha or Toledo was going to listen to a board from New York. So, the idea of adding AA members to the board, along with “Friends of AA,” came about.  The final solution was to put the members in charge with the purpose of the board being to serve the members. So, they set up an “upside down” management style with the individual members as the “Owners” and “Directors” of the organization. If you have an idea on a new book or want a change in a pamphlet, bring it up at a business meeting.

If your group likes the idea, it goes to the intergroup level where the idea is shared among all groups in GSA. If all the groups like the idea, they pass the idea back to the groups to vote on the idea. Then you get to vote on the final approval and implementation of the Idea. The Board of Trustees’ job is to help you get this done.

I helped start a group on a Caribbean Island. It was decided that we needed to get more organized. I was tasked with calling “the board of trustees” to see the “right” way to run our meeting. I was told we could run our meeting any way we wanted to. When you do set up your meeting, please let us know so we can share that information. There are just too many ways meetings are run for us to direct you.  I asked, are you telling me that if we wanted to run a meeting where only green people could attend, that would be OK? She replied “Yes. But I might advise that attendance would likely be poor.”

In 2019 I was asked by a friend who was a member of the GreySheet Board of Trustees, if I might like to apply for the position of non-abstinent Trustee. The Board of Trustees consists of mostly abstinent and one or two non- abstinent members. I accepted the position and am currently your only non- abstinent Trustee. I am at your service.

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Welcome to the July 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the July 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Attention GSRs:
Upcoming Committees Connecting Resolutions - July 11th, at 12:00 Noon ET

This month, the Public Information and Communication Committees will be presenting their resolutions. They include three resolutions that will be debated and voted on and two that will be included in the consent agenda. These resolutions to be discussed concern GSA’s participation in social media, the adoption of a GSA podcast, the adoption of the GSA Start-up Sponsor Team, which has been working for the last year and a half. The two in the consent agenda are about automatically subscribing new trusted servants to Service Matters and the suggested participation of all trusted servants in the monthly Traditions and Concepts meetings. Please read the working resolutions and supporting documents before the Committees Connecting meeting on July 11.
 
It is important to note that while it is exciting to ponder the creation of a GSA Podcast, and while there has been much enthusiasm for the project, what we really need to move forward are GSers with editing skills and the technological ability and interest to make this happen. While it is a relatively simple thing to record a voice memo on one’s smart phone, to get a quality recording, someone is needed who can do the editing and knows about eliminating background noises, etc. so it isn’t an annoying experience for the listener. Our main purpose is to carry the message to the compulsive eater who still suffers...in this effort as in all of our efforts.
 
If you are interested in participating in the podcast project, or in the ongoing work of our website, please contact the chairs of the Communication, Website or Public Information Committees and volunteer your expertise. Our entire fellowship thanks you!!

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Go the website to get information on how to buy it or go to Xlibris.com, click Bookstore, type in Living Abstinent in the search box. GSA gets the most royalties when the book is purchased through the publisher. Can also use www.bookshop.org which supports independent bookstores.
 
If you live outside of US and Canada, go to your independent bookstore or use Amazon in your country.

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Upcoming Meetings
All interested GreySheetrs are welcome!

Each of these meetings is an opportunity to expand your recovery by learning more about the framework that guides our work together. If you’re a delegate, you’ll want to clear your calendar and attend each of these meetings. This is how we get essential information and guidance for giving our best to the groups we serve.
.

1. Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166
    Sunday, July 11, at Noon ET

2. Concept 9 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, July 18, at 1:00pm ET
 
3. Tradition 9 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, July 25, at 1:00 pm ET

 

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June 2021 - Monthly Board of Trustees
Liaison Report Highlights

Share the Vision

Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think if GreySheet.

Progress Report on Four Core Functions to achieve our vision
Please share with your group!

 

ntegrity of the GSA Program
     a. Board of Trustees revised proposals to the World Service Conference regarding the distribution of the GreySheet while strengthening our liability and copyright protection. Committees Connecting notes with new Resolution
 

Literature
     a. Proud to announce the publication of Living Abstinent
https://www.xlibris.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/807489-living-abstinent

     b. Plan to publish the History of GSA within the year
 

Public Information
     a. The Public Information Committee has created a three-month bank of content to ensure several posts every week on our three new social media channels.


Website
     a. Added purchase information for our new book, Living Abstinent.
https://www.greysheet.org/literature

     b. Still planning to launch new website September. Check it out:
https://update.greysheet.org

 

 

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Israeli Community Hosts an International Community Event 

The Israeli GSA community is proud to invite you all to meet the international community in the Holy Land on July 1, and July 15, 2021
 
2 qualifications in English - one from Israel, the second from the US.  
The qualifications will be held in English with a short summary in Hebrew.
Shares will be in any language the GreySheeter chooses.
 
Join us on Zoom: July 15, 2021, Thursday 20:30 Jerusalem (13:30 EST)
We are waiting to see you all in the Regular Zoom link of the Israeli
community: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89005140432 Password: Regular. 
If you need the password please send a WhatsApp message to Ofer + 972-544400600.

 

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Board of Trustees Column

Hi GreySheet Community!

My name is Eunice M.  I am the newest member on the GSAWS Board of Trustees (BOT).  I was nominated and elected to the BOT in November 2020. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio.  My GreySheet abstinence date is March 18, 2004, and I am very, very grateful for my abstinence and the GreySheet program.  For the seventeen plus years that I have been a member of GreySheeters Anonymous, I have done service in several areas, including GSR for my home group, Phone Bridge PM Marathon Coordinator and Liaison, meeting leader, booker, timer, and reader.  I am happy to be a GSAWS BOT member. There is a lot of work that goes on at this level and I am still learning.

When I was elected to the BOT, the book, LIVING ABSTINENT, was in its final revision.  As I began to read the manuscript, I was amazed at the topics that were covered.  There are six categories and 27 chapters.  The six categories are as follows: Beginning Our GSA Journey; Nuts and Bolts of GreySheet Abstinence; GSA Recovery and the People in Our Lives; Protecting Our Abstinence; Slogans to Live by; and Life in GSA Recovery.  The chapters of the book cover topics of abstinence, getting through withdrawal, what is backup, dealing with friends who don’t support us, anger, and resentment, without exception, no matter what, and letting go of self-pity.  There is even a chapter that describes how GreySheeters are living through the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

The book, LIVING ABSTINENT, contains all the information that I want to pass on to a sponsee, but may forget.  I encourage everyone to get your copy today and maybe get additional copies for future sponsees.

In order to get your copy, please go to the publisher, Xlibris.com.  GSAWS gets more royalties when the book is ordered from the publisher.  The book can also be obtained through Amazon.

For more information about the LIVING ABSTINENT book, please contact: literature@greysheet.org

Wishing you yummy abstinent weighed and measured meals, ODAAT,

Eunice M

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Links to Notes of Meetings

If you missed attending these meetings, never fear. Click on these links to see notes from these meetings; Notes are also available at https://bit.ly/2RSoD6E
 
Notes from June Committees Connecting meeting:  https://bit.ly/3630qxT
Notes from May Concepts meeting: https://bit.ly/3y09q2Q
Notes from May Traditions meeting: https://bit.ly/35UwXWS

Welcome to the June 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the June 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Breaking News!

The Board of Trustees has revised two of their resolutions based on your input at May’s Committees Connecting meeting. Click here:  https://bit.ly/3pcLxlu for all the Q&A from May’s Committees Connecting and the revised resolution. The revised Supporting Document will be published along with all other additional and revised resolutions in September.

Attention GSRs:

This month, the Structure Committee will be presenting their resolutions. They include:
 
   1. Registering Groups (including criteria to be a GSA Group)
   2. Creating Intergroups (including criteria to be a GSA Intergroup)
   3. How WSC Approves Policies and Procedures
   4. WSC Delegates
   5. Sustaining Committees
       and
   15S. WSC Committee Chair Role Description/Role of GSR?
 
The first five resolutions will be debated and voted on separately on October 17. The final one listed will be included in the Consent Agenda with several other resolutions from the various committees.
 
Delegates need to read the resolutions and the supporting documents before discussing them at the Committees Connecting meeting on June 13^th.  Download resolutions and supporting documents  at this link: https://greysheet.org/world-services/world-service-conference/world-service-conference-2021. The Structure Committee will be available to answer questions, listen to suggestions, and explain what is unclear to delegates in that one-hour meeting. If your group has a Group Conscience meeting before June 13, please go over the resolutions with them and solicit their input. There is time between now and the conference to have an impact on the final wording of resolutions, but it would be best to mention ideas now or be in contact with Staci L, chair of the Structure Committee.
 
Many people have questions about whether the Clarifications of GS Abstinence document is part of these resolutions, and the answer is no. The document was submitted and accepted by the Board of Trustees at the last GSAWS Conference, but there has been no action taken to incorporate these guidelines into whether groups are registered or not.
 
One important note: In the last two years, GSA has been putting many of these policies into effect. Resolution 3, “How WSC Approves Policies and Procedures” outlines clearly how committees have submitted policies, gotten approval from voting members of their own committees, and then brought them to the attention of Intergroup Chairs and Committee Chairs and the Board of Trustees, https://greysheet.org/world-services/world-service-conference/world-service-conference-2021 all of whom sign off on them. Once all these people sign off, the policies are considered official on an interim basis until the next World Service Conference, which is happening on October 17^th! It is an inclusive, transparent process that allows for questions, explanations, and input as we grow and change as a fellowship.
 
It would be incorrect to assume that these resolutions are the result of a top-down management style. They are the works in progress of ongoing, deliberate and painstaking service, month after month, that is freely given by the people who step up and get involved.  And any interested GreySheeter is welcome to join the process!!

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Upcoming Meetings

All interested GreySheeters are welcome!

Have you joined your GS sisters and brothers at one or more of these meetings? Each one is an opportunity to expand your recovery by learning more about the framework that guides our work together. If you’re a delegate, you’ll definitely want to clear your calendar and attend each of these meetings. This is how we get essential information and guidance for giving our best to the groups we serve.

1. Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166
    Sunday, June 13, at Noon ET

2. Concept 8 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, June 20, at 1:00pm ET
 
3. Tradition 8 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, June 27, at 1:00 pm ET

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Go the website to get information on how to buy it or go to Xlibris.com, click Bookstore, type in Living Abstinent in the search box. GSA gets the most royalties when the book is purchased through the publisher. Can also use www.bookshop.org which supports independent bookstores.

Welcome to the May 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the May 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Attention GSRs: Preparing for the World Service Conference 2021

Q: How does a GSR inform his/her group about resolutions for the World Service Conference October 2021? I know it’s my job to inform, explain and listen to my group members/ ideas, but how does that actually work?

A: Each group can decide how to do this between now and October. One group may hold a special monthly group conscience meeting from May – October 30 minutes before their regular meeting begins so that any members who want to discuss the resolutions can have their voices heard. Other groups spend their business meeting/group conscience (15-20 minutes at the beginning or end of a meeting once a month). Some groups spend 5 minutes at each meeting discussing 1-2 resolutions at a time.
 
Some resolutions are more important to members and groups than others. The Finance Committee’s policies and procedures, for example, may not garner as much interest as the Structure Committee’s criteria to be registered as a GS group. Nevertheless, as a GSR, you want to do your best to let people know what will be voted on at the conference and give them a chance to discuss it.
 
