SA Beginnings in Ireland
This may strike you as an unusual title for an article in the Essay. The reason is that I’m writing to invite you to consider becoming part of SA’s outreach into prisons. As you may know, the prison system often identifies inmates by a number. This didn’t mean all that much to me until I became friends with one of those numbers.
Many service opportunities are open at the national level. All committees need members from the fellowship to come forward and serve. Some service requires special talents — such as, the Legal Committee. Most committees just need time and the willingness to serve.
The reason the SA International Central Office sells the White Book at a 300 percent markup [see Essay, Dec. 1996] is because not enough groups and individuals are sending an adequate amount of money to Central Office. Most of the meetings in our area pass around two baskets at 7th Tradition time.
The Third Step has been the hardest and most confusing for me. It would have been much easier had I better understood and practiced the first two Steps from the start.
At a recent meeting several people bemoaned the fact that they acted out against their own self-interest. They did not want to act out but felt compelled to do so.
The Millvale Group in Summerside is one of two groups on Prince Edward Island, Canada. We have approximately 15 members who attend regularly.
It feels so wonderful to have at last an SA meeting here in Greensboro, NC. This meeting came about as a result of our Higher Power expressing himself through the group conscience process. Four weeks ago, after much prayer, discussion and deliberation, our Wednesday night SAA group held a group conscience and voted unanimously to become an SA meeting.
The Belfast SA group began after Chris B. went to the Waterford Conference in October 1996 on the advice of an American clergyman. Since then, SA meetings have been held every two weeks in a local parish center. For the most part there were only two people in attendance. Recently, however, two others heard about SA through other 12-Step fellowships and have been introduced to SA literature and meetings.
