OASC 4/22/07 (Approved)
Regular Meeting
Ozark Area met at 1330 Wall, Joplin MO w/ We Do Recover hosting
Meeting opened at 2pm w/ Serenity Prayer
Roll call, Twelve Traditions & Twelve Concepts
Officers Present: Chair (Kenny C) Vice Chair (Shelie V) Treasurer (Jackee C)
Officers Absent: RCM (Dale S)
Offices Vacant: RCM Alt & Secretary
Subcommittee Chairs Present: H&I (Steve S) PI (Dawson G)
Subcommittee Chairs Absent: AASC (Renita G)
Subcommittee Chairs Vacant: PI, Literature Review & Outreach
Groups Present: But Do It (Mark J) Butterflies are Free (Tim W) Miracles (David B) Point of Turning Spiritual Principles (Kevin F) Survivors (Joe R) Together in Unity (Eric) We Do Recover (Suzanne S)
Groups Absent: None
Groups Inactive: None
Quorum (5.3 of 8 active groups): Yes
Recognition of New Groups: We Will Recover By God Group of Neosho
Additions or corrections to last month’s minutes: Yes – Change subcommittee chairs present: PI (Dawson G/Vice Chair) to (Dawson G/Chair)
Motion to accept minutes with corrections: 2nd… passed
Additions or corrections to the Agenda: None
Basket passed for hosting group: Donation given to We Do Recover. Thanks for hosting!
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:
Chair Report: No report submitted
Vice-Chair Report: Greetings OASC: 4/22/07
This past month I attended meetings in Joplin. NA continues to welcome new and returning members into our fellowship. Yesterday I attended subcommittee meetings at WDR from 1:30pm- 5pm. 4 addicts attended the PI subcommittee meeting. Several addicts attended the H&I subcommittee meeting. And several addicts attended the AASC meeting.
I did give the OASC scanner to Dawson in March 2007.
I attended the C-Star H&I meeting with Pete and Don on the third Thursday of this month. I really enjoy participating in this meeting each month.
I would like to ask for help again with typing up April reports. The rest of this month will be pretty busy for me, so if someone could help me with the minutes by typing up the reports, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you, those of you who have been emailing your reports to me. This does help a lot.
Just a friendly remember: Input deadline is May 2007 regarding the project currently underway to revise our Youth and Recovery IP. The new pamphlet is entitled “By Young Addicts For Young Addicts” and will replace the existing IP. I have submitted my responses online. Any addict interested in submitting information concerning this project please visit http://www.na.org/conference/youth/
Today I distributed sets of OASC and OASC subcommittee guidelines to each present group and the OASC Chair. Each subcommittee chairs also received a set. ILS - Shelie V, OASC Vice Chair
PS: AASC Chair called before this meeting asking me to explain that due to a work-related emergency she will not be hear today. Renita asked me to convey her apologies. She asked me to remind everyone to pre-register for the HOLP. There are hats for sale – see Mark. AASC consensus yesterday was to work with area concerning times and locations of subcommittee meetings. AASC chair interpreted the consensus of the subcommittee to be that this subcommittee will work with the area as far as combining subcommittee meetings and area meetings; however, the AASC does not want it in guidelines when and where they meet. AASC would prefer to meet on Saturdays rather than Sundays.
Treasurer: Ozark Area Treasurer’s Report
April 2007
(Meeting Of Mar. 18, 2007)
Balance $ 2565.15 Balance ending March 18th area report
Total Deposits $ 106.28 Donations and credits given in Mar. 18th meeting.
Total Expenses $ 235.55 Expenses since Mar. 18th report and last meeting.