GSR’s need to become familiar with the resolutions that will be voted on at the WSC. You can find each one, with back-up information, on the GreySheet.org website using this link: https://greysheet.org/world-services/world-service-conference/world-service-conference-2021
 
Download, print and read all of them. It’s a good idea to follow the same schedule as the Committees Connecting meetings. So, at the May 9 Committees Connecting meeting, the following 9 resolutions will be discussed by the Board of Trustees:

27.  Distribution of GreySheets
28. GSA and AA Intellectual Property
29.  World Service Vision and Four Core Functions
30. Website Privacy and Terms of Use
31. Board of Trustees Functioning (Contractor and Trustee Travel Expense, Meeting Attendance, Rules of Order, and Standing Rules, Role of Liaison)
32. WSC Minutes and Transcript Correction Processes
33. Plan to Improve Seventh Tradition Donations
34. Personal Safety Guidance
35. Interim Style Guide

 
While all of these are important, resolutions 31-35 will be brought to a vote together in the Consent Agenda. Only #27-30 in this group will be discussed and voted on separately at the conference. By all means, make sure you discuss this topic and get your group’s questions and concerns about it, so that you can bring them to the Committees Connecting meeting on May 9.
 
At the June 13^th CCing meeting, the following 6 resolutions will be presented by the Structure Committee. #26 will be part of the Consent Agenda. #21 – 25 will be discussed and voted on separately. Start with the resolutions in bold.

   21. Registering Groups (including criteria to be a GSA Group)
   22. Creating Intergroups (including criteria to be a GSA Intergroup)
   23. WSC Approves Policies and Procedures
   24. WSC Delegate Requirements
   25. Sustaining Committees
   26. Committee Chair Role Description
 
If your group’s questions and concerns are not addressed at the Committees Connecting meetings, GSR’s are encouraged to contact the committee chairs by Email to let them know how your members feel and perhaps make suggestions about how the resolutions can be modified. Revisions to resolutions will be discussed at the October 10 Committees Connecting meeting, the final one before the conference on the 17^th.

Upcoming Meetings

All interested GreySheeters are welcome!

1. Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166
    Sunday, May 9, at Noon ET

Board of Trustees Column

My name is Lee, I’m a compulsive eater, and my abstinence date is March 23, 2000.  I joined the BOT as Assistant Secretary in September, 2019.  One of the things I love about GSA is that while we are worldwide, we are also still small enough that we can be part of the process of helping it grow at the World Service level.  Though I had never thought of myself as the “type” to do this kind of service, I was asked, and felt guided to step up my service.  It has been an honor and a pleasure.
 
It has been very exciting to watch our GreySheet community grow worldwide.  As Liaison to the Literature Committee, I took on the “special project” of overseeing the process of getting our literature translated into other languages.  We currently have translations of the GreySheet into Spanish (Latin American), Dutch, Polish, Hebrew and Icelandic.  Also in process are translations into Castilian Spanish, French, German and Bulgarian. 
 
About a year ago, we developed a more formal approach to approving translations. There are two main reasons for this.  1) We want to make sure that whatever is translated is equivalent to the English version 2) We were told by our legal expert that we have to protect our copyright.  While anyone is welcome (and encouraged) to propose a translation, there is a short and simple application which must be approved by both the Literature Committee and the Board.  The translator needs to share his/her qualifications, and there also needs to be a reviewer.  Once approved, an Agreement is signed stating that the copyright remains with GSA.  Finally, there needs to be a plan for distribution, usually through the associated Intergroup.  The process is the same for any piece of GreySheet literature being translated.
 
It should be noted that while this Translation Approval Policy has been a working policy since 2020, it has not yet been voted on at the World Service Conference.  That is one of the Resolutions to be voted on at WSC in October 2021.  For more information, you can read the full description here under Working Resolution R.  https://greysheet.org/images/WSC2021/GSA_WSC2021_Working_Resolutions.pdf
 
I read recently that AA’s Big Book has been translated into 67 languages.  While we are not anywhere near that in scope, it is inspiring to observe the energy and enthusiasm of our members working to carry the message to as many compulsive eaters as possible, in whatever language they speak.

GSA Special Events - Zoom Style 

FIRST SATURDAY Speaker Meeting
This is an OPEN meeting of GSA, meaning that anyone who would like to learn more about the GreySheet solution is invited to attend. There are two speakers, and in-between the speakers we celebrate anniversaries - years, months, and a day - with virtual chips!! So if you have an anniversary between March 1 and April 3, come get your virtual chip and let us celebrate your abstinence.
Saturday, May 1st
Start time is 7:30pm UK time; 2:30pm ET
Zoom ID: 873 5002 0806
No password, there is a waiting room

Groovy GreySheet Gatherings  - Western States Intergroup FUNdraisers
Monthly workshops to gather in fellowship, creativity and connection
First Sunday of Each Month, 3:00 PM ET 
Sunday, May 2, 2021, 3:00 PM ET
Discover your Sacred Path through Native American Teachings 
Hosts:  Rose D. & Annette T. 
Supplies suggested:  Pen & paper for notes
Zoom ID: 968 3976 2598
PW: Universal

WE ARE ONE IN 2021 – Belonging to a Home Group
3 – 10-minute speakers from 3 countries
Date and time: Saturday, May 15, 12 noon ET 
Zoom ID:  846 8518 1548

April 2021 - Monthly Board of trustees Liaison Report

Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think if GreySheet.

Welcome to the April 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the April 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Question and Answer - World Service Conference

Welcome to the March 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Keeping it Green During COVID-19

Welcome to the February 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the February 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

As Valentine's Day approaches, many of us reflect on the nature of love. It is all too easy sometimes to get pulled into the marketing of love presented by advertising and the media. These can include being "completed" by a significant other or general fuzzy feelings towards the people in our lives. In the past, if we felt like we did not measure up, we may have tried to seek comfort from foods not on the GreySheet. This always led us back to powerlessness and unmanageability. We might have attempted to change this by using our own willpower, but we inevitably found ourselves pulled back into the cycle of the phenomenon of craving and the mental obsession that comes with taking the first compulsive bite. 

In GreySheet, we learn that love is a verb, and we begin to practice loving actions toward ourselves and others. We stay abstinent, we sponsor, and we are sponsored; we participate in fellowship and outreach; we protect anonymity, and we do service. Our dignity and self-respect are restored. Eventually we learn to not beat ourselves up with our character flaws, and instead to finally accept ourselves as human; to embrace the parts of us that are awesome; and to provide care and understanding to the parts of ourselves that are still growing and changing. We learn that a Higher Power can restore us to sanity and give us the strength to remain abstinent a day at a time, no matter what.

Upcoming Meetings

All interested GreySheeters are welcome!

Have you joined your GS sisters and brothers at one or more of these meetings? Each one is an opportunity to expand your recovery by learning more about the framework that guides our work together. If you’re a delegate, you’ll definitely want to clear your calendar and attend each of these meetings. This is how we get essential information and guidance for giving our best to the groups we serve.

Welcome to the January 2021 Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the January 2021 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

This past year has been hard for many of us, and may have been full of illness, financial hardship, and separation from friends and loved ones.  However, 2020 has been enlightening in other ways, helping us realize how important our connections are in our lives, and in the world around us. We can hope that 2021 will be better. Perhaps the pandemic will lose its hold on the planet in 2021.  Perhaps we will learn to value each other across the globe and across racial divides. If so, we can truly become one in 2021. 

Videoconferencing has helped connect us in this socially distanced time, and we GreySheeters are practiced at using the phone and video to connect across the world. Exciting things are planned for 2021. The GSA Communication Committee is launching a Podcast! Many GSA intergroups across the world are doing exciting work and Service Matters hopes to focus on those Intergroups.  We can join one another in carrying the message, sharing recordings of speakers, putting on virtual conferences, and learning to juggle time zones.  As a young 12-step group, we are still learning to function on the world stage and be less USA-centric.  The Communication Committee will be hosting a Global Speaker Series every other month this year, featuring speakers from all over the world. Unity is the first GSA tradition for a reason. Unity is foundational.

Upcoming Meetings

Welcome to the December Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the December 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

As compulsive eaters, we have a disease of perspective. For many during the holiday season, with family get-togethers and lavish spreads of indulgent glut, this can be a more commonly encountered reminder than other times of the year. Sometimes we need extra help to know what’s too much and what’s not enough. Miraculously, with the aid of our Higher Powers and our trusty scales, we find that in GreySheeters Anonymous we’re given exactly what we need--all that’s required is the simple act of surrender. But we don’t have to face these holidays alone. In the fellowship of GSA, we have the benefits of being both a widespread international community and the warmth of a tight knit communal village. As the thread of our common GreySheet abstinence binds us together, we can take time to learn about one another’s lives, our different traditions and customs, the rituals we are still able to observe and what we have had to adopt and avoid as we protect our abstinence and put it first in our lives, on holidays and every day. Whether we are in Reykjavik or Redondo Beach, Tel Aviv or Teluknaga, we all have a common solution to compulsive eating, and we all have more to share with one another to deepen our connection and strengthen our recovery one day at a time.

Upcoming Meetings

1. Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166
    Sunday, December 13, at 12:00 Noon ET
 
2. Concept 2 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, December 20, at 1:00pm ET
 
3. Tradition 2 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, December 27, at 1:00 pm ET.

Board of Trustees Column

Hi GreySheeters,

I am Ofer L, a member of the Board of Trustees from Israel. It is an honor for me to meet you all here and to serve the Israeli and world communities of GreySheeters.
 
I joined GSA at the beginning of 2002 and I’ve been abstinent since Jan 25, 2002. I joined the Board of Trustees at the end of 2016 to advance our main goal - helping our organization reach those compulsive eaters who still suffer. My involvement with the board isn’t surprising since the business world, organization development, and implementation of projects have always been easier for me than healing my eating addiction!
 
As a board member, I served as the board liaison to the GreySheet Committee from 2018 to 2020. It was my mission to improve our unity and represent the international community voice: different cultures, different languages, different foods, different weighing and measuring systems, etc. We worked for over 30 months on GreySheet abstinence clarifications and sponsor guidelines. I would like to thank and praise all the members of the committee for their ability to survive this Sisyphean, long mission. They reviewed every line on the GreySheet, they addressed every question of our community members, they reviewed each issue at least 3 rounds (sometimes even 5), and the most important thing for all GreySheet Committee members was our community UNITY.
 
Last year I joined a new committee of the Board of Trustees, the BOT Seventh Tradition Committee. Why? Because World Services needs resources to accomplish our primary purpose - to stay abstinent and carry the GreySheet message to the next compulsive eater! We can achieve this target through upgrading our web presence, publishing new literature, and building a presence on social media networks – which we cannot achieve without financial resources.
 
I invite you all, my fellow GreySheeters, to join us, each in his or her own way – through a Seventh Tradition contribution to World Services, through serving on a committee, and most importantly, through strengthening our unity.

Stay abstinent and carry the GreySheet message to the next compulsive eater.

GSA Special Events

Gifts Of The Season
European Intergroup Newmarket Retreat

  Sunday 13 December 4-6pm GMT, 11am-1pm EST- Meetings
  6-7pm GMT 1-3pm EST - Meal together
  7-8pm GMT 3-4EST - Entertainment
  Zoom ID: 747 5025 4803
  Password: universal
   
SAVE THE DATE! GSAWS Communication Committee: 
From Isolation to Connection 

Q & A

Q: I have seen people from all over the world on Zoom meetings in the last several months. I know that we refer to GSA as a world-wide community, but how do we carry the message in different languages?

A: In the years of its existence, the GreySheet has been translated to different languages, and we are currently in the process of making sure that these translations are formally approved by a process headed by the Literature Committee. We want to ensure that no matter what language the GreySheet appears in, the copyright always belongs to GSA. There is an application process to follow if and when a new translation is done. Not only is accurate translation important, but also distribution of hard copies from one GSer to another, since the GreySheet always comes with a sponsor.

