[Businessmtg] **** Motion #4 Update Topic - Opening Part 4

[Susan Metcalf]

This is great, thank you!

On Wed, Jul 7, 2021 at 3:20 AM Steve Rankin <steve at serenitysys.com> wrote:

> Hi ASPers  . . . aka Part 4 of the opening of this topic.
>
> Hopefully Part 4 will be the finally part of opening this topic.
>
> Where are we now and what do we know right now?
>
> 1.      ASP is an Al-Anon Family Group NOW.  Not sometime in the future,
> but right now.
> 2.      As an Al-Anon Family Group, we have both the right and the
> responsibility to elect a Group Representative who will represent ASP in
> the Fellowship of Al-Anon.
>
> a.      Everything you need to know about a Group Representative is in the
> Service Manual.  Now.
> b.      See below for an excerpt from the Service Manual regarding the
> election of a Group Representative.
>
> 3.      ASP is responsible for supporting its Group Representative
> attendance at Area meetings.
>
> a.      The good news is that the new Virtual Area will meet . . .
> virtually, so our GR won’t incur the usual travel expenses of face-to-face
> GRs.
>
> 4.      ASP’s Group Representative will be just as eligible to serve at
> the Area level as an elected officer or coordinator as any of the other GRs
> representing other electronic groups.
>
> a.      Generally speaking,
> b.      In other words, it is possible that our GR could get elected to an
> Area position, which would mean we would need to elect someone else to
> replace them.
> c.      In time, this will settle out, but that’s the way it’s going to be
> for the first go round.
>
> 5.      The GRs of the new Virtual Area will elect a Delegate to represent
> the Area at the 2022 World Service Conference (WSC).
>
> a.      The WSC is a week-long face-to-face in person event held in
> Virginia Beach, VA, USA.  It is NOT a virtual event.
>
>
>
> Service Manual, page 149:
>
>
>
> Election of a Group Representative (GR) and an Alternate
>
> The GR is elected by his group by any election procedure it chooses. The
> term of office for a Group Representative is recommended to be three years.
> Service is a vital part of recovery and it benefits both the Group
> Representative and the group if a full three-year term is served.
>
> An Al‑Anon or Alateen member who is also a member of A.A. is not eligible
> to serve as GR.
>
> Since the newly elected GR may be attending the election Assembly, the
> group’s elections should precede the date of the Assembly.
>
> To emphasize the need for selecting informed GRs, a special election
> meeting may be called by the group, with time devoted to consider the role
> of the GR in our service structure and his work in the District and Area. A
> group may re-elect its GR for another term.
>
>
>
>
>
> 6.      Areas are responsible for paying the “Equalized Expense” of the
> World Service Conference.
>
>
>
> Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual
>
>     “Delegates’ Equalized Expenses Because costs of travel to the World
> Service Conference are different for each Delegate, a formula was developed
> to provide a fair equalization of expenses:
>
>      The Delegate’s Equalized Expense is calculated by dividing the Full
> Amount for Delegates to attend the Conference by the number of Delegates.
> The Full Amount is the total estimated travel, hotel, meal and incidental
> expenses for the Delegates, including their portion of the costs of
> Conference supplies. This full amount is reported to the Board of Trustees.
> A substantial portion of the Full Amount, as determined by the Board of
> Trustees, is the Equalized Expense and is paid by the Areas. The balance of
> the Conference costs is paid out of AFG’s General Fund. The Conference
> Leadership Team informs each Area the Equalized Expense is to be sent to
> WSO by the Area before January 1. The Delegates’ travel and incidental
> expenses are defrayed by these funds, regardless of distance traveled.
>
>      In gratitude, many Areas choose to contribute additional funds, up to
> or more than the full Amount.”
>
> Pg. 165 Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual 2018 -2021
>
>
>
> 6. continued.  The following is a history of the Equalized Expense for the
> Washington Area where I live.  Since WA State is on the other side of the
> country, the “full expense” for their Delegate exceeds the Equalized
> Expense.  This is notable because the Washington Area believes the 7th
> Tradition requires that they be responsible for the FULL expense, not
> merely the Equalized Expense.
>
>
>
> 2012 full expense $1,966 equalized $1,250- difference of $716
>
> 2013 full expense $2,210 equalized $1,350- difference of $850
>
> 2014 full expense $1,968 equalized $1,280 -difference of $678
>
> 2015 full expense $1,907 equalized $1,280 -difference of $627
>
> 2016 full expense $2,447 equalized $1,493- difference of $954
>
> 2017 full expense $1,965 equalized $1,297- difference of $686
>
> 2018 full expense $1,909 equalized $1,260 -difference of $649
>
> 2019 full expense $2,443 equalized $1,612- difference of $832
>
>
>
> Regardless of whether you believe as the Washington Area does, the new
> Virtual Area will need to pay for at least the Equalized Expense in 2022,
> which is likely to be considerably more than the 2019 figure above.
>
>
>
> Why is this important to ASP?
>
>
>
> *       The Virtual Area will begin organizing some time this year.
> *       The Virtual Area has no existing funds and no established source
> of income or donations.
> *       A large majority of Electronic Al-Anon Groups rely on free
> services and are not self-supporting in any way, nor do they have any
> history of practicing the Seventh Tradition.
> *       ASP has a long history of practicing the Seventh Tradition and
> being FULLY self-supporting.
> *       ASP has a long history of financially supporting WSO through
> voluntary contributions during the many years that ASP was not recognized
> as a Group, and therefore did not have other Al-Anon service arms to
> support.
> *       ASP has been an Al-Anon Group since mid-April 2021, and is
> therefore now responsible for supporting a different Al-Anon service
> structure than what is represented by out outdated Motion #11 of June 2013.
>
>
>
> In summary, ASP is a Group today, which means we can elect a Group Rep and
> join the fellowship’s service structure.
>
>
>
> Additionally, ASP had over $1,000 in excess of our Prudent Reserve.
> Donating those funds would support WSO, however, it would do nothing to
> support the new Virtual Area that we are responsible for now.  I believe
> that ASP’s financial condition is unusual in Al-Anon, especially unusual in
> online Al-Anon – and for that we are very fortunate.  I also believe that
> without considerable financial support from ASP, that the Virtual Area will
> be unable to meet its financial obligations.
>
>
>
> Hugs,
>
> Steve
>
> ____________________________
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> http://asp-afg.org/members/
> For assistance with other ASP issues, contact Steve the Founder of ASP, at
> steve at serenitysys.com
>