Service Matters • June 2018
GreySheeters Anonymous World Service (GSAWS) - Board of Trustees
Announcements
MEET THE BOARD!
What a wonderful outpouring from the fellowship we have had in response to a request for members to send in questions and topics to be included in the first ever Meet the Board Zoom meeting on Sunday, June 17th at 10:00 AM EST.
The Communication Committee received input from seven groups from Queens, Toronto, Worcester, Taos, Chicago and the Southern Serenity Zoom meeting as well as a few individual members. Thank you to all for contributing to this effort. Please attend the meeting on the 17th and encourage fellow GreySheeters to attend. All GreySheeters are welcome!!
Listed below are several of the items mentioned. Similar concerns are grouped below in the interests of space. Please know that the Board has received all questions sent:
- Highlight and increase the offerings of face to face zoom meetings as more become available.
- Concerns about definitions of GreySheet abstinence.
- Questions about literature and the approval process— where and how to get approved pamphlets.
- Suggestion that thank you notes be sent when donations are made.
- Questions about how meetings get listed and changes made in a timely way on the website.
- Concerns about the phone bridge and its connection to GSAWS.
- Concerns about rumors and controversy — that is, when things are said with seeming authority, how does one check for accuracy?
On Sunday, June 17th, at 10:00 AM EST, all are invited to a special Zoom “MEET THE BOARD” video meeting. If you wish to attend, first download the Zoom.us app (free for anyone attending), if you haven’t done so already, and enter the meeting ID at the time the meeting begins. The Meeting ID is:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/690802497
Or iPhone one-tap: US: +14087403766,,690802497# or +16468769923,,690802497#
Or Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 408 740 3766 or +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 690 802 497
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/Xy5IBSNy
Q & A Corner
Question: What is the GreySheet Committee and why was it started? What are they actually doing?
Answer: As announced in March, our Board of Trustees of GreySheeters Anonymous World Service, in response to increasing concern about varying interpretations of what we mean when we say we are “GreySheet-abstinent,” convened a committee of GreySheeters with at least 20 years of back to back GreySheet-abstinence. Two of our members have over 40 years and four have over 30 years. Four of the Committee members got abstinent in the early days of the GreySheet community in Cambridge. The committee includes members from all over the USA and from Israel.
The Board asked this GreySheet Committee to clarify the definition of GreySheet-abstinence as passed down to us from those early Cambridge GreySheeters and to draft guidance for sponsors who wish to sponsor GreySheet-abstinence. The intent is for our fellowship to unite again around a common understanding of “GreySheet-abstinence.”
The Committee has been meeting twice a month since February. They agreed that the GreySheet pamphlet itself has areas that were ambiguous or open to different understandings and so they decided to start by reviewing the GreySheet to identify those areas that might have led different members of our fellowship to different interpretations of “GreySheet-abstinence.”
Once they identified these ambiguities, they agreed to review them one by one. Each member shares what he/she had originally been taught when they first got abstinent. It has been quite amazing how much commonality there has been. Then, they agreed on a statement that captures their common or agreed understanding of that item on the GreySheet. For the statement to carry, it must pass with what AA calls “substantial unanimity,” that is, at least 75% of they committee voting “yes” AND those voting “no” or abstaining had to be able to live with it, i.e., they did not have any serious disagreement. In this way, the committee members want to produce a set of clarifying statements with which the entire committee is comfortable. The committee is working slowly and deliberately because they know how important this is to the survival of the GreySheet message.
Any input or questions, please forward to GreySheetCommittee@greysheet.org"
Connecticut's Annual GSA Weekend Retreat, May 18-20, 2018
This vibrant GSA community just had their 18th successful retreat at the Incarnation Center in Ivoryton, CT, with approximately 60 participants from all over the United States and International communities.
“RETREAT INTO ACTION,” this year’s theme, started with our pulling back from the individual demands of our everyday lives, allowing space and time to concentrate on being present, without needing to prepare, plan, or cook. What a gift to be with fellow greysheeters weighing guilt-free meals deliciously prepared by the staff.
The breakout group topics focused on: Don’t Eat NMW; Greysheet Abstinence and Health Issues; Letting Go of Fear; and To Thine Own Self Be True.
It was heartening to have the full range of abstinence represented, from 1 day to multiple decades of back-to-back recovery. Being able to show newly abstinent folks the practical NMW hands-on actions was satisfying and heart-warming. The speakers’ and group shares certainly showed how this 3-fold disease has a 3- fold solution through the 12 Steps and the GSA Tools.
The balance between serious and fun, interactive and reflective, relaxing and active was just right. For the creative spark, a crafts table was set up for designing inspiring slogan signs. There was time for Step 11 prayer & meditation, writing exercises, and resting. Connecting with self and each other truly made this weekend restorative and healing.