Currently, the GreySheet is translated in the following languages: Hebrew, Icelandic, Polish, Dutch, American Spanish, Castilian Spanish and French.  It is in the process of being translated to Bulgarian and German.

If you would like to get a GreySheet, please contact your Intergroup Representative who will see to it that one is mailed to you.

December 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Report Highlights

Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think of GreySheet.

Starting in November 2020, the Liaison Report has a new alternating format: One month we will continue our reports on the four core functions to achieve our vision, Integrity, Website, Literature, and Public Information. One month, we will report on general World Service news.

GreySheeters Anonymous World Services

1. Service Opportunity
   GSAWS is looking for new chairs for two committees:
   1. Website
   2. Public Information

         Neither position requires technical expertise; your role is to facilitate the work of, and represent, the committee.
         Email greysheet@greysheet.org if you are interested in learning more about this service opportunity.

2. What in the World is World Service?
   In November, the Communications Committee restarted the annual cycle of Committees Connecting monthly meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to facilitate communication between committees and to update delegates about interim policies and procedures. Everyone is welcome to attend.
   The officers of the Board of Trustees presented What in the World is World Service? The presentation will be on the website under World Service Conference 2020.
3. Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts for GSRs and ISRs
   The Communications Committee also restarted the Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts meetings for GSRs and ISRs to prepare for the conference meeting. Each GSR and ISR will choose at least one of each meeting at which to represent their intergroup and committee.
4. Committee Chairs / Intergroup Service Representatives
   The chairs and ISRs meet monthly to review suggested policies, procedures, and materials from other committees and the board. Once approved by this group and the Board of Trustees, we implement these on an interim basis until the entire assembly of the conference ratifies them. Some of the most important interim policies include:
   1. GSA and A.A. Intellectual Property: Steps, Traditions, Concepts, Preamble, and Group Purpose
   2. GSA and A.A. Intellectual Property: Promises
   3. Distribution of GreySheets
   4. Translation of Copyright Material
   5. Personal Safety Guidance
   6. Responsibility Statement
   7. GSA Group Treasurer Pamphlet
   8. Registering GSA Groups
   9. Sustaining WSC Committees
   10. Communication with Trusted Servants
   11. Delegate Participation in Traditions and Concepts

These are all available on the website under World Service Conference 2020.

Board of Trustees

5. Eunice M. from Ohio is the newest trustee elected to the Board of Trustees. She will serve as a backup liaison to the MidWest Intergroup with Joyce S. and as a backup liaison to the Communication Committee with Lee T. 
   We are still looking for a trustee from Europe. The requirement is five years of back to back GreySheet abstinence. You can nominate yourself or someone else on the website under Board of Trustees.
6. Delegate Training - Rochelle K., Trustee, will coordinate delegate training workshops for World Service Conference 2021 in Spring and Fall
7. Personal Safety - Laura L., Vice President, is assembling a committee to research and recommend personal  safety guidance to the fellowship. Interested? Email greysheet@greysheet.org

   ---

Help Wanted! Service Opportunities

Dear Group - Thank God for GreySheet.  I'm still abstinent - on day 86.  This is long-term abstinence for me.  A few months ago, I was unable to get more than a couple of days at a time.  For some periods I would call my sponsor every morning and binge every single day for weeks.  I was in that place they talk about in the Big Book - terror, bewilderment, frustration and despair.  As far as I was concerned the situation was hopeless. By mid-morning, I would say "What's the use?" and eat.  Not only was I fully in victim mode, but the food had me in a complete chokehold.  When we read How It Works in our meeting I often key in on the words cunning, baffling, powerful.  It's hard to find the words to fully describe how much control my eating addiction has when it's activated. As for the cunning aspect of it, I heard once at a meeting that the chains of my eating addiction were too soft to be felt until they were too hard to be broken.  It was completely baffling how I couldn't do something that I had been able to do in the past. Once at a meeting I told the group that I felt like I was in the ocean and everyone was tossing me life preservers, urging me to grab on and get on the boat.  I was utterly clueless as to my inability to grab on and save my life, despite my desperation.  Freeing myself took a lot of willingness, intervention-type help from people in the program and an act of God.

Some of the past few weeks I've felt like I was an abstinent robot.  I have done food part, turned off my head, and showed up for as much of life as I could, which wasn't much.  I'm still in hard core withdrawal, sleeping a lot, feeling achy, exhausted and overwhelmed. My body is under the stress of withdrawal, detox, losing weight, and carrying extra pounds.  It's also in shock because I'm only eating fresh fruit and vegetables and wholesome proteins.  I suppose I remember withdrawal before, but somehow going through it again is a rude awakening. Thank God I have not had many white knuckling incidents.  The worst was on day seven, when I was in my fourth grade classroom.  I had decided to binge and had the food heating in the microwave.  Someone from the program called me right at that moment, and I told her I was about to binge. Of course, she basically told me that wouldn't be a good idea, but somehow I feel she helped me tap into the part of me that was sick and tired of being sick and tired.  When I hung up the phone I felt all of the fight leave my body and surrender take its place.  That was a great moment.  You know what they say - it's always easy to find God - he's at the end of your rope. One thing I wanted to share was the mental retraining I've needed to stay away from that first bite.  There are many one-liners and slogans that surprise me every time they work!  They are so simple and are made up of such silly simple words, yet they are the most powerful weapons I have against relapse.  I believe they are gifts from my higher power and nothing short of miraculous. One slogan I've been using a lot is this too shall pass.  These four small words save my life.  When I have food thoughts, I say that.  Then a couple of hours later, I realize that I've had two hours of freedom from food and have forgotten the discomfort I'd had.  I treasure those two hours of freedom like they were gold. I'm very grateful for GreyNet. Thank you everyone for your sharing. 

Anonymous

Welcome to the November Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the November 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

Do you need a copy of the GreySheet Abstinence: Clarifications and Sponsor Guidelines?

Email your request to: greysheet@greysheet.org and we’ll happily send a copy to you.

Upcoming Meetings - all interested GreySheeters are Welcome!

1. Committees Connecting meeting ID: 663 470 166
    Sunday, November 8, at 12:00 Noon ET
 
2. Concept 1 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, November 15, at 1:00pm ET
 
3. Tradition 1 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
    Sunday, November 22, at 1:00 pm ET.

Message from the Literature Committee

Dear GreySheeters,
 
For the past two years, six GSA members of the Literature Committee have worked tirelessly writing Living Abstinent.  They have given their free time to do this badly needed service for our community. 
 
In April, the first draft of the manuscript was made available to an on-line literature meeting in exchange for feedback and suggestions.  The manuscript is now in its 3rd draft.
 
It has come to the attention of the Literature Committee and World Service that people have downloaded the 1st draft even though it clearly and explicitly says, “not to distribute it and that ….it is not for publication".
 
We are asking you to please stop sharing how to get this unpublished copy with other members if you do not attend that Literature Meeting on Thursday.
 
Thank you for your understanding. The final version will soon be available but you do need to be patient.
 
NMW
Sara S, Chair of the Literature Committee

November 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Hi! My name is Rochelle.  I am a compulsive eater.  I weigh and measure three meals a day from the Cambridge GreySheet, write it down, commit to my sponsor or another qualified GreySheet sponsor and I don’t eat between meals no matter what.  I am grateful to be abstinent with my food so I can I can be aware of my emotions and work on abstinence with my emotions.  I have been in GreySheet since October 1994 and have 18 years of back to back GreySheet abstinence.
 
A dear GreySheeter surprised me when she asked me if I’d be interested in becoming a member of the GreySheet Board of Trustees!  I’d never thought about it.  I thought all the meetings were on Saturdays and as I observe the Jewish Sabbath I thought there’s no way I can participate!  Well, I was wrong!  Meetings are on SUNDAYS!  So I sent a resume and what do you know?  They accepted me!  Now, as I am “retired” (though I say offer me a job and I may take it!) I have a new job: helping to keep the wheels of GreySheet oiled (measured and weighed a 1/2oz at a time) and working!
 
I did miss the Forum as it was on a Saturday but I’ve read over the great notes that Sandie transcribed for all of us and posted. Reading over the questions and comments was informative.  The comments relating to the officers and that we, the members of GreySheet, shouldn’t be “governed” from the top down struck me.  I definitely don’t feel that any decision discussed or made by the BOT is a law or directive.  I truly feel that I am a trusted servant making sure that the BOT listens to the members and is working to keep the GreySheet organization operating to help compulsive eaters who are suffering to find a way out to a better, more productive, happier and sane, serene life.
 
I believe the GreySheet Abstinence: Clarifications and Sponsor Guidelines report is a helpful tool for my own abstinence as well as setting criteria for me and those I sponsor to follow. As may be true for many of us, after reading the document I realized that there are a few things that I have been doing with my food that my sponsor has “sanctioned” that I should not be doing!  As with anything having to do with food, it’s not easy to make changes, especially when I’m comfortable and “like” something but if I want to stay abstinent according to Cambridge Abstinence, I have to make changes, and I am, One Day at a Time.  ‘Cause I don’t want to eat NO MATTER WHAT!

Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Highlights

October 18th, 2020

Welcome to the October Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the October 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?”

regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

GSRs and ISRs - 
Please read and inform your group members of the following items as soon as possible: 

Welcome to the September Issue of Service Matters!

Welcome to the September 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question, “What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

For many of us, it’s Harvest Time, a time of bounty and gratitude. We begin this issue of Service Matters by inviting our GreySheet brothers and sisters to reflect on the spiritual harvest of GreySheet abstinence. 
 
As we chop and shop, make our calls, and bounce from Zoom meeting to phone meeting, ever questioning the access codes, we experience the joy of living this way of life, One Day at a Time.  Not only do we find ourselves being provided for by our Higher Powers, but we find our spiritual sustenance overflowing to those around us. For us, abstinence and gratitude make what we have enough.

Save the Date!

Saturday, October 17, 2020, 11:00 am ET- GSA World Service Update Video Forum!

All are welcome!

Q & A

Q: In this time of COVID-19, how has your practice of the 7^th tradition changed?

A:
1. I used to drop $1 or $2 in the basket at every meeting; now I automatically go to PayPal and do the same thing. I do it at the end of the meeting so I don’t forget.

2. I donate a certain amount every month to my home group – usually $20 – and trust they will distribute the funds they collect to GSAWS and the Intergroup.

3. Since the pandemic, I keep forgetting to make a donation on Zoom meetings, so I decided to send a certain amount every month to GSAWS with the new Text to Donate app. Once I set it up with money taken from my bank account, I know it’s going where it will do the most good – to the website and the new literature and all the other things World Services does for us.

4. I feel guilty every time they read the 7^th tradition part of the format in meetings I go to. Since the pandemic, I’m not working, my money situation is tighter than ever, and I have been doing everything I can do just to buy abstinent produce! So I’m sending a check to my home group when I can, and look forward to being able to give more when I’m able.

5. The more I learn about what GSAWS does to carry the message, the prouder I am to be a part of this fellowship. I do service when I can, volunteering to be spiritual timekeeper and sharing when I’m asked, but I prefer Venmo to PayPal and so I give to the meetings that use Venmo.

Upcoming Meetings - all interested GreySheeters are Welcome!

1.  Committees Connecting meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/663470166
Sunday, September 13 at 12:00 Noon ET 
-- The Structure and Website Committees will be presenting, and while all delegates are encouraged to attend, all interested GreySheeters are welcome!!
 
