On January 7, 1986, SA came to Wichita, Kansas, with the first meeting of several people in St. Luke’s Church. It was a very small beginning but profound because Wichita would never be the same city again. A few people hurt badly enough in their own addiction to gather together to “spit in the soup” of sexaholics in the metropolitan Wichita area.
On January 7, 1996, 24 SAs and S-Anons gathered in that same church to listen to three of the oldtimers share what it was like when they first came into the group. One of the most important lessons we learned was that from its inception the first person involved had a great trust that God would send other addicts to the meetings. Sometimes being the only person at a meeting, that person just hoped God would send another needy addict so that they could proceed on their journey of turning their lives around.
The speakers’ meeting was followed with a get-together complete with a 10-year anniversary cake.
The church has been a most gracious host throughout the years. They encouraged us to keep the meetings going, telling us never to worry about payment for the use of the meeting room if we were unable to do so. The 7th Tradition, however, has been greatly responded to by members and we have always been able to pay our way. There has been a Tuesday night meeting every Tuesday since the group’s inception.
From these small, humble beginnings, SA in Wichita has grown to three SA groups with eight meetings a week and two S-Anon meetings a week. We now have an intergroup that serves the Wichita metropolitan area. We have watched many people come through our meeting room doors. A few stay long, many stay only for a short while, and others never come back to our meetings. Through experience we have learned that just because they don’t stay doesn’t mean they don’t find recovery through other 12-Step groups. We frequently find ourselves being the nudge they need to begin recovery. Some come back to us after a year or so of absence. It is the observation of this member that when God sends anyone through the door of one of our meetings, that sex, and life in general for that individual, will never be the same for them. For God, through us, has “spit in their soup.”
Mike B.
[If your group has been in existence for a number of years and has kept records of its activities, we invite you to write up a Group History and send it in. Such documents will be valuable for the SA archives and may be published in the Essay as space permits. Ed.]