Current Balance $ 2435.88 Balance as of April 22, 2007 meeting
DONATIONS EXPENSES
We Do Recover $ 25.00 $ 24.88 Office Depot/Treas/Ck#1483
Together In Unity $ 20.00 $154.72 Dale S/Reg Rms/Ck#1484
$ 54.95 Freedom Voice/Ck#1485
Miracles $ 41.28 $ 1.00 Bank Service Charges
Point of Turning $ 20.00
TOTAL DONATIONS $ 106.28 TOTAL EXPENSES $ 235.55
Funds collected in basket for Point of Turning was $15.50. Thank you Point of Turning Group for hosting area meeting. In Loving Service, Jackee C. Treasurer
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS:
H&I Report: Hello Ozark Area 4/22/07
I am an addict named Steve who is humbly representing the H & I sub-committee. I am glad to report
that Don G. says the Ozark Center on 3rd and Virginia is going well. I stated that the Ozark Center on
Picher is going well. Kim reports that there has been some confusion at the Lafayette House but do to
the Lafayette House and not H & I, this issue has supposedly been resolved and there will be some changes to the women taking that meeting in and Stephanie R. is stepping up to take up the liaison position for Lafayette. McDonald County doing well and special thanks to Jimmy Q. for his service there. Jasper County doing well. In old business we discussed the up and coming workshop and the fact that other areas showed interest. New business Newton County jail to do H & I presentation to sheriff and see what can be done and Jackee would like to be replaced on the jail list.
P.I. Report: Hello Ozark Area, 4/22/07
The PI sub-committee met yesterday afternoon at We Do Recover. The phone line is receiving
calls. There was a discussion concerning literature racks for McDonald County and the availability
of 2 racks and where they might be located for future use. It was suggested that PI talk with H & I
to determine who have responsibility for the McDonald county locations. Schedules are available
and the web site is doing okay. Because of a lack of sufficient response from NA members. The PI mock presentation and community presentation idea is put on hold for now. Because of weather and driving conditions I did not attend the region. I spoke to Randell the Regional PI chair and he agreed to email minutes of the meeting. As of this morning I have not received that email. The last item concerns my resignation as PI sub-committee chair for reasons both personal and Job related. The sub-committee did nominate someone to fill the position subject to areas approval. Sincerely, Dawson G.
PI Chair Resignation: Ozark Area:
Due to work schedule and personal reasons I am resigning as PI sub-committee chair. I’m
grateful for the support I’ve received and for the experience. Through this process I’ve learned things
about NA and myself that can benefit me in my recovery.
Thanks, Dawson G.
GROUP REPORTS:
But Do It: Hello Area,
But Do It meets at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday at Oak Meadows Building 2 downstairs. This is a closed meeting. Out business meeting is the Wednesday before area and birthday night is the last Wednesday
of the month. We had one this month Yvonne G. with 20 years. Come join us for it. We have an
area donation this month of $32.46 ILS, Mark
Butterflies Are Free: Hello area.
My name if Tim and I’m an addict. The Butterflies Are Free group of Anderson meet every Thursday 8pm and Sundays 6 p.m. in the Anderson Housing Authority building. Meeting attendance is up and things are going well. This month we have an area donation of fifteen dollars. In Service Work, Tim
Miracles: Sunday, April 22, 2007
Miracles Group meets Fridays at 6:30 p.m. at 4th and Byers in Joplin. Our monthly business meeting is the 2nd Friday following the regularly scheduled meeting and the last Friday of the month is Speaker/Birthday night, all meetings are open. Our meeting attendance is steady with 60 plus addicts every week. We are currently under our prudent reserve so we do not have a donation for the area at this time.
ILS, David B.
Point of Turning: Greetings Ozark Area,
Attendance has been good with high of 27 and an average of 17. We are a youthful group and some Parents bring their children. This, at times has caused disruptions but we think the problem may be solved, as one parent has began to bring a babysitter. When the weather is nice some of us we hold meetings in the Gazebo at the park. Then we have smoking meetings that are not handicap accessible. Dome object to this, but most just enjoy their cigarette. We are doing well financially, with a few books in inventory. Sometimes we give away books. Rent is Paid, advertisement on newspaper is paid.