2. Concept 11 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 PM ET
 
3. Tradition 11 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 PM ET.

September 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Columns

Anne G., Board Member

Welcome to the August 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question,

“What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole

to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

As we welcome you to the August issue of Service Matters, we are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic NMW continues to stretch from days to weeks to months. The long view can be a distraction, but the literature tells us we have a daily reprieve and we do this 3-0-1!  Even though this is a long-term No Matter What, we still have to do it One Day at a Time. We don’t live in a future knowing when COVID might end. We have a program that helps us live in the present, staying abstinent just for today.  And abstinence requires our commitment to focus on the preparation of that next meal and to set up protections against that first compulsive bite. As Summer approaches Fall, we wish our dear readers days of delicious meals, peace in our hearts and continued devotion to our life-saving abstinence, One Day at a Time.

Save the Date!

Saturday October 17, 2020, 11:00 am ET- GSA World Service Update Video Forum

ISRs & GSRs - Please read/distribute in your meetings

When anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, I want them to think of the GreySheet solution. For that I am responsible.

Q&A 

Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Report Highlights

Audio Links

Welcome to the July Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Welcome to the July 2020 issue of Service Matters, your answer to the question,

“What’s Up in GreySheet?” regarding all the work done for GSA as a whole

to carry the message to compulsive eaters who still suffer.

July Theme - Unity

As the world cries out in suffering and for justice, many of us find ourselves asking just what is an outside issue during these times? We can reach out with compassion and act as individuals, and in our fellowship, we are reminded of our fifth and tenth traditions, that GSA has one primary purpose and no opinion on outside issues.

Our first tradition gives us our theme this month: UNITY. We are told our personal recovery depends upon it, and any GreySheeter with not too many days abstinent will know just how true that is. The national and international events of the last few months may seem polarizing at times, but who better than GreySheeters can see that the best way through that fear of the unknown is by coming together, all of us, to support those of us who are still sick and suffering. We can hold close in our hearts and take solace in our slogan: I can't; we can.

Save the Date!

Saturday October 17, 2020. 11:00 am ET- GSA World Service Update Video Forum
Please note that this is a New Date.
 
Why a Video Forum?
The Conference Committee (ConC) is responsible for all aspects of the annual GreySheeters Anonymous World Service Conference (WSC). The ConC organizes the next WSC and if needed, a bi-annual zoom meeting to discuss the WSC committee updates. In consultation with the ConC and the other WSC committees, the Board of Trustees (BOT) has decided to postpone the WSC until October 15-17, 2021.

Therefore, the ConC will host the ‘The First GreySheeters Anonymous World Service Update Video Forum’. This video forum will be held Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 11:00 am ET for the entire GreySheet fellowship. This is your opportunity to learn about what our committees work on throughout the year. We will distribute and post the agenda and materials sometime before the end of September 2020. This is an informative session with no voting. We will dedicate the first hour to committee updates and the second hour to the GreySheet Committee’s update.
 
The WSC committees work tirelessly year-round to accomplish projects and challenges brought forth by the WSC and the BOT. Our overall goal is to organize our fellowship and bring the GSA fellowship into the next century with an accurate, up-to-date website, new Conference Approved Literature, financial decisions, a much needed structure for our fellowship and so forth. The committees that are part of the WSC are: Archives Committee, Communications Committee, Conference Committee, Finance Committee, GreySheet Committee (BOT), Literature Committee, Nominating Committee, Public Information Committee, Structure Committee and the Website Committee.
 
What is the WSC? Why not 2020?
 
The WSC (World Service Conference) is the ‘business meeting’ of our worldwide fellowship. It is where we send our group (GSR) and intergroup (ISR) representatives to make decisions on motions brought forth by the ten committees and Board of Trustees (BOT). Typically, over the course of about 16 hours of meetings, the delegates discuss and decide on approximately 20 committee motions related to matters affecting GreySheeters Anonymous as a whole. Most committees are fully engaged in implementing the decisions of the last conference and will not be proposing any new projects this year. Therefore, there simply is not enough business to conduct to merit the time, effort, and cost of assembling our delegates in Chicago in October. (And then there was COVID). We now bring you our first annual video forum update!

Upcoming Meetings - all Interested GreySheeters are Welcome!

1.  Committees Connecting meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/663470166
Sunday, July 12 at 12:00 Noon ET 
-- The Finance Committee will be presenting, and while all delegates are encouraged to attend, all interested GreySheeters are welcome!!
 
2. Concept 9 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, July 19 at 1:00 PM ET
 
3. Board of Trustees Town Hall meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/717731799
Sunday, July 26, at 11:00 AM ET
 
4. Tradition 9 meeting ID: 791 453 380 
Sunday, July 26 at 1:00 PM ET

Q & A

Q: What is your biggest NMW during this time?”

A: Here are some of their answer:

1.  I am new to GreySheet; I've only been coming since October 2019. However I have found that the NMW of no matter what other people are eating or when they are eating has been hard for me. I hate feeling like I am missing out. So instead I've been working on my gratitude, focusing on what I have – not what I do not have. What I get to eat and how I get to eat are amazing, huge meals, and I get to live my life in between my meals.
2. My dog being hospitalized. 
3. I am getting older, putting on weight, being on less food and not losing the weight.  Praying for self-acceptance, patience and faith that all is well. 
4. I’m pregnant and staying abstinent is a huge NMW. I know that abstinence is the biggest gift I can give to myself and my baby. I want to be present during my pregnancy and beyond,  so I stay abstinent one day at a time. Biggest NMW of my abstinence - my father-in-law passed away during the corona virus. He was the backbone and light of our family. My husband, his mother and siblings were together for a week of mourning, and I was in the beginning of my pregnancy. There was so much grief, loss, pain and feelings all around, as well of tons of food from well-meaning friends and family. I was keeping late hours, and one night I really feared I would pick up. I didn't, thank God, and put myself to bed. Those were the two hardest weeks of my abstinence. My role at that point was taking care of all the immediate family members, and for the first few days I forgot to take care of myself. There was no one to take care of me at that point. I very quickly remembered the important principle,’if I don’t come first, no one else can come second.’ I made sure to buy myself delicious food so I would not be tempted by all the food around and remembered to give myself space from the people and emotions around me. I am abstinent by the sheer grace of God.
5. The tools I have gotten and all the meetings I’ve attended are like cash in the bank. During a NMW, I cash in all my tools and experience so far, and keep working the program to have emotional backup for the next rainy day.
6. My biggest no matter what at any time is my thinking.  It is rarely dependent upon outside situations, unless I choose to use them as an excuse to get my knickers in a twist. 
7. I live in France and eating with French people is a real challenge.  Not only do they not get the possibility of food addiction but they also consider certain foods and a certain beverage right up there with oxygen.  Right now I am on vacation and a guest in a French family's home.  My friend has tried extremely hard to understand, but I am very vigilant. I don’t want to forget for one minute who I am and what I do. Each day, I feel a little more comfortable going in the refrigerator and getting what I need if it’s not on the table. And I think of all the rest of you going through NMWs and I’m not going to be the one to rock this lifeboat we are in!!!   
8. I need some exercise - walking in Arizona is never a pleasant thing in the summer, and gyms are too scary.... 
9. The challenge of not eating my heaviest comfort GS foods during this time - my choices could be better.
10. My biggest NMW is when I'm very emotionally and physically drained after a 6-8 hour day of tele-health video sessions and I need to prepare my abstinent dinner.   
11.  This week, I go to the cemetery for the one year anniversary of my father's death. 
12. Staying abstinent through two knee replacements with support of GS sponsor.
13. Trusting my HP with the big picture, staying grounded, and praying for guidance for what, beyond my 3 weighed and measured meals, is mine to do.

    ---

    From the Literature Committee

Are you interested in getting a sneak peak at the book Living Abstinent that will come

out next fall? The Thursday evening Zoom meeting "It Works if You Work It” is reading the first draft of the book and discussing it.  They are also sending the Literature Committee feedback and comments to make the book better.

To join the meeting, click this link: Zoom meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/384901911

The meeting is at 6:55-8:00pm PST

Meeting ID# 384 901 911

Same password as all our meetings

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments

Nominating Committee Working Hard to Fill Out the Board of Trustees

We have been meeting monthly since the World Service Conference. Two people did resign from the Board (Sara S and Hrafnhildur/Habby B) because of work commitments, and our Class B trustee stepped down.
 
But we have three new trustees (Tara T from Saco, Maine, Anne G from Astoria, New York, and Ingibjörg/Inga S from Iceland) who have been elected by the BOT as well as a new Class B (non-compulsive-eater) trustee, Dan Durbin from Vero Beach, Florida.  Please join me in welcoming them at our next Town Hall. Sunday July 26th 11 am ET, https://zoom.us/j/717731799.
 
On July 2 we will be discussing a GreySheet nominee who comes well-recommended, so by the time you read this we may have 4 new trustees and a Class B trustee.  Since our goal is to fill the board of 13, we are right on track.

If you have someone you would like to nominate (especially from the Western half of the USA) please let us know at nominations@greysheet.org.

July 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Grainne M., President

Who are those trustees and what do they do?

The trustees you nominated at WSC2019 are delighted to welcome four new members!

Our job is to manage the affairs of your World Services organization to accomplish what you asked us to do at the World Service Conferences. We are committed to involving you as much as possible in decisions about how we do that.

One of the ways that we try to involve you is to have at least one board member in each of GSA's ten approved intergroups. With Tara and Inga, we are now able to attend nine of the ten intergroup meetings. We still need a trustee from Europe to connect us to the approximately 125 GreySheeters in Europe.

Another way to make sure we hear your voice is to have at least one board member participating on each of the ten current committees. As new trustees come on board,  your GSRs and ISRs working on committees have a direct connection to the Board of Trustees.

Below is the Update on our progress.

Get in touch: President@greysheet.org, VP@greysheet.org, Secretary@greysheet.org, Treasurer@greysheet.org, or GreySheet@greysheet.org

Monthly Board of Trustees Liaison Reports

Vision for World Service:
“Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think of GreySheet.”

World Service has four core functions to achieve the vision. Here is our progress to date:

1. Integrity of the Greysheet 
   • We received permission from A.A.W.S. to reprint the section of their book, Alcoholics Anonymous commonly referred to as the promises. We rolled out an addendum to the GSA and A.A. Intellectual Property policy to all the Intergroup Service Representatives for them to notify all their member groups.

2. Website
   • A new member of the Website Committee has set up a project tracking tool for all the material that committees, boards, and intergroups are providing to Website Committee for our new site. The Board of Trustees and the Website Committee have agreed on a review and approval process for incoming material. Intergroup Service Representatives and Committee Chairs are invited to meet with the Website Committee to clarify their responsibilities for the new site.

3. Literature
   • We have finished writing Living Abstinent. We are editing ten chapters. We will send the next set of chapters to the It Works if You Work It group by the end of June to read. We plan to send the manuscript to xLibris for publishing by the end of July.
4. Public Information
   • Each of the approximately eight Public Information Committee members have committed to sending ten Health Professional letters from the Public Information Manual (https://www.greysheet.org/meetings/meeting-group-resources/public-information-guidelines) each month to cardiologists, endocrinologists, and gastroenterologists.

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Help Wanted! Service Opportunities

Reflections Zoom Writing Workshop: Next meeting is July 25 at 11:00 AM ET
Zoom meeting ID: 203 332 604

Only 90 days of B2B GS abstinence is required and the willingness to share your experience, strength and hope in this daily reflections for GSers  book-in-progress! The title will be One Meal at a Time.

If you cannot come to the writing workshop, email reflections@greysheet.org for guidelines and submit any time.
 
