[Businessmtg] Topic Chair Service Requirements

[Jerry]

Biz-Pals,

I've always been in favor of keeping the 6-month membership requirement for serving ASP as a Topic Chair. Because ASP's membership covers the entire globe, not just 20-30 people in a single room somewhere, we need to be certain that our chairs are likely to "speak Al-Anon" and not spread confusion to such a broad audience. The 6-month membership requirement is ASP's current Group Conscience requirement (not a suggestion) in part because of this. Wisely cautious to my mind.

At the time I suggested this topic we were experiencing a lull in volunteering which meant repeat chairs or no chairs at all for a day or two a week. As LA I had received complaints along the line of, "Why is it the same people are chairing repeatedly?" The answer was because not enough qualified members were volunteering to serve during that era and the Group Conscience doesn't permit anyone with a day less that 6 months of membership from chairing meetings.

I'm glad this situation rarely comes up, but if/when it does again I feel we would be well served by having some agreement on how to proceed so the Secretary or LA isn't stuck in a bind with no option other than repeating chairs or no meetings, especially if we have members with sometimes decades of solid Al-Anon experience stepping up, but who were a smidge short on ASP membership.

Some small latitude in such circumstances seems very reasonable to me and, in balance, would risk less harm to this group than not having a meeting on a day or two each week. 

In service,
Jerry
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