Service Matters • June 2017
GSA in Slovakia hosts its first roundup
During the last weekend of May, the Slovak Greysheeters made history. They put a lot of time, effort and hard work into organizing their first ever Round-up which was a great success! 20 beautiful, joyful and radiant Greysheeters and newcomers from Slovakia, England, Slovenia and Poland gathered in the capital city, Bratislava. They shared their stories about what it was like being in the food, what helped them to save their lives and what is it like now.
Members were blessed with lovely weather and sunshine. They ate their abstinent meals together in the presidential garden, chatted over tea in cosy tea rooms, shared delicious recipes, explored the city and local products and made new friendships. 3 days full of powerful qualifications from committed speakers; profound messages of abstinence; a workshop with a topic “How to stay abstinent in school, work, family, social events and how to assertive”.
This miraculous weekend was finished with Public Information service in nearby alcohol and drug treatment centre. As a result of the Round-up there are two new members already weighing and measuring their food with a qualified sponsor! Because service to Higher Power, our fellows and bringing the solution to other suffering compulsive eaters is what matters.
Members were blessed with lovely weather and sunshine. They ate their abstinent meals together in the presidential garden, chatted over tea in cosy tea rooms, shared delicious recipes, explored the city and local products and made new friendships. 3 days full of powerful qualifications from committed speakers; profound messages of abstinence; a workshop with a topic “How to stay abstinent in school, work, family, social events and how to assertive”.
This miraculous weekend was finished with Public Information service in nearby alcohol and drug treatment centre. As a result of the Round-up there are two new members already weighing and measuring their food with a qualified sponsor! Because service to Higher Power, our fellows and bringing the solution to other suffering compulsive eaters is what matters.
A member shares her history about the 2017 Conneticut Retreat at beautiful Incarnation Center, Ivoryton, CT
Thanks to the strong Connecticut GSA community for another fun filled abstinent weekend at this year’s annual retreat in Ivoryton, CT during May. This year 73 participants attended from around the USA and Ireland, with abstinence ranging from one day to several decades. For some members, their adventure began earlier with a stopover in NY or nearby destination, warmly welcomed by another GSer. Thanks everyone for your service and commitment to GSA, for transporting folks to and from retreat, preparing, follow-up and staying abstinent NMW.
Awesome leaders, breakout sessions, meditation, nature walks, and arts projects. The Retreat Leaders start each session with their experience strength and hope as it related to the Step being focused on in that session. By the end we got real sense of the connection between NMW and Stepping into Solution through the 12 Steps while remembering bottom line is the focus on the food, the food, the food!!!
During the weekend I enjoyed media blackout (not a requirement), shared meals, laughter, recovery and steps with my GSA sisters and brothers. I enjoyed connecting with folks I’ve known over the years, seeing them grow and blossom, and deal with life’s ups and downs. Similarly, I enjoyed connecting with folks I didn’t know well and reaching out to new folks. Others expressed similar sentiments and enjoyed our sacred time together. As addicts in recovery, we share a common language and have an immediate bond.
The weekend ended with a delicious GS lunch (one of my 3 favourite meals), followed by the famous raffle where everyone ooo’ed and ahed to see what items folks donated and who won them. More important than anything won, was sharing the strong GS program and fellowship. The support we give one another is priceless.
Together, WE weigh and measure 3 meals a day from the GS food plan NMW.
Awesome leaders, breakout sessions, meditation, nature walks, and arts projects. The Retreat Leaders start each session with their experience strength and hope as it related to the Step being focused on in that session. By the end we got real sense of the connection between NMW and Stepping into Solution through the 12 Steps while remembering bottom line is the focus on the food, the food, the food!!!
During the weekend I enjoyed media blackout (not a requirement), shared meals, laughter, recovery and steps with my GSA sisters and brothers. I enjoyed connecting with folks I’ve known over the years, seeing them grow and blossom, and deal with life’s ups and downs. Similarly, I enjoyed connecting with folks I didn’t know well and reaching out to new folks. Others expressed similar sentiments and enjoyed our sacred time together. As addicts in recovery, we share a common language and have an immediate bond.
The weekend ended with a delicious GS lunch (one of my 3 favourite meals), followed by the famous raffle where everyone ooo’ed and ahed to see what items folks donated and who won them. More important than anything won, was sharing the strong GS program and fellowship. The support we give one another is priceless.
Together, WE weigh and measure 3 meals a day from the GS food plan NMW.
GSA in Israel celebrates 20 years
The Israeli GSA community was founded by three Israeli ladies who used to be a part of the GSA community in NYC, in GSA abstinence. They all moved back to Israel in 1997, and began to meet in private homes. A few months later, they found a room in the special house for women in distress, in Tel-Aviv, and began to meet weekly, every Sunday night. Until the end of that year there were 5 women counting over 90 days of abstinence, and with this group - the first AWOL workshop in Israel started.
The groups grew bigger and spread rapidly around the country. People were thrilled, and the message caught on like fire through thorns. In 2000, the Tel-Aviv GSA groups had more than 100 active members, more groups were active in other cities, and the sound of “no matter what” was heard crystal clear.
Today, there are more than 36 GSA face-to-face weekly meetings around the country, 5 weekly meetings conducted over the phone, and AWOL workshops frequently opening all around.
The Israeli GSA community celebrated the 20 years' event in a mini-Roundup that had been held in Tel Aviv in March 2017 with more than 100 participants. Another mini-roundup is planned to take place in Jerusalem during the month of June.
The groups grew bigger and spread rapidly around the country. People were thrilled, and the message caught on like fire through thorns. In 2000, the Tel-Aviv GSA groups had more than 100 active members, more groups were active in other cities, and the sound of “no matter what” was heard crystal clear.
Today, there are more than 36 GSA face-to-face weekly meetings around the country, 5 weekly meetings conducted over the phone, and AWOL workshops frequently opening all around.
The Israeli GSA community celebrated the 20 years' event in a mini-Roundup that had been held in Tel Aviv in March 2017 with more than 100 participants. Another mini-roundup is planned to take place in Jerusalem during the month of June.
Update your meeting contact information
Please check your meeting information is up-to-date on our website. If there are any changed to this information, please let us know. If you are listed as a GSR or contact person for a meeting and are no longer the GSR for this meeting, please send us this information. If you do not let us know, then we cannot keep this information up to date. If you volunteered to be a sponsor on the Sponsors list and are no longer available to sponsor, please email the webservant@greysheet.org to let us know, so your information can be removed. If we do not hear from you, we cannot keep this information up to date.
Your News
If you have any news you would like to share with the fellowship about your group’s activities and public information events, please reply to sharonleighterry@gmail.com with your stories and the Communications Committee will include these in the next edition of Service Matters. Thank you all for you service in helping to carry the message to the still suffering compulsive eater.