Next Board of Trustees Town Hall is Sunday, July 26 at 11:00 AM ET.
Come one, come all!! 
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/717731799
Meeting ID: 717 731 799

Audio Links

If you missed one of these meetings, or prefer listening to reading Service Matters,  you can listen to the audio or read the notes here:

June Service Matters:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gaY44-tX-s
 
BOT Town Hall meeting: April 26, 2020  https://bit.ly/3faaecZ
 
Notes from Concept 8 meeting: https://bit.ly/31ercT3

Notes from Committees Connecting meeting: https://bit.ly/3fYBHOf

Welcome to the June Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

1. GreySheeters Anonymous World Services wants to strengthen our community support networks. We need your help to identify the digital platforms our community uses such as: Instagram, Facebook, Marco Polo, WhatsApp, etc.  

Please email greysheet@greysheet.org with:

• Platform Name:
• Link:
• Responsible Name (Owner, Administrator, Coordinator, Moderator, etc.):
• Email:
• Phone: 

2. Zoom.us has upgraded its application to Zoom 5.0 which went into effect on 5.30.20. If you have not yet upgraded to your mobile device or laptop, you will be required to do so before attending a meeting after that time. Here are directions:

• Click on download from the link at https://zoom.us
• OR
• Directly from one of the following links
  • https://zoom.us/support/
  • https://zoom.us/download
  • https://zoom.us/download2 

3. Next Committees Connecting Meeting will be Sunday, June 14 at 12:00 Noon ET at this link: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/663470166
Meeting ID: 663 470 166

The Conference Committee will be presenting, and while all delegates are encouraged to attend, all interested GreySheeters are welcome!!

Q & A

Q: GSA is in the process of writing a statement of responsibility inspired by AA’s responsibility statement. We asked some GreySheeters the question, “How do you carry out your responsibility to carry the message to someone who is still suffering?”
 
A: Here are some of their answer:
 
1.  By weighing and measuring from the GreySheet and being joyful with my life.
 
2.  I have three sponsees, I speak at meetings when I'm asked to, and I try to carry the message of the Cambridge GreySheet:  The food, the food, the food.
 
3.  By sharing my Experience, Strength and Hope on our Facebook pages, at live meetings and on the phone bridge.
 
4.  I'm about to lead a meeting, where I will share what it was like and what it's like now.
 
5.  By sharing it all -- the pain and the joy -- at meetings, showing that we can get through anything without eating.
 
6.  By asking for help during my No Matter Whats, I demonstrate that we don't have to -- and can't -- do this alone!
 
7.  By making my food beautiful and answering questions when suffering compulsive eaters ask me about it.
 
8.  By inviting suffering compulsive eaters in my life to meetings.
 
9.  I carry the message every time someone says, "But you don't LOOK like you ever had a weight problem!" and I reply, "That's because I got help.  Want details?"
 
10.  I carry the message by keeping my food and my program first in my life, so I have a message to carry.
 
11. I answer the phone when a GreySheeter calls.

June 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Sandie M., Secretary
 
Hello fellow GreySheeters!
 
My name is Sandie and I am Secretary to your elected Board of Trustees. I am also a compulsive overeater. I have been abstinent as we define it since August 27, 2009. In the past ten years, I have found a peace and serenity that I never dreamed possible thanks to you and the fellowship of GreySheeters Anonymous. I have experienced a multitude of life’s no matter whats in the past decade, but thanks to the program of GreySheeters Anonymous, I have been able to walk through them with integrity, clarity, and have not eaten over any of them. 
 
The GSAWS bylaws state: 
 
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the annual meeting in books provided for that purpose. He or she shall be responsible for the giving and serving of all notices of GSAWS and shall perform all the duties customarily incident to the office of the Secretary, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees, and shall perform such other duties as shall from time to time be assigned by the Board of Trustees, including retaining the records and legal documents of GSAWS and the corporate seal, if any.
 
I am still learning and clarifying what “all the duties subject to the control of the Board of Trustees” means in practical terms. The Secretary is responsible for the record keeping of the fellowship. I attend all GSAWS meetings and record the minutes and notes, which are placed in the archival record and on our website. The BOT has also decided that the Secretary is responsible for maintaining the membership records, which includes keeping a database of Groups, Intergroups, and Committees – membership, service positions, contact information, etc.  I am responsible, in conjunction with the BOT President, for setting  the agenda of the World Service Conference and gathering annual reports.
 
These responsibilities can sound dry and utilitarian, but they are not to me. For most of my abstinence, I did service by attending meetings regularly, holding service positions at meetings, beginning meetings back when we still used Skype, and sponsoring. As someone who lives in what we used to call an outpost (Can there really be outposts anymore with the multitude of video meeting options available to us?), I often felt that this was the limit to the service I could do. How could I even think of doing service at an Intergroup or World Service level? In addition to the geographical limitations, I had the big, busy life that I had been given by GreySheet. I felt that I didn’t have time.
 
About a year ago, I was approached by a fellow on the Nominating Committee who asked me to consider being on the Board of Trustees. With a bit of nervousness, I agreed. At the last World Service Conference in October, 2019, you elected your new BOT, and I embarked on what has been an amazing journey. In the past 7 months, I have learned so much about our fellowship and how it works. I have met people that I never would have met before and count them as friends. I have gained a new appreciation for all that the “old timers” have done to get our fellowship to this point in our history and I am honored to be a part of helping to shape its future. On a personal level, my program has been enriched beyond measure. By reaching beyond my comfort zone and taking the plunge into more service, I have renewed my vows to myself and my abstinence. I am grateful beyond measure.
 
I encourage you to think of ways in which you can use your unique talents to enrich a fellowship that has given you a life free from the bondage of compulsive eating.

Thank you for letting me be of service and WDENMW.

Getting GS Abstinent During This Pandemic

We have noticed many newcomers who have found us during this COVID-19 pandemic. Here are three from London:
 
L:
Before I came to GreySheet, I was dying of compulsive overeating and bulimia. Miraculously, I found out about GreySheet on the day we were declared on lockdown here in the UK. I don’t know if I would have survived this crisis without it.
 My first impression of GreySheeters Anonymous can be summed by the tragic and miraculous catch-22: it was because everything else had failed that I knew GSA was going to work. I knew it immediately when my loving sponsor told me the boundaries of GS abstinence, and it was the structure I had been praying for. I knew it because in the GreySheet community, I found not only the blessed refrain of the phrase “me too”, but also unwavering support, guidance, love and so much laughter! And that was only 52 days ago. It is all possible with GreySheet!
 
E:
When lockdown hit the UK in March I was in the food and had been on and off for the best part of 2.5 years after leaving another food fellowship in 2017. I was terrified that I was going to slip further into relapse and not only put myself at risk, but also my family, as I knew that I would need to leave the house to get my binge foods, and in doing so, would not be able to keep myself safe. I really did stand at the turning point. I knew I had two choices: either go further into the food and the slow death that awaited me, or find a programme that could offer me a way out.
My prayers of desperation were answered, and out of the blue, someone told me about GreySheeters Anonymous.  In all my years of 12 step recovery - at different times trying out six other food fellowships - I had not come across GreySheet. That day, I joined an online meeting, got a sponsor and got going with the food plan immediately. 
I have not looked back since. Who knew that what I'd been seeking all along was a community in which I could feel held, loved and safe. I was scooped up, met with warmth and given everything I needed to begin my recovery. It's just over a month since I came in and already I have made so many friends, and feel like I am living a life beyond my wildest dreams.  My hope was given back to me and the shame I'd been carrying around with me for so long, taken away. This fellowship has given me back my life and for that I am truly grateful.
 
L:
I am overwhelmed by the love and kindness shown to me in this fellowship. I am able to be honest without shame or fear and encouraged to be myself...whoever that might be.
I believe if I stay close to this programme and follow the suggestions I never have to pick up food again.
Free at last, a grateful newcomer.

Help Wanted! Service Opportunities

Welcome to the May Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Welcome, GreySheet brothers and sisters! We dedicate the May issue of Service Matters to the theme of Awakenings/New Growth.  We fellows of GreySheeters Anonymous know what it's like to endure seemingly fallow times, only to be joyfully surprised by clear signs of growth.  We are well-acquainted with the process of growing roots first, before the lovely blossoms peak through the earth.  In these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, rooted in the radical self-care of GreySheet abstinence, we can get to the other side of whatever comes along!  Simply to attain and maintain GreySheet abstinence, we have learned to ask for help and extend it, and to approach our challenges not with an attitude of "if", but, rather, "how"; we will overcome them!

As we witness ourselves and each other blossoming in GreySheet recovery, we are also reminded that we GreySheeters, when joined together, form a bouquet whose scent is sweeter and stronger than that of any single stem.  May we all continue to bloom and grow, with the help of our GreySheet toolbox, the Sunlight of the Spirit and each other.  Together, we can!

GSRs, Please Read at Your Business Meeting:

GSR’s Please read at your business meeting:

Seventh Tradition: As spring flowers awaken and grow through sunlight, water and essential nutrients, so GreySheeters Anonymous grows through the active participation of our fellowship (Concept 4), and Tradition 7 contributions. When we donate what we are able, our GSA member contributions nurture our meetings, website, literature, communication with both our members and professional communities, and those still suffering. We understand this is a challenging time, so ‘Giving Back’ can mean contributing through service as well. Service matters...and so do you! 

Website Contacts Lists Have Doubled!! Thanks to your generous response to phone calls from our committee members, the greysheet.org website now has 70 contacts in 24 states and 12 countries. Thank you to those who volunteered to respond to the still-suffering compulsive eaters who reach out!! If you have one year of back-to-back abstinence, can respond to emails within 48 hours, and wish to add your names to the list, please contact communication@greysheet.org.

Q&A - What are Some Gifts from This Coronavirus Situation?

Spring awakens our thoughts and feelings with the joy of accomplishment and self-awareness as we celebrate our abstinence each day. The influence of Covid19 has opened up new pathways of challenges we each overcome with our sponsors, fellow GreySheeters and loved ones. We look at the silver lining lessons from this period of time: FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp and new connections in the program with new ways to have outreach. Let’s hear it for technology supporting our abstinence.

Here are a few heartfelt shares of joy, reflection, love and habits from members of the Communications Committee and to quote one of our members: Fewer cars, less traffic and more Zoom!

E.:

• I have gained a renewed appreciation for people I have often taken for granted: the grocery store clerks, stockers, and cart managers who make sure I get my abstinent food when I need it and are exposed to all of our germs and ill humor and neglect most of the time.
• I have gained an appreciation for all the ways being an abstinent GSer in an outpost has acquainted me with ways to connect via social media, especially Zoom before the pandemic ever happened, placing me in a position to help other meetings get on line, both in GSA and Al-Anon and AA in my home town.
• I know how to live a day at a time, have been practicing for decades. What a gift in hard times!!
• The introvert in me is delighted! I have gained a stretch of time without needing to decline invitations or feel guilty about saying no!
• I value more than ever the precious gift of life and time. We never know when this will end, both the pandemic and the life we live.
• I am meditating more, with a group of people so I am accountable!

Y.:

• Get to spend lots of time with my family. Togetherness!
• Self-house cleaning is mandatory! What pleasure to see the kids work at home….
• More GSA meetings! As we all became “outposts” I am now more used to meeting via Zoom, and finding it almost as efficient as a “regular” meeting in the rooms. 
• Getting to meet and see faces of more GSRs on Zoom meetings! We are in lock-down but GSA
• world is bigger and more open than ever!
• Less traffic - less car accidents.
• Cleaner air...

M.:

What comes to me are two things (of many) that I have learned being on the GreySheet:

• I only have to take one day at a time (sometimes one minute at a time). For example, I don´t know if I am going to be able to go to work tomorrow. But I am preparing as if I would go to work tomorrow. And if it so happens that I can´t, then I will just have to accept that tomorrow. I can´t do anything about it today.
• Serenity: This has helped in ‘taking on’ the days as they come. The only thing I can do is Plan, Prepare and Protect and then let go of everything else. This virus is far beyond my control.