Please accept our contribution of $20.00 to further the cause of NA. W.C. J. Servant
PS – I haven’t heard how Monday meetings are doing.
Spiritual Principles: Greetings Ozark Area
Spiritual Principles is still doing well. Meeting @ 618 Jackson on Sunday and Wednesday @ 9:30 AM. Due to my school schedule I have been unable to meet with some of the other group members regarding our annual camp out but I will get fliers out soon, nor have I been able to meet with our Treasurer so we do not have a donation. ILS, Kevin F.
Survivors: Survivors GSR Report 4-22-07 Greetings OASC.
Joe has been sent by Survivors this month to this area meeting as our group representative. Survivor’s group meets at 618 Jackson in Joplin, MO. Yesterday we voted to discontinue our Monday night 6:30 meetings to make room for other meetings the High On Life Club has decided to rent to at this time. The following meeting schedule will take effect May 1st 2007: 12 noon – Mon. t – Sat. &
6:30 p.m. Sun, Thurs., & Sat. We have no donation for area at this time.
In Loving Service Survivors Group Of NA
Together In Unity: Dear OASC
We are still meeting someplace, sometime Tues, Thurs., Sat., at 7 p.m. till 8 p.m. We have a donation of 10 dollars. In Loving Service Eric G.
We Do Recover: Hello Ozark Area:
We Do Recover meets at 1440 Wall Street in Joplin, MO. , 7 nights a week at 8 p.m.
All meetings are open and smoking meetings except on speaker and birthday nights. We have a donation of $30.00 for the area. In Loving Service, Suzanne S.
We Will Recover By God: Hello Ozark Area
My name is Michael Bodine. I’m from “We Will Recover- By God” from Neosho, MO. Our meetings are on Fri. at 7pm at the old school house by the Historical Museum. I’m here as the group service rep. We are a new group and trying to get more involved in NA and our community. We are currently running a commercial with our local cable company and the process of printing up some flyers and having them posted. Our attendance is running between 7 to 10 people. We are really excited about being more involved in NA. Thank u for letting us be here. We Do Recover by God. Michael
Sharing Session
· We Will Recover By God GSR explains that Newton County has been contacted about NA meeting being brought into the jail. They do not have the man power right now for the meeting. He suggests H&I still send a letter and offer a presentation to Newton County jail.
· PI chair resigned and stated that he has all PI literature and the OASC scanner in his trunk. He offered to hold on to those items until someone else can take them
- Motion to have Dawson hold onto PI property was seconded and passed.
· David asked to submit special interest groups paperwork into these area minutes.
· Youth meeting will begin meeting at the HOLC (618 Jackson – Joplin) May 7th, 2007
Old Business
· PI Chair position was opened for nominations
- Sandee A was nominated. The following resume was submitted.
SANDEE A. RESUME FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION NOMINATION
I am Sandee A. My clean date is 2-19-02 I am up for nomination for PI chair. I have held several service positions in my 5 years of recovery. I have been a member of all of the sub-committees for the length of my recover. I helped with hospitality for three years. I have chaired meetings throughout my recovery. I was secretary for PI for two years. I was secretary for H & I for two years. I feel I meet all requirements for this position. I have a computer, telephone and vehicle. I would like to be considered for this position. I have health issues, but I deal with them the same way that every one else in recovery with health problems does, on day at a time.
In Loving Service, Sandee A. 4-22-07
· Other OASC service positions currently open for nominations include: RCM, RCM Alt, H&I Chair, Literature Review Chair, Outreach Chair & Secretary.
- No nomination submitted
· Motion: 03180701: To combine all subcommittee meetings into one common meeting to be held from 1-3pm each month on the same Sunday the OASC meets. In accordance to OASC guideline 7.2c Area Vice Chair will act as chair for this joint subcommittee meeting. Motion fails…
New Business
· We Do Recover By God group of Neosho was voted into this area
· M04220701: To give $100 worth of literature to We Do Recover By God. Motion passes…
· Discussion: Move OASC meeting to Saturday
- Decided to have a trial run next month.
