A.A. & BBS Group Updates and Announcements
BBS Business Meeting AGENDA 27 NOV 2024 8:05 PM Eastern
CALL TO Order: Our Chairperson Al will open the meeting with a prayer of his choice. Trusted Servant Reports: Laura (Secretary): Minutes from 30 OCT 24 meeting as mailed. Todd (Treasurer): LeRoy (Service Coordinator): Barbara (Coin Administrator): Bill (Webmaster): Kathy (OIAA Inter Group Representative): OLD BUSINESS: None:
NEW BUSINESS: Proposals:
Proposal #1 Propose: Policy of a one week wait for memorial to the death of a member we hold a memorial so everyone can be notified via email to come and pay respects. Bill E
Proposal #2 Take the Set Aside Prayer that was approved at October 2024 meeting out of our daily reading. This should be replaced by the Serenity Prayer we had before. Linda Reasoning: This prayer is not in the Big Book as it was presented at the October Meeting. Some members referred to specific page that it is on. It is not. The concepts that are covered in the prayer are there, but not the prayer. The other prayers we use are written out in the Big Book. This one is not. It is my opinion that this prayer treads too far into Christian religion for many members. Reminder: AA is a spiritual program, not a religious one. I have spoken to other members who are uncomfortable with ending this prayer with Amen in an AA meeting. In the prayer - God, my father is definitely a religious reference.
Proposal #3 The purpose of this proposal is to establish our current elected trusted servants officially as The BBS Steering Committee. This committee will meet once every quarter beginning in January, 2025. [This committee meeting would be separate from the regular monthly BBS Business Meeting.] I propose that the committee agree to tentatively meet on the 2nd Thursday of January, April, July & October of each year. At that first Steering Committee meeting in January, it is suggested that "A Group Inventory" be discussed, as outlined in the linked AA Pamphlet. Kathy Here is the link to the AA Pamphlet, "The AA Group…where it all begins", with the information about creating this committee on page 29. The pamphlet is available on the BBS website or at aa.org. https://www.beginnersbookstudymeeting.org/uploads/1/2/6/7/126713292/the_a.a._group_-_where_it_all_begins.pdf 🎄
Proposal #4 The purpose of this proposal is to update the webpage as follows: ï Delete: "We read from A.A General Service Conference-approved literature." ï Replace with:"This page offers common AA readings, passages and literature."🎄
Proposal #5 The purpose of this proposal is to update our website page to include the AA Serenity Prayer as one of the BBS closing passages. Newcomers may not necessarily be familiar with this AA- conference approved prayer. Kathy🎄
Proposal #6 The purpose of this proposal is to update and freshen the AA approved pamphlets on our website page to now include: · Young People in AA: https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/literature/P-4_0224.pdf · The God Word: https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/literature/assets/p-86_theGodWord.pdf · Women in AA: https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/literature/p-5_0524.pdf · Black in AA: https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/literature/P-51_0824.pdf It is suggested that perhaps a committee be formed to determine which pamphlets should be rotated out to make room for the new pamphlets.🎄 Kathy
Other: Serenity Prayer Adjourn
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BEGINNERS BOOKSTUDY MEETING October, 30th 2024 Minutes
The Meeting was called to order by our Chairperson Al at 8:10 PM Eastern.
He welcomed those in attendance, asked for a moment of silence for those still sick and suffering in and out of the rooms, followed by the Serenity Prayer. He then called for the service reports.
Service Reports:
Secretary: laura reported 23 attendance verifications sent since last meeting.
She reported the minutes from the 28 AUG 24 were mailed to the membership. Todd shared that the PayPal information provided in last month’s minutes is not correct. Correct information is: PayPal acts as our on-line bank for the BBS Meeting Group. We receive on-line contributions and pay bills on-line using PayPal. There is no fee to pay expenses. There is a fee for contributions to BBS (deposits), comparable to credit card fees: $0.29 x contribution +$0.49 =PayPal fee. Therefore, PayPal takes a larger percentage of the contribution with several small contributions vs. one larger monthly contribution:
Amount of
Contribution Goes to PayPal Goes to BBS
$1.00 contribution = $0.52 PayPal $0.48 BBS (48%)
$10.00 contribution = $0.78 PayPal $ 9.22 BBS (92%)
$20.00 contribution = $1.07 PayPal $18.93 BBS (95%)
So, twenty $1 contributions give BBS $10.40 while one $20 contribution gives BBS $18.93. ANY contribution is appreciated!!