S.:

• At home, in the quiet, sometimes it easier to hear the voices that are no longer true -- the ones who are so afraid of any error, who learned that error loses you love.  I’m getting a sense that only a loving, accepting relationship with myself will allow me to develop my abilities and relationships “out there”. 
• Friends far and wide are checking in just to see that I’m OK (I live alone).  I am touched by their efforts.  They are teaching me to exert my own energy to let more people know that I care and appreciate them!

B.:

• As we witness the seasons change and the re-awakening to spring time (in the Northern Hemisphere) there is a promise of better days ahead. One day at a time, I too, am awake, ask God for help, and do my best to go about my day with a perspective of love, generosity and acceptance.
• My digital scale and my cups are my trusted friends. They don’t lie, they keep me ‘right sized’ and balanced 3x a day.
• The new rituals surrounding going to the store, getting food, bringing it home, cleaning food and packaging before it comes into the house have ‘upped my game’ in the way I relate to food, before it even enters the front door and makes its way to my scale.

May 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Joyce S., Treasurer

At the end of last year, GreySheeters Anonymous World Services, Inc. (GSAWS) had a review of our financial statements by an independent certified public accountant.  We received the results of her financial review in early January. I’m writing to provide the fellowship with a summary of her findings.  

You may wonder why we had a review of our financial records by an independent CPA.  After all, this is a costly endeavor for a relatively small organization like ours; in fact, GSAWS paid $2500 for a review of fiscal years 2016-2019.  If you break this down by year, it cost us approximately $800/year for an outside review.  

A financial review:

• Shows that GSAWS is dedicated to financial transparency.
• Provides reassurance that our financial statements are reliable.  
• Helps GSAWS evaluate internal control systems.
• Fulfills the requirement set forth in GSAWS by-laws to “present at the annual meeting of the Board a financial report, certified by an independent public accountant or certified public accountant or a firm of such accountants selected by the Board.”

Although it is good policy to have a review or audit by an independent accountant every year, it is not feasible for our fellowship due to the cost.  In the years when we do not have a conference and/or we are not transitioning to a new Board, a review will be performed by members of our fellowship.   

After conducting her financial review, the accountant concluded that “based on my review, with the exception of the matters described in the following section, I am not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the general ledgers and accompanying financial statements in order for them to be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”  Here is a summary of the accountant’s recommendations:

1. The Company (GSAWS) should formulate in a written document accounting policies and procedures.  A well-designed and properly maintained system of documenting accounting policies and procedures will clarify roles, responsibilities, access and authorizations as well as timetables in order to improve the quality, consistency and efficiency of the Company’s internal control system and overall financial reporting function.  As a best practice written accounting policies and procedures should be evaluated annually and updated for any changes in policies and procedures that occur between evaluations.
2. Overall, there should be more consistent policies and practices in place with respect to the accounting of accruals, prepaid expenses and in-kind donations.
3. A timetable should be established to outline key dates for the closing of month-ends, inclusive of the timely submission of supporting evidence to account for transactions relevant to each month-end and transfers between PayPal and operating accounts of the Company.
4. Physical or electronic bank statements, inclusive of check images, and other forms of supporting evidence should be adequately archived and transitioned amongst Treasurers of the Company.
5. Increase technical knowledge of QuickBooks’ functionalities surrounding the booking of entries from statement feeds as well as the closing process.
6. Formal written agreements or contracts should be created and maintained between the Company and fellowship members performing services in exchange for monetary compensation on behalf of the Company.
7. For better transparency, the coding of general ledger expense accounts should represent the underlying nature of expenses incurred – e.g. monthly administration fee of GSA literature should be bifurcated from GSA literature expense.
8. Schedule the pickup and the deposit of checks in month-end close timeline to better account for donations in the months received in the P. O. Box.
9. Clearer direction or awareness of members of which PayPal account to send payments to based on the underlying nature of the submission.

Let me assure you, that as treasurer, I am doing my best to comply with all the recommendations.  A draft has been written for GSAWS accounting policies and procedures and for GSAWS internal control procedures.  I’ve spent a good amount of time becoming familiar with QuickBooks functionalities. Formal written agreements are in process between GSAWS and fellowship members performing services for GSAWS.  We changed the date of pickup and deposit of checks from our P. O. Box. We have changed some of the coding for certain general ledger expense accounts to better represent the underlying nature of the expense.

If you would like additional information or a copy of her results, please contact me at treasurer@GreySheet.org.  

NMW!

Joyce S.

 Help Wanted!!  Service Opportunities!

Committees Connecting meeting for anyone interested in world service committee work – next meeting is Sunday, May 10, at 12:00 noon ET. The Communications Committee is presenting.

Zoom meeting ID: 663 470 166

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Reflections Zoom Writing Workshop: Next meeting is May 30 at 11:00 AM ET

Zoom meeting ID: 203 332 604

Only 90 days of B2B GS abstinence is required and the willingness to share your experience, strength and hope!

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Finance Committee is looking for members willing to conduct a review of our financial records in the months preceding the next World Service Conference in 2021, probably in May or June.  Please consider providing this important service for our fellowship. You do not need to have an accounting background, just a willingness to look at a few bank reports, trace transactions through to our financial statements, become familiar with our written accounting policy timetables and see if tasks were performed in a timely manner.  An audit plan will be provided for you to follow. The good thing about this service is that it is a short commitment, but the impact is great in reassuring the fellowship that our records are accurate and reliable and that we are practicing good internal controls. Contact treasurer@greysheet.org if interested.

Board of Trustees Town Hall April 26, 2020

The Board of Trustees held the second quarterly Town Hall of 2020 on 4/26/20.

65 Total Attendees from: CTIG, EIG, ICEIG, MWIG, NEIG Area, NYMIG, PBIG, SEIG Area, SWIG, WSIG; including:

• 7/8 Board of Trustees;
• 6/9 ISRs from EIG, ICEIG, MWIG, NYMIG, SWIG, WSIG;
• 31/40 Committee Members (All Committees were represented);
• 21/193 GSRs.

The meeting was full of important and interesting updates on what work is being done at the World Services level. An update on the how GSA is responding to COVID-19, including a presentation on the Board of Trustees COVID-19 letter and the movement of Face to Face meetings to Zoom. Additional presentations were given on GSA’s Four Core Functions: GreySheet abstinence, greysheet.org, Literature, and Public Information. 

For more in depth information on the GSAWS Vision and Four Core Functions, click here: https://bit.ly/2YoeKhT

To see a copy of the Board of Trustees COVID-19 letter to the fellowship, click here: https://bit.ly/2SpImrC 

There were also presentations from representatives from the Midwest Intergroup and the New York Metro Intergroup and from four of the Committees. All presenters put out a call for members to get involved in service at the Intergroup and/or Committee level.

Q&A from attendees:

Q: Interested in the process of defining the GreySheet and would love to know how it parallels process of AA. Changing the Steps or Traditions, i.e., their foundational documents. 

A: At this point, there are no plans to change the GreySheet as it stands as a document. Committee is working on clarifications, which is a separate report. The GreySheet as it stands as a document will not be changed.

Q: Will GreySheet be changed to reflect current practice?

A: No, the GreySheet pamphlet will not be edited. I think your question is part of the oral tradition that is passed down from sponsor to sponsee.

Q: $13,500 seems very low for a Conference. What does the $13,500 provide?

A: The $13,500 does not cover all the expenses of the World Conference. It pays for what the Board responsible for in terms of the Conference, i.e., funding the Board of Trustees participation in the Conference and paying the Parliamentarian’s fees and expenses. All other costs of the conference such as the retreat center, transcriptionist, etc. are covered by the registration fees of delegates representing groups or Intergroups.

Q: Why can’t we have some ideas of what GreySheet committee is working on or answer questions prior to the document coming out?

A: The reason the Committee is not releasing information in incremental steps is that we believe it needs to be approved in full in all of its context. We want to look at everything we do at the end of our work and ask, “Have we been consistent throughout and does it make a sense as a whole,” rather than releasing it in increments over an 18 month period.

Q: What did we call the Responsibility Statement before. I’d love to bring it to the Phone Bridge. The Phone Bridge Intergroup is currently using a modified version of the A.A. Responsibility Statement.

A: We do not have permission from AA to adopt and adapt their Responsibility Statement. Literature Committee was inspired by Board’s Vision for World Service. We took what they wrote, expanded on it, and came up with something to serve as our Responsibility Statement that the Literature Committee approved and sent on to the BOT for approval. It will go to ISRs and Chairs for discussion after Board approval.

Q: Does our literature include that we are not physicians or experts?

A: Pamphlet, If You Are a Healthcare Professional is on the website for you to review.

To listen to the recording of the Town Hall meeting, click here: https://bit.ly/3faaecZ

Audio links

April Service Matters audio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYg0TrdOwKs

Concept 6 Meeting: April 19 2020   https://bit.ly/2KpXmBo

Tradition 6 meeting: April 26, 2020  https://bit.ly/3bWvl0m

BOT Town Hall meeting; April 26, 2020  https://bit.ly/3faaecZ

Committees Connecting Meeting April 5, 2020: https://bit.ly/2VkrPGb

Happy 22nd Anniversary to GSA!!

Welcome to the April 2020 issue of Service Matters, your newsletter providing information about service work, current projects to help carry the message, and opportunities to participate in GSA.

April 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Welcome to the March Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Your newsletter providing information about service in GSA!

March 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Grainne M., President, GreySheeters Anonymous World Services

World Service Conference
In consultation with the Conference Committee and the other World Service Conference committees, the Board of Trustees has decided to postpone the conference to 2021. Stay tuned for the new date.

The World Service Conference is the business meeting of the worldwide fellowship. It is where we send our group and intergroup representatives to make decisions on motions brought by the ten committees and board. Typically, over the course of about 16 hours of meetings, the delegates discuss and decide on approximately 20 motions related to matters affecting GreySheeters Anonymous as a whole. Currently the committees report that they will only have between five and ten motions – mostly from one committee. Most committees are fully engaged implementing the decisions of the last conference and will not be proposing any new projects this year. Therefore, there simply isn’t enough business to conduct to merit the time, effort, and cost of assembling our delegates in Chicago in October.

Instead the board will plan a two-hour video forum to be held on Saturday October 31st at 11 am ET for registered delegates. We will distribute the agenda and materials for groups and intergroups to discuss in advance. Keep reading Service Matters for the details.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email President@GreySheet.org or speak to the board liaison for your intergroup or committee. We are all confident that, with more time, the committees will have plenty of significant decisions for the fellowship to make in 2021.

“Whenever anyone, anywhere realizes they have a problem with food, they think of GreySheet.”

This is the vision for World Services. We accomplish this in four ways:

1. Protect the integrity of the GreySheet solution
2. Make GreySheet.org the primary destination for online searches
3. Publish and make easily available great literature that shares our experience, strength, and hope
4. Reach out to the public, the media, and the healthcare profession

Everything else we do supports these four functions. To accomplish these four core functions as directed by the WSC2019 will cost approximately $40K. In 2019, our donations were $21K. We need to double our donations to World Service in 2020 to accomplish our primary purpose. There is a slideshow that provides more information in the online Service Matters. https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees

Who Participated in the January Town Hall?
At least 37 GreySheeters attended including: 

• 10 Group Service Representatives from the Connecticut, European, Icelandic, Israeli, New York Metro, SouthWest, and Western States Intergroups
• Six of our nine intergroup service representatives (Europe, Iceland, Midwest, New York Metro, Southwest, and Western States)
• Seven of our eight trustees
• Members of all ten committees
• Six countries – Canada, England, France, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Spain, and the United States
• 13 US states – California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, and Texas

Was your group or state represented? Will someone be reporting back to you about how we are accomplishing our primary purpose?

