Service Matters - August 2023

Board of Trustees Column

In 2019, Mary M., the previous chair of the Board of Trustees, initiated the quarterly Town Halls as requested by the World Service Conference in 2016. To quote the minutes of that conference meeting, “that GSAWS continue to listen to the members of the fellowship by use of regular sharing sessions or some other formal means so that the members have a means of expressing their thoughts and feelings directly.” The Board of Trustees organizes the 90-minute Town Halls on the last Sunday of January, April, and July at 1100am EST on Zoom. The World Service Conference meeting in October serves the purpose in the fourth quarter.

The first 20 minutes of every Town Hall is for any member of GSA to bring any question, suggestion, or concern that has to do with GSA as a whole to the attention of GSA World Services. If it relates to personal recovery, group decisions, or intergroup operations, we refer you to your sponsor, the group conscience, or your autonomous intergroup. But if it relates to the services that GSA World Services provides to individuals, groups, and intergroup, then we refer it to the Board of Trustees, one of the ten World Service Conference committees, or one of the World Service Specialists who volunteer to do so much of the work.

After this “open mic” time, we have the topic of the quarter. This quarter was the question, How does my participation in our GreySheet census, GreySheet Counts, contribute to our primary purpose?” The census closes on Saturday August 6th and our participation is down by 25% from 2018. Have you counted yourself in yet?

In 2018, 848 people completed the census and we believe we missed about 150 members who could not complete online forms in English. This year, we made the form available in English, Spanish, Icelandic, and Hebrew and we believe more GSA members are comfortable with computers since 2018. Yet one week before the census closes, only 618 people have participated.

How does your participation contribute to our primary purpose? Newcomers to GreySheeters Anonymous want to know, “Is it really possible for me to do this radical, extreme program?” In 2018, we could confidently say, “Yes! There are ~1,000 GreySheeters Anonymous members around the world – some right in your town – who are doing it today.”

Newcomers want to know, “Is it really possible to do this radical, extreme program for more than a few months?” In 2018, we could confidently say, “Yes! The average amount of abstinence for those who get one year is eleven years.”

Your World Service Conference committees want to know, “What services can we provide that will help those who have never heard of GreySheet find us?” The questions on the census about how we first found GreySheet and which social media we use will help those committees.

Your intergroups want to know, “Where are the members in our intergroup area so we can help connect them in groups and events to share our experience, strength, and hope.” The question on the census about where we are help those intergroups.

All of your groups, intergroups, and committees need more people to help do the work that helps us carry the message. Questions on the census give us the opportunity to opt into the GSA Phone List, the Area Contacts List, Service Matters, GSA Facebook Group and many other services and ways of connecting.

Without your participation in our census, we can’t be sure we are being as effective as we could be in our primary purpose – carry the GreySheet message to the next compulsive eater. Please consider completing the census by Saturday August 6th and watch this space for the results in September.

Grainne M., Chair, Board of Trustees

Census Update

Thank you all for your participation in the Census as of 7/7/2023. That’s 3 months into the Census, and the Census closes August 6! Here are some of the data so far.

• USA GreySheet Population down from 665 in 2018 to 347 in 2023
• 347 English speakers (living in the US in 38 states)
• 76 Spanish speakers (in 12 countries)
• 53 GreySheeters from the European Intergroup
• 13 GreySheeters from the Israeli Intergroup
• 10 GreySheeters from the Icelandic Intergroup
• 5 GreySheeters from the AAAIG
• 157 GreySheeters from Intergroups outside the USA
• Abstinence dates in the
  • 1970s: 1
  • 1980s: 13
  • 1990s: 48
  • 2000s: 65
  • 2010s: 93
  • 2020-2022: 93
  • 2023: 93

We want you to be counted too! We are not only trying to find out how many GreySheeters there are but also, where we are, our abstinent time, and how we each heard about GSA. Also, as part of the Census, everyone can sign up for the password-protected phone list and volunteer as an area contact. If you have not yet done so, please respond to the Census at www.greysheet.org/world-services/greysheet-counts-census. It only takes five minutes and is available in English, Spanish, Icelandic, and Hebrew languages.

Here is a suggestion: fill out the census together in GreySheet meetings, intergroup meetings, committee meetings, roundups, retreats, etc.

With these results, GreySheeters Anonymous will appear to be less successful than we know it to be. If you know people with abstinence dates in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, please check with them that they have considered participating in the census. Deadline August 6^th.

Questions?

Email GreySheetCounts@greysheet.org

Board of Trustees

Secretary

The GSA Secretary records the minutes of the monthly Board of Trustees and the Chairs/ISRs meetings as well as the minutes of the World Service Conference.

Assistant Secretary

The GSA Assistant Secretary supports the secretary and manages GSAWS records in the GSAWS Google Drive.

Trustees: Iceland, Europe

Represent your area on the Board of Trustees. Ensure that your community is heard.

Board Requirements: Five years abstinence. Three-year term. 2-4 hours a month. Chair@greysheet.org or Nominating@greysheet.org

Communication Committee

GSAWS Facebook Admins

• Duties: Moderate the GSA World Services Facebook group to ensure posts meet criteria and that only existing GSA members join the group. Current trusted servant will train.
• Abstinence: 1 year. Term: 1 year.
• Time required: Few minutes daily.
• InternalFacebook@greysheet.org

Service Matters Publisher

• Duties: Receives newsletter content in Word from Communication Committee by last day of the month. Copies, pastes, and formats in MailChimp Service Matters template. Posts same content into website blog. Publishes MailChimp newsletter by 7th of the next month. Current trusted servant will train.
• Time Required: 2-3 hours a month.
• Abstinence: 1 year. Term: 1 year.
• Communication@greysheet.org

Area Contacts List Coordinator

• Duties: Add new contacts to the online list quarterly. Annually email all contacts to verify that they respond within 24 hours.
• Time Required: 2-3 hours a month.
• Abstinence: 1 year. Term: 1 year.
• Communication@greysheet.org

Start-Up Sponsor Team

• Want to get newcomers started in their GreySheet abstinence and help them get connected? The Start Up Sponsor Team needs more women living in North America, especially those available during the day.
• Training and mentoring provided. Requires responding to Coordinator’s WhatsApp text within two hours with your availability and starting off your share of newcomers.
• Abstinence: 1 year. Term: 1 year.
• SUS@greysheet.org

2023 GreySheeters Anonymous World Service Conference Meeting

October 22nd, 2023

9:30am to 2:30pm ET, via Zoom

Registration for our 8th World Service Conference meeting will open the first week in March 2023. It is a very powerful time for the growth of GreySheeters Anonymous. The World Service conference committees are working diligently on guidelines and policies to support our fellowship. 

If you are an ISR or represent a group as a GSR, please consider registering as a delegate for our World Service Conference meeting so your group will have input on the proposals presented at the WSC.  All of the information will be in the link below. We will update the information regularly! There will also be delegate training as we get closer.

https://greysheet.org/world-service-conference/upcoming-conference

We have made some exciting changes for 2023. World Service Specialists, i.e. the Service Matters Coordinator, can be voting members at the World Service Conference. The total number of registrants will determine the number of specialists spaces available. Those elected by the board or a committee as a specialist should register as well. 

We are working diligently as a committee and would welcome 1 or 2 new members. 

This will be our third Zoom WSC meeting! It is very exciting to see your fellow abstinent service-mongers and communicate the information to your groups or intergroups!

SAVE the DATE and we’ll see you then!