There was an error noted in the agenda for the 30 OCT 24 meeting. It listed Al as the interim Chair and Al is the Chair. Apologies for this cut and paste mistake.
Kathy made a motion to accept the report. Second by Leroy. Motion carried.
Treasurer: Todd reported on contributions and expenses. $700.00 reserve remains in BBS account. We had contributions of approx. $437, expenses to PayPal $20.97, and were able to give $208 to both GSO and OIAA. See Treasurer’s report for details. Barbara made a motion to accept the report. Second by Kathy. Motion carried.
Service Coordinator: Leroy reported that the calendar is filled for November and there are just a few openings for December. He is available to train folks wanting to do service and he announces this at the meetings. Linda made a motion to accept the report. Second by Dee. Motion carried.
Coin Administrator: Barbara reported 4 coin requests this month. Her inventory report is pending. Leroy made a motion to accept the report. Second by Bill. Motion carried.
OIAA Representative: Kathy reported she likes plugging back in. She provided a report which is attached. She shared feedback about the International On-line meeting this month. 4,500 people from 85 countries registered. The meeting was close-captioned sign-language was provided. Kathy attended meetings from TX, NY, and Iran. She enjoyed seeing the beautiful countryside and listening to the woman speaker. OIAA has many service opportunities. Please email Kathy with any questions or concerns. Barbara made a motion to accept the report. Second by Donald. Motion carried.
Webmaster: Bill reported on broken links to closing materials. When you REFRESH your BROWSERS they work. If you do identify any that are not working please notify Bill. He is working on wording in the training guide and how to add comments and not lose. He said it’s all good. Minutes and agendas are posted on the last page. Donald made a motion to accept the report. Second by Linda. Motion carried.
Old Business:
Al shared that when a proposal is brought to the floor, a second is only required if you feel there is a need for discussion.
Old Business:
Proposals tabled from September Business Meeting
Proposal One:
Propose that we require 3 months sobriety for Tech Host position (same as Chair). Sobriety requirement is currently 30 days for this position.
Submitted by: LeRoy M.
My 1st Proposal Is it should also be 3 months to Tech Host the (Same as the Chair)
Leroy withdrew his proposal.
Proposal Two:
Propose that we read the Daily Reflections, for that day, at each meeting. In my opinion these contribute to our journey each day, in our Sobriety.
Submitted by: Laurie W. Laurie was not present so proposal was not voted on. Will need to be resubmitted for future consideration.
New Business:
Proposals:
Proposal One:
Replace the serenity prayer at the beginning of the meeting with the "Set Aside" prayer.
The Set-Aside Prayer
"Dear God, please help me set aside
everything I think I know - about
myself, my disease, the Big Book and
the 12 Steps - Everything I think I
know about the Program, the
Fellowship, all spiritual terms, and
especially about you God - so I may
have an open mind and a new
experience. Please help me see the Truth.
Amen.” Submitted by: Bill E
Bill was present and made motion for the proposal. Second by laura p. There was a lot of discussion. Most people agreed it would be a good way to prepare oneself to focus on the meeting and might be best at the beginning of the meeting. Where the prayer comes from was discussed, and it is clearly based on concepts from the big book. Leroy called for the question and the proposal was accepted with a 67% positive response. We will implement on Nov 6 and we will give our host Nikki a heads up. The host may either read the Set Aside Prayer or ask for a reader. Bill will need to update the scripts and add a link for the screen sharer. All asked that we announce this in the meetings and encourage the chairs to print new scripts.
Proposal Two:
Add a second service position on the service roster as Tech2. This position is already in our Tech Training guide but has not been made an official sign-up position. This position is a necessary support service for the Lead Host when the Lead Host reads, shares, and assists with zoom bomber removal, letting in guests, and assisting other co-hosts and the chairperson for the meeting. Submitted by: Bill E
Bill was present and made motion for the proposal. Second by Leroy. Kathy called the question. Proposal was accepted by 100%.
