Service Matters • September 2018
GreySheeters Anonymous World Services (GSAWS) - Board of Trustees
Announcements
NEXT Meet the Board Zoom Town Hall Meeting:
Sunday, September 16 at 10:00 AM EST
The next open-to-everyone Town Hall Meeting with the GSAWS Board of Trustees will be held on Sunday, September 16 at 10:00 AM EST. Any GreySheet member may attend this meeting and all are encouraged to do so. It is especially recommended for GSR’s and ISR’s who can then report back to their home groups any information they get at this meeting.
Here is the zoom info:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/511674377
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +16468769923,,511674377# or +16699006833,,511674377#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 408 638 0968
Meeting ID: 511 674 377
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/dfuTLU6eK
The following questions were sent in to the Communications Committee to be included in the upcoming Town Hall Meeting:
Regarding the timing of the Zoom Town Hall Meetings:
1. I'm a GSR for the Saturday, 7am phone bridge meeting. At our last business meeting, one of our members wanted to ask the Board why are the Zoom meetings held on Sunday at 10am. It's a time when many are at church and can not attend the meeting. While it's impossible to meet everyone's scheduling needs, we wanted to ask if the Board would consider having the next Zoom meeting at a later time?
Regarding the 2019 World Service Conference:
1. Might the Communications Committee set up a Yahoo group now for questions to go to committees to be answered between now and the WSC?
2. Please explain how the GSRs and ISRs who intend to attend the World Service Conference go about joining a World Service Conference Committee.
3. When will the committees make their proposals available for GSR's and ISRs to review and discuss with their groups and intergroups? (If I remember correctly, the deadline for committees to submit proposals to the conference delegates in 2013 and 2014 was several months before the conference so that delegates could consult their groups.)
4.Could you please publish on the website and in Service Matters the names and descriptions of each committee and their current members including the chairs and Board of Trustees liaisons with an email address for each committee (like LiteratureCommittee@, FinanceCommitte, etc.)?
5. Could you also explain how someone who isn’t an elected delegate can support the work of a committee as a non-voting volunteer?
6. Is there a way that the work/issues being considered by committees can be available to people before they choose which committee to participate in? How would this best be communicated?
Regarding the Greysheet Committee:
1. What is the Cambridge GreySheet referred to in the GS Committee report? We are GSAWS Inc.
2. If there are no members who started abstinence in GSAWS years serving on GS Committee, what is the rationale? [To include additional labels such as Cambridge would not be done except by WSC.That would be a WSC determination brought forward by a standing committee].
Regarding Fundraising:
1. What committee is tasked with fundraising for GSAWS?
2. Is it time for each GSA member to donate $20 or $200 or $2000 to celebrate our 20th Anniversary? Plus the dollars equal to anniversaries for abstinence?
Call to Action: The next GSAWS Conference is just about a year away. Between now and then, we need committees to finalize their work (i.e., write motions that will be voted on at the Conference that pertain to their committee’s work) no later than April 2019 to give members time to review the motions and discuss with their groups. There is still time to get involved in this work and we encourage every GSR of every GS meeting to join a committee so that their group’s voices and concerns can be heard and expressed.
Call to Action: We encourage all GSR’s and ISR’s to collect questions and concerns from their groups and send to the Communications Committee at ekwiard@gmail.com by August 15, 2018. These will be compiled and forwarded to the Board of Trustees so that they can respond to them at the September 16 Zoom meeting. Service Matters will post the general questions in their September issue prior to the Town Hall Meeting on Sunday the 16th. Questions can also be sent to the same email address by individuals.
If any GreySheeter would like to attend but is not sure how to download the Zoom app on their computer or device, feel free to contact ekwiard@gmail.com by September 10, the sooner the better. Telephone participation is also possible. Phone numbers and the Zoom Meeting ID will be published in the September Service Matters.
Q & A Corner
Question: Where can an interested GSR find information regarding committee work that is being done now for the 2019 GSAWS Conference? Is it too late to join a committee and participate in the work being done?
Answer: Information on the GSAWS Conferences are available on the GreySheet.org website. And it is definitely not too late to join a committee!! We encourage all GSR’s to do this now, and make sure your group is registered on our website.
The GreySheet Committee Report (9/03/18 update)
The GreySheet Committee is working to clarify the definition of GreySheet abstinence and to draft guidance for sponsors who wish to sponsor GreySheet abstinence. We are striving to capture in writing the original oral tradition that emerged in Cambridge at the beginning of the GreySheet community.
We have met twice a month since February. We reviewed the GreySheet document to identify those areas that might have led different members of our fellowship to different interpretations of GreySheet-abstinence. After a discussion, we agree on a statement that captures our common understanding of that item on the GreySheet. Each statement has “substantial unanimity,” that is, at least 75% of members vote “yes” AND those who vote “no” or abstain (the “minority opinion”) do not have any serious disagreement.
The first set of items we covered was “fats,” i.e., how does the Cambridge GreySheet community interpret the GreySheet when it comes to adding or using butter, oil, and dressing, etc.
Then we discussed and agreed on a series of statements about what the GreySheet says about vegetables including our use of tomato products. We also agreed on a statement clarifying the weighing and measuring of vegetables, proteins, and fats separately before combining them.
Next, we will move on to what the GreySheet says about fruits.
Then we will tackle questions that have arisen from our discussion and the questions of others, such as handling maintenance, illness, and eating out.
We will also be discussing and making recommendations to the Board of Trustees on how to present the results of our work to the community.
Please share these regular updates about our work with your group or intergroup. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email GreySheetCommittee@greyshe>et.
GSA Events
Upcoming Events around the world: https://www.greysheet.org/events
28th New York City Round-up: October 13-14
Contact: sheilarao442003@yahoo.com to volunteer.
European Intergroup Retreat in UK: October 26-28
Contact: gsaeurope@gmail.com for info on registration
Corrections
1. In the last issue of Service Matters, it was incorrectly stated that any gs member is welcome to attend the GSAWS conference. That is incorrect. It should have read: Only delegates may attend the WSC and each one is a voter. A GSR (one per registered group), an ISR (4 per Intergroup) or a BOT member.
2. The dates for next year’s GSAWS Conference are September 20-22.
Apologies for any confusion.