We offer the following for what may be the first in a series of such vignettes SA members may wish to share.

I cannot thank the Lord enough! I…received the grace of living with all my feelings through an attack of lust, where I thought it would kill me. It didn’t, for I…brought it into the open [in the group].… I never imagined such a change being possible, God hearing my prayers so thoroughly!

When calling Central Office, use the new 805/581-3343 number instead of the old 818/704-9854 number when possible. Both numbers reach CO, but there’s a small extra charge when the 818 is used. That is because this was the number at the old location, and the Phone Company does automatic call forwarding on it to the new number—for a fee.

I just can’t wait to tell you and all the SA members what a wonderful Marathon meeting we had on August first. It was a joint session with S-Anon, Rochester, and two of the meetings were joint. God was with us to be sure.

There’s been a change from the Hacienda to the Viscount Hotel for the December 4, 5, 6 SA Convention in Los Angeles. When the Convention Committee saw that the Hacienda’s remodeling would not be done in time as promised, they switched to the Viscount and were amazed to get such a first-class hotel at such a late date.

A Time For Change. That seems to be the theme in this issue of Essay. Change can be unsettling, but it can also be healthy. Growth involves change, and without healthy growth the organism dies. Growing pains are really an opportunity; that’s what life is all about—the adventure of going where we’ve never gone before, within ourselves first, then, as we grow in recovery and unity, the odyssey of the fellowship itself.

For those who didn’t hear my luncheon talk Saturday at Bozeman, I’d like to share in summary what I said then to bring you all up to date on what’s happening with Central Office and with me. As of April 21st, I am no longer employed at View Engineering. For a long time, I’ve felt the need for a sabbatical, but things came to a head at work, and I resigned.

Word in from John A. of Baltimore:
“Recently a Sexual Behaviors Consultation Unit has been opened at the Johns Hopkins Hospital here in Baltimore.…

The following are minutes of the business meeting held June 6, 1987 at the Bozeman convention. The minutes were taken and prepared by Jean P. of Nashville.

Listed below is the Central Office financial report, prepared by our secretary, Nan, and Terry M. Note that for the first time, Essay is listing groups that have donated as groups to our world services Central Office work. Nan tells us it isn’t always clear whether donations are from groups or individuals, so there may be some glitches here. But it’s an eye-opener for all of us.

Any sober SA members interested in being a coordinator for corresponding with loner members without groups, much as Matt is doing with those in prison, please write Central Office. Please provide a brief summary of your story and length and condition of sobriety, why you’re interested in the job, and any other pertinent information for qualification.

Nan, our Central Office secretary for the last couple of years, has agreed to be office manager as well as secretary, if she limits her work to less than full time. This new situation has come about since the last three secretaries haven’t worked out, since the Central Office has moved to commercial office space, and since Roy has withdrawn from being CO manager.

As announced at Bozeman, Matt W. of Kansas City is SA’s prison coordinator. He is the communication switchboard between SAs behind the wall and members on the outside who wish to correspond with or sponsor those in prison. At present, this involves coordinating well over a hundred SAs inside with those on the outside. This amounts to running a Central Office all its own!

…Thank you for the support that you and SA have given to us in getting a group started within the Arkansas Department of Correction. We have just completed our second meeting and elected our officers, plus we have started our study program of the “White Book” and have found that this program is what we have been searching for.

These last couple of weeks I feel I have begun to understand what surrender really means. I thank God that I never stopped going to the meetings. And I thank God and SA that when I was finally hurting enough to really give up, He and the Fellowship were there for me, and the love and support carried me through withdrawal.

We’ve started a new group in Neenah, WI with 6 to 8 regular members each week! (A group is also going to start in Green Bay soon. Along with Appleton, that makes three for this area.) Also, how would our new group formally register with the Central Office?

We send this check with our best wishes and gratitude from SA in Reykjavik. Our group here is 5-7 members and is very strong.… I am very grateful for SA and what it has done for me. I did not know what my problem was until I met an SA member. One thing I know, without God I can’t stay sober. As a matter of fact, I can’t do anything if I don’t turn my life to God and trust him for my life.

“It was a great conference…the oldtimers meeting was inspiring. It was also comforting to me to see how much solid sobriety we have… It was relaxing to be in such a group.”

In case you’ve been wondering why this issue of ESSAY is late (even with our non-schedule), you should know that letters, phone calls, and literature orders have also been running late. There was a bit of a crisis when our new secretary left without giving notice. Nan was unavailable to come back in and pinch hit until now, so we did the best we could with volunteer help from the local fellowship.

It was certainly helpful for me to get in touch with some of the resentments I still had left concerning my brother in “…” and how praying for a forgiving spirit is certainly helping me feel better about all of this. I have also been able to let go of digging out anymore from my past concerning the sexual abuse situations.