Hi. My name is Nancy F. and I am your Panel 70 Delegate to the General Service Conference (GSC). In April, I will go to the GSC, carrying the Group Conscience that we will create at the Mini-Conference in March. I will connect Southwest Ohio with the rest of AA in the U.S. and Canada.
When I attended my first AA meeting, it was kind of confusing, but I felt a sense of relief and a feeling of belonging. I did not know it at the time, but it was the beginning of my spiritual journey of recovery. My first Area 56 meeting was similarly confusing but equally welcoming. It was the beginning of my spiritual journey of service.
I had done service at the group level. I had opened the doors, made the coffee, cleaned up and closed up. All of that work is important and needed. It is good service. Yet, it was not until I came to the Ar-ea Assembly that my spiritual service journey took off. There was so much more to learn about the pro-gram.
Area service deepened my understanding of the principles of the program. It taught me how to apply those principles to my life. It gave me an opportuni-ty to step out of myself, go beyond my comfort zone and grow. I learned to listen to points of view differ-ent from my own. I learned how to have an opinion of my own, whether others agreed with me or not. I learned how to apply AA principles to my fears and insecurities. I learned to stand up to criticism. While I still don’t find it comfortable, I no longer fall apart in a messy puddle of insecurity on the floor. I learned the skills that allowed me to run an effective business meeting. I learned how to host the Mini-Conference.
My spiritual journey of service has been one of growth. At times, growth has been hard. At other times, what looked like a difficult path turned out to be the easier, softer way. For me it has been a worthwhile journey. It is a journey I invite you to take.
Our GSRs and DCMs provide a vital link between the groups of our Area and the best ideas and prac-tices that are being developed in AA as a whole. Through the Area link we learn about AA partici-pation in Medical Conferences overseas, how to best approach and cooperate with correctional fa-cilities, and how to appropriately work with public media to get out the AA message. There is a lot going on in AA and the GSRs can bring it back to the home group
