[Businessmtg] Jerry’s suggestions

[Mary Abbott]

I’ve read Jerry’s email several times. I agree that something does need to happen. I like his ideas of reducing the qualifications. We’ve discussed this at past business meetings with little progress forward. Perhaps that can change at the next business meeting. 

My hesitation in responding has been in making another suggestion. As a person who has served on the ASP SC,  it seems to me that a bigger issue is one of SC retention. As Anne mentioned in her last email, serving on the SC gives one plenty of opportunity to practice placing principles above personalities. For me, it was a very, very different experience than any other Al-Anon service in which I have participated. It is not my place to take another person’s or group’s inventory. However, I think it is common in Al-Anon for groups that are struggling with an issue (especially an existential issue) to take a group inventory  Suggested questions for these group inventories already exist. Perhaps it is time for the members of the SC to take a searching inventory to determine if any changes need to be made in the way the SC operates. Below are a few questions from an Al-Anon inventory. 

• Do we criticize others in the group or gossip about them?
• Are meetings conducted in a manner that members feel safe to share opinions? Note that for the ASP SC, like our daily meetings, much communication takes place by email. 
•Are members pressured by dominate members to accept their ideas?
• Does the group have a process for the minority voice to be heard even after we’ve made a decision?
•Do members purposely reveal their length of time/service in Al-Alanon to gain credibility during discussions? 

I would like to say that I very much appreciate the service of the members of ASP SC. The work done in service positions is what keeps ASP going. ASP meetings are vital for recovery for so many of us. My hope is that the SC can flourish and become fully staffed so the drain on few is not so great. 

Mary

Sent from my iPhone