Board of Trustees Update
Unfortunately, since our October Town Hall the board has lost two valuable trustees – one to other commitments and one to chair the Literature Committee. We now need to fill five open positions on the Board of Trustees. If you are interested and have at least five years of GreySheet abstinence, please consider submitting an application to Nominations@greysheet.org. The application form and more information is on the website: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees/nominating-committee

Get to Know Your Intergroup
The Intergroup Service Representatives for two of our nine intergroups introduced their intergroups at this Town Hall.

The Western States Intergroup includes AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY as well as British Columbia and Manitoba. According to the 2018 census, there are 134 GreySheeters in the area with 19 groups including nine Zoom groups. Eleven groups regularly send GSRs to monthly IG meetings. We sent seven GSRs and our ISR to WSC2019. Our GSRs are involved in a variety of committees. The IG has a healthy treasury and donates to GSAWS.

Note from President: The WSIG has approximately 16% of the worldwide fellowship. 

The SouthWest Intergroup contains five states AR, CO, NM, OK, and TX. We have applied to the Structure Committee to merge with the SouthEast Intergroup Area and Maryland to form the Southern States Intergroup. We would then include AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV, the Caribbean, and MD and the six GreySheet groups in that Area. Currently we represent two NM groups, four TX groups, and two Zoom groups. According to the 2018 Census, approximately 164 GreySheet members live in the SSIG Area. In addition to our ISR, ISR-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and BOT Liaison we have a YouTube Coordinator and a Zoom Coordinator. Our ISR attended WSC2019 and four of our officers serve on committees. 

In 2014, we started the SWIG YouTube Channel. YouTube is the biggest search engine on the planet. Initially, we featured shares only from members living in the SWIG Area but we have now expanded to include shares from the entire fellowship. Initially, there were 700 views per month. It has grown to 3,000 views per month. There are 80 qualifications on the channel. In 2019, we started Pre-Holiday Speaker Blasts on Zoom. These are approximately monthly and are always listed under Events on greysheet.org.

Note from President: The SWIG has approximately 8% of the worldwide fellowship. The SEIG Area has approximately 11% of the worldwide fellowship.

New York Metro and MidWest Intergroups will introduce themselves at our April 26^th Town Hall.

Consider Participating in a Committee!

Archives Committee 
Come join Archives and help build our information base. Giving service makes me feel so connected to GreySheet. You may say “But, I’m technology-phobic.” No, you’re not. If you’re at a Zoom meeting or reading this e-newsletter, you’re not. You’re GreySheet clear. You’re aware that you’re uncomfortable doing something new and to get rid of that is to practice. Come join the Archives. Contact me at archives@greysheet.org

Communication Committee
If you want to be inspired by all the work being done to carry the message of GSA to the compulsive eater who still suffers, join the Communication Committee. We receive the news and transmit it via Service Matters and Committees Connecting Zoom meetings, so you’ll always know what is happening! We do our best to keep contact lists and the phone list up to date so our members and newcomers don’t fall through the cracks! And we thrive on good ideas and positive energy. Sound like something you’d like more of? Join us! Contact me at communication@greysheet.org 

Conference Committee
Come join the Conference Committee to create the 2021 and future World Service Conferences. You can make an impact on the future of GreySheet and how we communicate with each other and how we come together as a fellowship. Join us and email me conference@greysheet.org

Finance Committee
If you want to “Show us the money,” love (or want to learn about) spreadsheets, have an interest in financial transparency, like working with budgets or creating fiscally sound financial policies, or simply love the 7th Tradition, please consider joining the Finance Committee. We meet the first Sunday of the month at noon EST. If you want to know more, contact us at finance@greysheet.org

Literature Committee
This year, 2020, the Literature Committee is focused on writing new literature and updating and reprinting existing pamphlets and the GreySheet 12x12. If you enjoy writing, are organized, can meet deadlines and love GSA as much as we do, we would love to have you join the Literature Committee. Email literature@greysheet.org

The Nominating, Public Information, Structure, and Website Committees will make a recruiting pitch at the April 26th Town Hall.  

Please get in touch: President@greysheet.org VicePresident@greysheet.org Secretary@greysheet.org  Treasurer@greysheet.org 

Future Town Halls 11 am ET on the same Zoom link on the last Sunday of April and July 2020. We hope to see you there.

Committee Announcement

Welcome to the February Issue of SERVICE MATTERS!

Welcome to the February issue of Service Matters, your newsletter providing information about service in GSA. This month, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, our question and answer section is about loving ourselves in abstinence, or what some GreySheeters refer to as “radical self-care.” We also  highlight a new “Help Wanted” section for GreySheeters with special skills to help us in the coming months. If you are qualified and interested in serving in these ways, please step forward. We need you!!

February 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Laura L., Vice President/Vice Chair

Hello fellow GreySheeters!  
I am a compulsive overeater, my name is Laura and I am your newly elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees.   Some of you may know me as I have lived in a number of GreySheet communities since getting abstinent in Cambridge, MA in April, 1982.   

I have had a lot of life in these almost 38 years - including college and graduate school, marriage, divorce, deaths of friends and family members, marrying again, two abstinent pregnancies, travel abroad, painful family dynamics, medical issues, and, perhaps most challenging, living with my brain on a daily basis! Through it all, I have weighed and measured my food without exception from that GreySheet, have committed it to a sponsor and have approached every life situation, not with the question of “Will I be abstinent?” but rather, “HOW will I be abstinent?” There is a mountain of experience, strength and hope available to all of us in this program. 

Over the years, I have been privileged to serve our community in many different capacities.  Joining the Board is my newest level of service. I am acutely aware that my life is limited but that food addiction is not! It will live on long after I am gone. While I am still here, I want to do what I can to preserve our precious GreySheet message for others who suffer so that recovery will always be available to those who seek it.  

My role as Vice-Chair of the Board is somewhat less well-defined than other positions on the Board.  At the moment I see myself as a multi-purpose person. One of the projects I am currently working on is the republishing of the Shades of Grey compilation.  If you are not familiar with Shades, it was the first piece of GreySheet literature our community had following the printed GreySheet Food Plan.  Shades was a GreySheet newsletter, created by members of the NYC community in early 1988.  It was published quarterly through the spring of 2001. This was back in the “olden days” before GSA, before the internet, cell phones, the Phone Bridge and Zoom meetings.  GreySheeters from all over submitted articles on various topics related to GreySheet abstinence and recovery. The newsletters were compiled, edited and printed by volunteer service-givers and mailed to people and communities throughout the world.  GreySheeters in outposts would eagerly await the arrival of each edition, hungry for the experience, strength and hope contained in those pages. A compilation of all the issues of Shades of Grey was published years ago and the last copies were sold in the fall of 2019.  

The wisdom and recovery shared in Shades by our early members (many are still abstinent to this day) remains just as relevant today as it was back then.  The Board is eager to republish the compilation, a treasure trove of GreySheet recovery, for the benefit of our growing fellowship!  What will this take? Only two things: a good deal on printing (if you know someone, please let us know at Gsawsbot@gmail.com) and money!  The current budget does not allow for this reprinting at the moment. However, with additional donations and a bit of ingenuity, I have no doubt that we can return this amazing piece of literature to active duty!  

I look forward to continuing to carry the GreySheet message through my new service position on the Board.  And I encourage us all to remember that our primary purpose is to stay abstinent and to help another compulsive overeater to achieve abstinence.  All forms of service help us fulfill this life-saving mission.  

With so much gratitude,
Laura L.

Question and Answer

LQ: What do we do to love ourselves in GSA? What does radical self-care mean to us?

Answers: 
BW, IL: Radical self love:  Learning to say NO and that No Thank You doesn't need an explanation of Why?
 
LT, NY: Radical self-care and self-love is as crucial to my emotional  and spiritual sobriety as the GS food plan is to my physical recovery.

EW, NM: Believing that I am worthy of joy and acting on my own behalf first became possible with abstinence, when I learned how to take responsibility for having what I need at every meal by bringing back-up, my scale and my commitment. It has spread, over the years to include speaking up with integrity, the most loving thing I can do for myself and everyone else.

LT, NY: I've learned in recovery that when my most persistent character defects (such as irritability, impatience and intolerance) crop up, it almost always means that I need to be practicing more self-care/self-love.

GM, TX: I love myself and my abstinence by spending time with people I love, doing fun activities not solely focused on food.

MO, WA: I force myself to go marketing on my ‘needing rest days off’ telling myself I’d take a new GSr shopping any day of the week and I’d rather not be one!!

SL, CA: I define self love as putting my own oxygen mask on first. I set boundaries for myself in relation to others so that I can focus on being present for my life and for my fellows.

MC, CA: I practice meditation every morning & yoga after each day’s work. I keep my house stocked with abstinent food, and set aside time on Sundays to shop & chop & bag all my w & m lunches for the week.

Committee Announcements

From the Conference Committee:
Registration packet is available now for the October 30-November 1 WSC in Chicago, IL. Use this link to access for information and to register on line: https://greysheet.org/world-services/world-service-conference/world-service-conference-2020 .Deadline for registration is March 15!!

Seventh Tradition Suggestions:
Here are some ideas for Intergroups and Groups to financially prepare for the WSC! Please keep this collection in the forefront of your mind at your meetings.

Shared room including meals and registration fee - $355 per person ($35 supplement for single room or $390) - due by registration. There are 7 weeks to collect from your members to meet the March 15 registration deadline. If your GSR plans to attend WSC 2020, please consider passing an additional basket dedicated for your GSR or ISR to attend. Request $3-5 + per week per member to meet your goal! Airfare can be collected during or after the registration fee. In order to keep costs down, airfare should be booked by August 30th. We estimate approximately $350. This means your group would collect $70 per month between April and August. Ground transportation to and from airports is $100 maximum. That would be another $30 per month from September to November. 

Please let us know if you have any questions via wscregistration@greysheet.org

From the Public Information Committee:
The Public Information Committee has been brainstorming and implementing ideas to spread the message of GS recovery to compulsive eaters. Our starting point was reviewing the Public Information Manual that was published on our website in 2014 for any changes or edits.  Simply go to greysheet.org and type in Public Information in the search bar and you will find the Manual. In the course of our meetings, the committee agreed that GSA will continue to reach out to hospitals, doctors and counselors. Many in the medical and psychological communities are unaware of our common solution for recovery.  Many of these doctors refer patients for extreme measures such as bariatric surgery. It was discussed that AA is a great ally of the medical and hospital community. The committee discussed making a specific subcommittee to explore this area and reach out to the medical and psychiatric community. 

The Manual and related publications contain a great deal of useful information and templates for business cards, trifold flyers, and brochures which can easily be printed out and shared with others. The Committee is making a concerted effort to print and disseminate the material. However, we need you.  Each GSA member is encouraged to share this information with their treating doctors and/or counselors. We would also encourage individuals, face to face meetings and intergroups to print brochures for their members to disseminate. If each GSA member printed out the tri-fold for medical professionals and gave it to their doctor at their annual physical or shared with their therapist, just think how many seeds would be planted.  

