January 2001, Orange, CA
The SA/S-Anon International Convention, held in Orange in January 2001, was one of the most successful ever. Attendance reached an all-time high. Participants were enthusiastic in their praise of the setting, the sharing and the fellowship.
The General Service Conference of Delegates and Trustees met, heard reports, and made decisions. Among the reports was favorable news from the Finance Committee. The budget for 2001 [printed in ESSAY 2001, Issue One] is very lean and conservative. The goal to put SA on sound financial footing for the years ahead continues, and the prudent reserve is growing. This is especially good news during uncertain financial times. A line item was added for the cost of assisting new groups around the globe with literature. The literature needs of developing groups will be considered on a case by case basis, with the assistance taking the form of reduced shipping and handling costs.
New meetings are springing up all around the globe. The needs of these groups are not just financial. Their primary needs are to connect with other members and groups for support, encouragement, and sponsorship. If you, or your group, wish to help sponsor a new group, please contact SA International Central Office for more information.
A new Trustee was elected to the Board of Trustees. Tricia S. is from Oklahoma and already hard at work on the Literature Committee. She will be preparing a training and orientation session for new members of the General Service Conference.
Central Office added a second employee to replace Barbara, who recently retired. Kimberly comes to SA with years of experience in office procedures and 12 step programs. Her able, flying fingers are busy preparing literature orders for shipping.
A goal was set to return ESSAY to the schedule of four issues per year. An interim Editor will be appointed. The Internet Committee reported that a more reliable server will be sought for the SA web site, www.sa.org. The General Service Conference will consider guidelines for proposed group web sites. In the meantime, SA will not link to groups, but groups may link to the SA site. This Committee needs lots of help and technical expertise. Interested members can send email to the committee at internet@sa.org.
The Regional Realignment Committee has results of the first SA census. However, it is not complete and a new due date of 4/15/01 was set. The goal of registering all groups and attaining equal representation for all groups cannot be attained without complete and reliable information. Changes in information for group meeting dates, places, and times need to be reported to Central Office.
The Literature Committee reported that work continues on Member Stories. A subcommittee is busy at work on this project. Authors who have submitted stories for consideration should be hearing from the subcommittee or an editor assigned to help the author edit, polish, and ready his or her story for publication.
The Literature Committee has adopted a new Literature Process. This process should be more streamlined. More SA members will share their talents in the writing, editing and polishing stages.
The Draft SA General Service Conference Charter is complete. Copies are available from Central Office for groups to study. The Charter is entering a comment period where input from the fellowship is sought. Your feedback should be addressed to Central Office.
The Site Selection Committee has selected new sites for conventions. A survey of the SA and S-Anon fellowships will be done throughout this year to gather information and input about timing and number of conventions. If you did not receive a survey yet and would like to participate, you can get a copy from Central Office.
Another survey of the fellowship, a feedback form on the Cleveland Statement of Principle, is still in design.
Roy K. hosted a Lust Recovery workshop. It was an enormous success and participants reported that it greatly helped in their personal recovery. He also addressed the General Service Conference on “Recovery in SA Today.”