1. Subcommittees will meet from 1:30-3:30pm 5/19/07 at 618 Jackson, Joplin MO. This will be a joint subcommittee meeting with OASC Vice Chair facilitating. Subcommittee chairs will get agenda items to OASC Vice Chair by the Wednesday before the subcommittee meeting scheduled 5/19/07 to be placed on the agenda.
2. OASC will begin at 3:30pm 5/19/07 at 618 Jackson.
Next OASC mtg = 5/19/07 @ 3:30pm hosted by Miracles @ 618 Jackson, Joplin MO
The following OASC positions are open
- No nominations at this time
Regional Committee Member (4 yrs clean time required)
- No nominations at this time
Represents and carries the Ozark Area’s conscience at each Show-Me Region Service Committee (RSC) Meeting, Regional Interims and Conference Agenda Workshops, and relays as much of this information as can be obtained
at each of these meetings to the OASC at the next scheduled area meeting, etc.
Regional Committee Member Alternate (3 yrs clean time required)
- No nominations at this time
Attends and participates in all meetings of the RSC, and will sit in for absent OASC subcommittee chairs,
acts as RCM in case of absence or vacancy of the RCM, etc.
OASC Secretary (2 yrs clean time required)
- No nominations at this time
Keeps minutes of all OASC meetings and distributes those minutes in a timely fashion.
Hospitals & Institutions Chair (2 yrs clean time required)
- No nominations at this time
Facilitates regularly scheduled subcommittee meetings working with subcommittee members to see that addicts who do not have access to regularly scheduled NA meetings do have NA meetings available to them.
Literature Review Chair (2yrs clean time required)
- No nominations at this time
This subcommittee is involved in projects such as the Sponsorship book that was recently published as well as the work currently being done regarding our Basic Text and revisions of the Youth In Recovery Information Pamphlet.
Outreach Chair (2yrs clean time required)
- No nominations at this time
This subcommittee is a great asset to any area. Members of this committee can do such things as form groups of addicts who get together on specific days and visit various NA groups in order to offer support to those groups.
Public InformationChair (2yrs clean time required)
Nomination: Sandee A
This subcommittee is responsible for the phoneline, the website, filling literature racks throughout Ozark Area, maintaining meeting schedules, conducting PI presentations & workshops, etc.
Attend your group’s next business mtg to ask about these positions or…
Attend the next OASC mtg 5/19/07 @ 3:30pm
w/ Miracles hosting @ 618 Jackson, Joplin MO
*** No one of us is as good as all of us ***
May 19, 2007 @ 618 Jackson, Joplin MO
The following subcommittees will meet from 1:30-3:30pm:
H&I 2:30pm
AASC 4pm
Please announce this at your meetings.
Attachment from World Services Website follows:
WORLD SERVICE BOARD OF TRUSTEES BULLETIN #18
Special interest meetings
The following is a synopsis of a report that was delivered to the World Service Conference at its annual meeting in April 1989 by the WSC Ad Hoc Committee on Special Interest Meetings. Formed the previous year, the committee was chaired by the vice chairperson of the World Service Board of Trustees. This bulletin was revised during the 1995-96 conference year.
The WSC Ad Hoc Committee on Special Interest Meetings was formed by vote of the 1988 World Service Conference. The intent of this motion, as stated in the WSC minutes, was to help us as a fellowship come to grips with and perhaps find a solution to the issue of special interest meetings. In addition, this committee could provide some forum for the input of ideas about the issue.
Purpose of the Committee
The committee spent a great deal of its initial meeting discussing what the conference wanted it to accomplish. As a result of the discussion, the committee set the following goals:
1. To provide a definition of special interest meetings;
2. To investigate precisely what role special interest meetings play in the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship;
3. To allow the fellowship an opportunity to comment on this issue by means of conducting open forums; requesting input directly from groups and members via the Newsline, the Fellowship Report, and The NA Way Magazine; and by direct mailings to regions; and,
4. To provide a report which could be used by NA members as a basis for the discussion of the issue of special interest meetings.