Members are strongly encouraged and reminded of our twelfth step which is to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer. If you have any suggestions or comments please reach out to the PIC@greysheet.org

Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting, Jan. 26, 2020

The Board of Trustees held the first quarterly Town Hall of 2020 on 1/26/20. There were 37 total attendees including: 37 Attendees from: CTIG, EIG, ICEIG, ISRIG, MWIG, NEIG Area, NYMIG, PBIG, SEIG Area, SWIG, WSIG; 7/8 Board of Trustees; 6/9 ISRs from EIG, ICEIG, MWIG, NYMIG, SWIG, WSIG; 22/40 Committee Members (All Committees were represented); 10/193 GSRs. The meeting was full of important and interesting updates on what has been implemented as a result of the goals of WSC2019 and also what plans there are for future. Special attention was given to the budget and the Board of Trustees financial goal to double donations in 2020. For more in depth information, click here to see a copy of Grainne’s excellent presentation:  http://bit.ly/2uOuVIx

There were also presentations from representatives from the Southwest Intergroup and the Western States Intergroup and from five of the Committees. All presenters put out a call for members to get involved in service at the Intergroup and/or Committee level: Joey spoke of how being a Board of Trustees member has had a positive impact on his abstinence and encouraged others to consider being of service in this fashion.
 Q & A from the attendees:

• Q:  C.: Is there any way that non-GSRs can attend WSC? Is there opportunity for input? 

A:  Grainne: The only people eligible to attend WSC are elected delegates. There are, however, several ways to have input: a) provide input via your Group/GSR; attend IG meetings and speak to your ISR, join a committee as a volunteer, attend monthly Committees Connecting meetings, and email input to any committee. Also, draft motions from committees will be published on 3/15/20 on website. One can give input on these motions as well.
 

• Q: C.: If ISR is going to WSC, does that prohibit GSRs from same IG attending? 

A:  Grainne: No. All GSRs are welcome in addition to the ISR.
 

• Q: Laura: What is abstinence requirement to volunteer on a committee?

A: S., Chair Structure Committee:  Volunteers need 90 days of back-to-back GreySheet abstinence. 
 

• Q: D.: When is the SWIG GreySheet Couples Speaker Blast? 

A: E.: Saturday 2/8/10 at 12:00 PM EST. 
---

To see the complete notes from the meeting, click here: http://bit.ly/2vzwqeh

Weren’t able to attend? Want more information? Click on the link below for the audio recording of the entire meeting!   https://bit.ly/2OaAfgf.

Upcoming GSA Meetings and World Services

Committees Connecting Meet next on  Sunday, February 9, at 12:00 noon ET at this Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/663470166. All are welcome! The Literature and Nominating Committees will be presenting. This is a great time to tune in to the latest projects and concerns of committees and offer your input or ask questions.

Tradition 4 meeting – Sunday, February 16  from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.

Concept 4 meeting:  Sunday, February 23 from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.
 
Audio  Recording Links:
January 12 Committees Connecting meeting: http://bit.ly/2S0ANGS
 
January 26 Tradition 3 meeting: http://bit.ly/2RZT0o0
 
January 19th Concept 3 meeting: http://bit.ly/2uMYzhm
 
YouTube Audio recording of Service Matters January issue: http://bit.ly/2UaMZYm
 
Board of Trustees Town Hall Jan. 26:  https://bit.ly/3aZiWJ4

Help Wanted

You Tube coordinator for Southwest Intergroup YouTube channel

Qualifications:
1. Long association with the 12 Traditions in order to understand when the Traditions are being followed properly or being violated. Understanding of our desire to avoid outside issues. There needs to be a sensitivity as to when a speaker is bashing other 12 Step food programs, or when they are simply mentioning them in passing.
 
2. Long enough abstinent in GSA so that the volunteer is not bouncing in and out of abstinence, which would create chaos.
 
3. Ability to edit video, preferably on iMovie but other software programs can be worked with. 
 
4. Enough bandwidth to download large files from the Internet and to upload large files to YouTube.


World Service Conference Training coordinator
The President is responsible to help the conference committee chairs prepare their annual reports and conference motions. All the conference delegates also need to know how to function as a delegate before, during, and after the conference. We plan four training sessions:
 

We need a GSA member who will work with the President to arrange this training. This would involve working with the board and the committee chairs, updating 2019 materials, and communicating with all delegates. It could also involve delivering the training depending on your interest. It would require comfort with Zoom, MS Office, and daily email communication.

“This position would be best for a WSC2019 delegate who attended last year’s training or has other Twelve Step fellowship conference or parliamentary experience.

Estimated time commitment:  several hours of work every week between now and the WSC.

Call for Writings

Help us create the first GSA Daily Reflections Book! 



For more information please contact: Reflections@greysheet.org or +359 896 33 26 97 (What's App).

Note to GSRs and ISRs

Has your group or intergroup voted in new officers?

Please make sure you notify the Structure Committee with any new changes at structure@greysheet.org or notify your ISR to update the spreadsheet on google drive. Every ISR has access to this spreadsheet on Google Drive.

Welcome to the First Issue of SERVICE MATTERS in 2020!

Welcome to the first issue of Service Matters in 2020 – May our vision benefit not only from hindsight, which they say is 20-20, but also from clear, abstinent and grateful eyes! We don’t need to celebrate the new year with re-solutions, because we already have a solution that works!!

The Structure Committee

Purpose: to make recommendations for GSA service structure and to document current board policies, procedures, job descriptions and standard practices and to present them for approval at the World Service Conference.

The Structure Committee is hard at work preparing for the next GreySheet World Service Conference by drafting procedures to be included in our Service Manual and Conference Charter. To be assigned to a committee, please contact your ISR or e-mail Structure@greysheet.org

Town Hall Meeting

The next Board of Trustees Town Hall meeting will be on Sunday, January 26 at 11:00 AM ET, on the following link: https://zoom.us/j/717731799. All are welcome!!The phone link for this meeting is: +1 669 900 6833, and when prompted please use the meeting ID, 717 731 799 # to join. Any questions for the board may be sent through the Communications Committee at communication@greysheet.org or submitted directly to the Board at president@greysheet.org.
 
The next Committees Connecting Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 12, at 12:00 noon ET at the following link: https://zoom.us/j/663470166.  The Finance Committee and the Conference Committee are presenting the work of their committees and opportunities for new people to volunteer. You may also use the phone link: +14086380968, 663470166# US (San Jose) and then when prompted use the meeting ID: 663 470 166. All are welcome!

Concept 3 meeting:  Sunday, January 19 from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.
 
Tradition 3 meeting – Sunday, January 26 from 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/791453380.

January 2020 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Joyce S. - Treasurer

Hello!  I’m honored to write this column to introduce myself as the newly elected Treasurer of our fellowship.  First, I am a grateful member of GSA and I have enjoyed 22 years of back-to-back abstinence, one day at a time, since March 24, 1997.  I live in Overland Park, KS, the wife of a retired CPA, the mother of three adult sons, the grandmother of 5 grandchildren and one on the way.  I’m a retired accountant having spent time in my career as a tax auditor for the IRS, as an auditor with the inspector general’s office of the USDA, as the accountant for our parish, and bookkeeper for a small non-profit organization for 11 years.  I’ve been the treasurer of our local Kansas City GreySheet community for many years. I like to live a quiet life of simple pleasures. I enjoy bookkeeping and find it very relaxing, somewhat like the order and peace I find in weighing and measuring my food.  These days, I find myself very busy in my role as GSAWS Treasurer.

December Theme: Committees Work for All of Us!

In the next two issues, we are going to highlight the World Service Committees that work for us all throughout the year. These are GreySheeters who, for the most part, are GSR’s in their groups, ISR’s for their intergroups, and/or Board of Trustees members, but there are also non-delegate volunteers who work on committees. We will hear about their projects and plans for the coming year, all the work of which is done without compensation of any kind. Committee members usually meet monthly for an hour at a time, often on the Zoom platform. It is the work of committees that generates motions at the WSC, which are voted on by delegates.
 
This month, we have the Archives, Communications, Conference, Finance and Literature Committees presenting what they are currently working on.
 
If you have questions, concerns, or wish to find out more, please come to the next Committees Connecting meeting which will be held on December 8, 12:00 noon ET. Zoom link for this meeting is: https://zoom.us/j/663470166.

The next Board of Trustees Town Hall Zoom meeting will be held on Sunday, January 26, at 11:00 AM ET. All are welcome. Send questions or concerns you’d like the Board to address to communication@greysheet.org before January 17^th. Use Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/717731799 to attend.

December 2019 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column

Joey M. - Assistant Treasurer

My name is Joey, and I am a compulsive eater. Today I take responsibility for my actions- meaning I weigh and measure three meals from the GreySheet, I write them down,  call and commit to my sponsor on time, and I don’t eat no matter what. Abstinence is my primary purpose, so I can help the next compulsive eater.
 
The last World Service Conference in Chicago was a magical experience for me. I met GreySheeters from all walks of life with a primary purpose of helping the still-suffering compulsive eater. I learned to do service in early abstinence starting with arranging chairs, booking speakers, handling 7th tradition contributions, and then as a GSR for my intergroup, World Service Conference Committee member, and now as a Board of Trustees member.  In my intergroup area in New York, we enhanced 7th Tradition contributions by including speaker jams, anniversary gift-giving, and contributions for the World Service Conference delegate fund. 
 
I asked myself, How can I make a difference? Does it serve my primary purpose? Would it help the still-suffering compulsive eater? Today, I am privileged to be a Board member for GreySheeters Anonymous World Services. We are currently looking for passionate members of the GreySheet community to join the Board of Trustees. There are three open spots open and if you are willing to join us in this amazing and exciting journey, the Nominating Committee is currently accepting applications. Service is vital for my recovery. If I want to keep what was freely given to me, then I have to freely give it away. If interested, find out more at: https://www.greysheet.org/world-services/board-of-trustees/nominating-committee.
 
Lastly, I was asked by a fellow GreySheeter why I do service. I explained that when I do service, I get so much more than I bargained for. I am able to live life on life’s terms. I have a full life only because I am GreySheet abstinent.
 
I am Joey, Abstinent and Grateful. Just another bozo on the bus.

Question and Answer

Q: How can I get involved in a committee? 
A: Committee members can be Group Service Representatives, Intergroup Service Representatives or volunteers. GSR's and ISR's are voting members on committees. Volunteers are welcome to participate in the work of committees. 
 
Q: Whom should I contact? 
A: Staci L. serves as chair of the Structure Committee. You can contact her at Labovitzstaci@gmail.com. She'll be happy to answer questions and assist  in finding a  committee that's a good fit for you.

 The Archive Committee

The Archive Committee is building a structure for information.

 Purpose:  to collect, organize, categorize, copy, preserve and electronically store historically valued documents, digital materials, printed materials, and historical items of GreySheeters Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Ongoing Projects:

The Conference Committee

Purpose:  to organize and run the World Service Conference.

 The Finance Committee

FOLLOW THE MONEY...

November Theme: Thank You, GreySheet!!

Focus on Giving Back to this Life-Giving Solution

When was the last time you thought about what it means to tell someone you’re abstinent and grateful? It is often the replacement response for “Fine, Thank you!” when  a fellow GreySheeter asks, “How are you?” on a phone call or at a meeting.

‘Abstinent and grateful’ can be true regardless of the kind of day we’re having, or the news we’ve just listened to, or the report from the doctor on test results we just received. No matter what is going on in our world, we know we can honestly say, “Abstinent and Grateful.”
 
In this issue, we are going to highlight some of the ways we can say ‘Thank You’ for the blessings of this program in order to carry the message and support our own abstinence. We dedicate the November 2019 issue of Service Matters to the two main ways we can Give back: with our time and with our money.
 
Here are some bullet points to help us zero in on the ways we may already be giving back, and also some new ways we haven’t considered yet.
 
How Can I Give Back to GreySheeters Anonymous? Let me count the ways!!
Take a look at this chart and see which of these you already do or have done, which you’d like to do, and which you’d like more information about. Contact us at communication@greysheet.org

November 2019 - Monthly Board of Trustees Column