Group Records Report - February 2002

Hello once again from Area 36 Group Records. I hope you had a happy and joyous holiday season and are excited about starting a new year in General Service. I know I am.

In recent and upcoming Group Records activity:

In mid-October we mailed requests from GSO for updates on 1.) Groups thought to still be active by GSO but lacking valid contact and mailing information, and 2.) Meetings held in correctional facilities. We mailed those requests to 25 districts; we received responses from 4 districts. We updated our Area records and forwarded the results on to GSO for their records.

General Service Representatives (GSRs) / Group Contacts on file with the General Service Office (GSO) as of mid-October received their group's complimentary copy of the 4th edition of the Big Book by US mail in November. If you think you should have received a copy but didn't, you weren't registered with GSO as your group's GSR / Contact. (More about this below.)

We provided mailing labels to a Northern Minnesota Area Roundup; mailing information to Gopher State Roundup; full group information to various Area 36 districts; and meeting information on 11 metro-area districts to the Intergroup Association of Minneapolis. The mutual goal in cooperating with Minneapolis Intergroup is that we will both have more accurate, current meeting and contact information for the groups in those districts.

In February we received from GSO the annual Group Records updates for all the groups and meetings in Area 36 that are registered with GSO. As was the case last year, we will have a couple of months to gather all that information, process it, and send the results off to GSO. Please see my separate article on this activity elsewhere in this edition of the Pigeon.

Please remember to provide me with any and all update information regarding you and your group. I will then notify GSO.

I ask you to follow this process for a number of reasons. Let's say GSR "A" has been the GSR for the XYZ-32 group for a time. Rotation comes along, and GSR "B" is the new GSR for XYZ 32. GSR "B" notifies GSO of the change.

Shortly afterwards GSR "B" receives a new GSR kit and Service Manual from GSO. GSR "B" thinks this is pretty neat; GSO really has its act together (which they definitely do), and enthusiastically reports all this at the next XYZ-32 business meeting. Home group members are definitely impressed with GSO.

But in the meantime, no one has notified the Area of the change in GSRs for XYZ-32. The Area continues to mail the Pigeon, Finance letters, etc., to former GSR "A", who reports all this less than enthusiastically at the next XYZ-32 business meeting. Home group members are definitely not impressed with the Area.

Now, let's throw a little twist into the above. Former GSR "A" moves. The Area mails out Pigeons a while after. Since the Area is still trying to mail to former GSR "A", but the Area no longer has the correct mailing address for former GSR "A", the Pigeon never reaches former GSR "A". Instead, the US Postal Service returns the Pigeon to the Area, informing us we do not have the correct address for former GSR "A". If former GSR "A" has filed a change of address with the US Postal Service, we are informed of that.

(The US Postal Service charges the Area $.60 per copy to inform us we do not have the correct mailing address on a Pigeon. I don't know what the per-copy cost of mailing the Pigeon is; I don't know what the per-copy cost of printing the Pigeon is. But I have been informed that the $.60 per copy we pay the US Postal Service for a returned Pigeon is substantial compared to those other costs.)

I then take the updated address information and check it against the Area group records. I notice that we have former GSR "A" listed as the GSR for XYZ-32. I correct the address we have for former GSR "A" in the Area group records. I then pass along the update to GSO, asking them to update their records.

If you're still reading this, you'll notice I'm now asking GSO to replace GSR "B" with former GSR "A". (I don't think GSO group records staff question why we're requesting a change back to the prior GSR. If they do, I think they remind themselves that they are dealing with alcoholics...) Next thing you know, shortly afterwards former GSR "A" receives a new GSR kit and Service Manual from GSO. Former GSR "A" and GSR "B" relate all this at their next business meeting. Home group members now think neither the Area nor GSO has a clue about anything, and decide to contribute funds in excess of the group's expenses elsewhere… The moral of the story is: Please remember to provide me with any and all update information regarding you and your group. I will then notify GSO. 

As my last reminder, I want to make myself available to visit District meetings and explain more about the role of Group Records and some of the processes that we use to gather and report information. I also would like to work with District Group Records Chairs, as well as other District Officers and Committee chairs, and field any questions from anyone in the fellowship regarding Group Records. Please don’t hesitate to contact me, especially if you’d like to become involved in the rewarding service work of Group Records. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Yours in Love and Service,
Steve K.