Definition of Special Interest Groups
At the beginning of its deliberations, the committee attempted to define what, precisely, a special interest meeting is and how that definition fits into existing NA guidelines on the subject. We were informed in this part of our task by both the Temporary Working Guide to Our Service Structure and the Basic Text.
The Temporary Working Guide told us that "an NA group is any meeting which meets regularly at a specified place and time, providing that it follows the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions," and that the "primary purpose of an NA group is to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers by providing a setting for identification and a healthy atmosphere for recovery." (Temporary Working Guide, 1988 Edition, pages 1 & 2.)
The Basic Text provided more clarity in its discussion of Tradition Four, stating that "There are two basic types of meetings; those open to the general public and those closed to the public (for addicts only). Meeting formats vary widely from group to group; some are participation meetings, some speakers, some are question and answer, and some focus on special problems discussion." (Basic Text, Fifth Edition, page 63.)
In some NA communities there are groups consisting of men, women, gays, professionals, etc. These members host NA meetings where the focus is on recovery from drug addiction in Narcotics Anonymous.
Types of Special Interest Meeting
The Ad Hoc Committee on Special Interest Groups wrote to each RSC chairperson and RSR requesting information concerning special interest meetings in their regions. Of the fifty-eight NA regions, twenty-four responded to this request. Here are the results of our survey:
· Of the twenty-four regions responding, twenty indicated that special interest meetings were held in their regions.
- The twenty regions have reported a total of 184 special interest meetings. Some regions, however, reported that not all areas responded to their request for information and that their data was therefore incomplete.
- The regions reported a variety of types of special interest meetings. These types include: Men's, Women's, Gay and Lesbian, Young People/Youth meetings, Couples meetings, one Agnostic meeting, one Illness and Recovery meeting, and one "Pills" meeting. It was also reported to the committee from other sources that in some regions there are meetings for Vietnam Veterans, people with AIDS, people who are HIV positive, and various types of professionals.
- Of the regions that reported how long special interest meetings had been in existence within their boundaries, a number indicated that meetings had been occurring for over five years, and one region reported a group soon to celebrate its tenth anniversary.
- Although the committee was informed that some areas have a policy of excluding special interest meetings from their meeting schedules, no region reported written area or regional polices on this subject.
Final Observations
The Ad Hoc Committee on Special Interest Meetings understood almost from its beginning that resolving the issue of special interest meetings in Narcotics Anonymous might be impossible, that the varying opinions on the subject seemed to be irreconcilable, and that we might not be able to offer a perspective that would be so fresh and profound that the entire membership of NA would immediately accept our conclusions. We did, however, feel that if we were able to make some objective observations on the subject—devoid of passion and emotionalism—we might be able to perform a service. Here then are our conclusions:
Special Interest meetings have existed in Narcotics Anonymous for some time. There does not appear to be anything in the Twelve Traditions which cautions groups against holding special interest meetings, provided that the group has no requirement for membership other than the desire to stop using. Special interest meetings tend to survive and flourish in local NA communities where there is a need and desire for such meetings and do not exist in NA communities where there is no need nor desire.
In Narcotics Anonymous, the World Service Conference does not have the authority to dictate policy to groups, and regional and area service committees do not have policy-making authority over the decisions of their groups. The only authority present in the groups is a loving God expressed in a group's conscience.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Special Interest Meetings concluded that special interest meetings must be appropriate in some NA communities since they exist and flourish with little controversy in these communities. In NA communities where special interest meetings do not exist, and where the need for them is not apparent, there is no reason to create them.
The findings in the report remain true for Narcotics Anonymous today. In some areas, special interest meetings have expanded formats and topics while other areas continue to have no perceived need for these meetings. Groups, exercising their autonomy, are best suited to decide whether there is any necessity to have special interest meetings.