[Businessmtg] (no subject)

[List Administrator]

On 2019-05-28 21:27, Sarah wrote:
> Hi Business Meeting,
> 
> The List Administrator wrote:
> “Please post any suggestions you may have to ASP's Steering Committee 
> at:
> steering_committee at asp-afg.org. “
> 
> I am uncomfortable with this idea as this goes against the purpose of 
> an
> Al-Anon Business Meeting.
> 
> Instead can we send the “suggestions we may have” to the July BM for
> discussion and brainstorming as a group?
> 
> Hugs,
> Jeanette
> 
> _______________________________________________
> The ASP Instruction page is 
> http://asp-afg.org/members/asp-instructions/
> 
> The ASP web site for ASP members is http://www.asp-afg.org/Members/
> 
> For assistance with other ASP issues, contact Jerry the List
> Administrator, at  la at asp-afg.org
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Businessmtg mailing list
> Businessmtg at asp-afg.org
> http://www.asp-afg.org/mailman/listinfo/business

Evening, all,

I believe we could all benefit from a review of A Serenity Place's 
Founding Statement and Policies:

http://asp-afg.org/members/founding_policy/

There is apparently a misunderstanding of ASP's business practices. 
ASP's founders chose to have a Steering Committee as our primary 
business entity. Note that the Al-Anon Service Manual explicitly states 
that large groups may choose a Steering Committee (p. 36), and "Some 
larger meetings have a .... Steering Committee that meets separately to 
prepare an agenda for the business meeting." (p. 51). This is exactly 
how ASP functions and how ASP presents itself to its prospective 
members.

I recognize that the majority of f2f Al-Anon meetings do not choose to 
have a Steering Committee so this business practice is unfamiliar to 
many who attend f2f meetings (it was for me when I first joined). That 
does not mean that ASP can not. We do, and it's the Steering Committee's 
job, among others, to set the Business Meeting's agendas as the Service 
Manual states.

Changing ASP's Founding Policies (Core Policies) would be exceptionally 
difficult. It would require a lengthy discussion by the entire ASP 
membership, a determination that a significant consensus exists within 
the membership in favor of any suggested change, and, finally, a 75% 
majority vote, again of the entire ASP membership, in favor of any 
amendment to this Core Policy (not just 75% of the Business Meeting.)

This being the case, my position is that attempting to change any of 
ASP's Core Policies would cause extensive disruption and irreparable 
harm to our topic meetings. I accepted ASP's Policies when I first 
joined ASP and I choose to stand by them now.

Jerry
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