3. If you group would like this how to put up your virtual hand For sharing, the chairperson However if you wish to or need to share, click “Raise Hand” (under 'Reactions'
[PC] or 'More' [tablet/phone]). Submitted by: Leroy Leroy withdrew his motion
4. The purpose of this proposal is to cancel our regularly scheduled business meeting for December 2024 because this year the meeting falls on Christmas Day. We will resume Business Meetings on the last Wednesday of each month as usual beginning January 2025. Happy Holidays! Submitted by: Kathy
Kathy was present and made motion for proposal. Linda called for the question. Proposal was accepted with 89% positive and 1 no.
5. The purpose of this proposal is to permit BBS Business Meetings to audio record [No Video] the meeting then upload to the BBS website. This would be done by the Webmaster each month to the AA/BBS Updates & Announcements pull-down tab. This accommodates those members who are visually and/or hearing impaired. Secondly it allows access to other members who were unable to attend. Written minutes will continue as established by the secretary. Zoom offers a how-to tutorial to accomplish this. Here is one of the many links that step-by-step explains it:
https://community.zoom.com/t5/Zoom-Meetings/recording-and-saving-meeting-audio-only/m-p/20123
Submitted by: Kathy Kathy withdrew this proposal.
Al thanked everyone for their service. He asked for a moment of silence for those still sick and suffering in and out of the rooms. We prayed the “we” version of the Serenity Prayer.
The meeting was adjourned @ 9:19 PM Eastern.
BEGINNERS BOOKSTUDY MEETING October, 30th 2024 Minutes
The Meeting was called to order by our Chairperson Al at 8:10 PM Eastern.
He welcomed those in attendance, asked for a moment of silence for those still sick and suffering in and out of the rooms, followed by the Serenity Prayer. He then called for the service reports.
Service Reports:
Secretary: laura reported 23 attendance verifications sent since last meeting.
She reported the minutes from the 28 AUG 24 were mailed to the membership. Todd shared that the PayPal information provided in last month’s minutes is not correct. Correct information is: PayPal acts as our on-line bank for the BBS Meeting Group. We receive on-line contributions and pay bills on-line using PayPal. There is no fee to pay expenses. There is a fee for contributions to BBS (deposits), comparable to credit card fees: $0.29 x contribution +$0.49 =PayPal fee. Therefore, PayPal takes a larger percentage of the contribution with several small contributions vs. one larger monthly contribution:
Amount of
Contribution Goes to PayPal Goes to BBS
$1.00 contribution = $0.52 PayPal $0.48 BBS (48%)
$10.00 contribution = $0.78 PayPal $ 9.22 BBS (92%)
$20.00 contribution = $1.07 PayPal $18.93 BBS (95%)
So, twenty $1 contributions give BBS $10.40 while one $20 contribution gives BBS $18.93. ANY contribution is appreciated!!
There was an error noted in the agenda for the 30 OCT 24 meeting. It listed Al as the interim Chair and Al is the Chair. Apologies for this cut and paste mistake.
Kathy made a motion to accept the report. Second by Leroy. Motion carried.
Treasurer: Todd reported on contributions and expenses. $700.00 reserve remains in BBS account. We had contributions of approx. $437, expenses to PayPal $20.97, and were able to give $208 to both GSO and OIAA. See Treasurer’s report for details. Barbara made a motion to accept the report. Second by Kathy. Motion carried.
Service Coordinator: Leroy reported that the calendar is filled for November and there are just a few openings for December. He is available to train folks wanting to do service and he announces this at the meetings. Linda made a motion to accept the report. Second by Dee. Motion carried.
Coin Administrator: Barbara reported 4 coin requests this month. Her inventory report is pending. Leroy made a motion to accept the report. Second by Bill. Motion carried.
OIAA Representative: Kathy reported she likes plugging back in. She provided a report which is attached. She shared feedback about the International On-line meeting this month. 4,500 people from 85 countries registered. The meeting was close-captioned sign-language was provided. Kathy attended meetings from TX, NY, and Iran. She enjoyed seeing the beautiful countryside and listening to the woman speaker. OIAA has many service opportunities. Please email Kathy with any questions or concerns. Barbara made a motion to accept the report. Second by Donald. Motion carried.
Webmaster: Bill reported on broken links to closing materials. When you REFRESH your BROWSERS they work. If you do identify any that are not working please notify Bill. He is working on wording in the training guide and how to add comments and not lose. He said it’s all good. Minutes and agendas are posted on the last page. Donald made a motion to accept the report. Second by Linda. Motion carried.
Old Business:
Al shared that when a proposal is brought to the floor, a second is only required if you feel there is a need for discussion.
Old Business:
Proposals tabled from September Business Meeting
Proposal One:
Propose that we require 3 months sobriety for Tech Host position (same as Chair). Sobriety requirement is currently 30 days for this position.
Submitted by: LeRoy M.
My 1st Proposal Is it should also be 3 months to Tech Host the (Same as the Chair)
Leroy withdrew his proposal.
Proposal Two:
Propose that we read the Daily Reflections, for that day, at each meeting. In my opinion these contribute to our journey each day, in our Sobriety.
Submitted by: Laurie W. Laurie was not present so proposal was not voted on. Will need to be resubmitted for future consideration.
New Business:
Proposals:
Proposal One:
Replace the serenity prayer at the beginning of the meeting with the "Set Aside" prayer.
The Set-Aside Prayer
"Dear God, please help me set aside
everything I think I know - about
myself, my disease, the Big Book and
the 12 Steps - Everything I think I
know about the Program, the
Fellowship, all spiritual terms, and
especially about you God - so I may
have an open mind and a new
experience. Please help me see the Truth.
Amen.” Submitted by: Bill E
Bill was present and made motion for the proposal. Second by laura p. There was a lot of discussion. Most people agreed it would be a good way to prepare oneself to focus on the meeting and might be best at the beginning of the meeting. Where the prayer comes from was discussed, and it is clearly based on concepts from the big book. Leroy called for the question and the proposal was accepted with a 67% positive response. We will implement on Nov 6 and we will give our host Nikki a heads up. The host may either read the Set Aside Prayer or ask for a reader. Bill will need to update the scripts and add a link for the screen sharer. All asked that we announce this in the meetings and encourage the chairs to print new scripts.
Proposal Two:
Add a second service position on the service roster as Tech2. This position is already in our Tech Training guide but has not been made an official sign-up position. This position is a necessary support service for the Lead Host when the Lead Host reads, shares, and assists with zoom bomber removal, letting in guests, and assisting other co-hosts and the chairperson for the meeting. Submitted by: Bill E
Bill was present and made motion for the proposal. Second by Leroy. Kathy called the question. Proposal was accepted by 100%.
3. If you group would like this how to put up your virtual hand For sharing, the chairperson However if you wish to or need to share, click “Raise Hand” (under 'Reactions'
[PC] or 'More' [tablet/phone]). Submitted by: Leroy Leroy withdrew his motion
4. The purpose of this proposal is to cancel our regularly scheduled business meeting for December 2024 because this year the meeting falls on Christmas Day. We will resume Business Meetings on the last Wednesday of each month as usual beginning January 2025. Happy Holidays! Submitted by: Kathy
Kathy was present and made motion for proposal. Linda called for the question. Proposal was accepted with 89% positive and 1 no.
5. The purpose of this proposal is to permit BBS Business Meetings to audio record [No Video] the meeting then upload to the BBS website. This would be done by the Webmaster each month to the AA/BBS Updates & Announcements pull-down tab. This accommodates those members who are visually and/or hearing impaired. Secondly it allows access to other members who were unable to attend. Written minutes will continue as established by the secretary. Zoom offers a how-to tutorial to accomplish this. Here is one of the many links that step-by-step explains it:
https://community.zoom.com/t5/Zoom-Meetings/recording-and-saving-meeting-audio-only/m-p/20123
Submitted by: Kathy Kathy withdrew this proposal.
Al thanked everyone for their service. He asked for a moment of silence for those still sick and suffering in and out of the rooms. We prayed the “we” version of the Serenity Prayer.
The meeting was adjourned @ 9:19 PM Eastern.