Website Committee Report
The West Central Regional Conference - Bemidji, MN

Almost in keeping with some kind of an AA tradition, the West Central Regional Conference in Bemidji, Minnesota started out with snowfall and very cold temperatures. This is the conference that seems to "separate the serious from the frivolous". Only the most hardy of souls ventures out for this one.

This years event officially began at 1:30 PM with the opening of registration. Some of the hardiest - or perhaps sickest - of us had begun gathering the night before. Heaven forbid we miss a thing! The Early Bird Meeting always provides a place for those who are here for the first time to get acquainted. Some of us oldsters, just hang around the lobby waiting for all our old and dear friends to arrive. It truly was "old home week" for me when I saw one of my first sponsors, whom I hadn't seen in several years due to their moving to Northern Minnesota. Joan and John had been there when I first came through the doors - she a waitress in one of the bars I drank in, and he a fellow bar hound like myself. Then there was my wife's sponsor, from Aurora, MN. Also, just to make it interesting, some young folks we hadn't seen in some time showed up - and that was a surprise! I certainly didn't think he was interested in service work - but there they were.

Of course there were also those who weren't there. Folks who will always be missed like Jack C. and Don B. Both past delegates and among those who worked extremely hard many years ago to ensure that we had a service structure in Southern Minnesota in which we could participate. Don having served as a Regional Trustee in the late 80's and early 90's, helping our region to grow in its service understanding and participation. But then, Warren McG. was there for a time on Friday to set an example of continued dedication to service work.

The opening session was what is know as a "General Session", meaning that a topic is presented and everyone from the floor can share on the subject. In keeping with the General Service Conference theme this year, the topic was "Sponsorship - Responsibility Of" and had two presenters from Area 52 - North Dakota.

Both spoke highly of the sponsors they had found in AA and how critical their help was in getting and staying sober. Then the microphones were open to the floor for discussion. The sharing that took place covered the entire spectrum of experience and set the tone for the weekend that was to follow

The General Session was followed by a session in which Ted S, our Regional Trustee, introduced some of the Delegates who are currently serving the in the Areas of the West Central Region. Each of the 2nd year delegates gave a short report on the Conference Committee on which they serve and the current agenda items for that committee. This began the discussion of Conference Agenda items and also produced a wide range of sharing.

One of the things I have always enjoyed about the Regional Conference has been the opportunity to look at an issue from a lot of different viewpoints. While there are some differences, it seems the regions experience is becoming more and more consistent. The widely different viewpoints of years ago seem to have all but disappeared.

Saturday morning began with the Early Bird Meeting. This was followed by "Breakout Sessions" that focused on a particular committee, or pair of committees. I attended the Literature Session in the first group and again was very much impressed with the issues under discussion. These sessions are my favorite because it is where you hear about the work of the other committees in the region and learn of concerns they are facing.It's always a wonderful time of 'brainstorming' to solve committee problems. In this session the discussion pointed out that we need to be ever more mindful of how changes in one piece of literature may affect other pieces of literature. Making sure we have a consistent message to carry was the underlying conversation for this session.

After lunch with many old friends, it was back into the session on the Grapevine. I've always found the Grapevine to be AA's "sleeper" discussion point. On the face one always gets the idea that there just isn't much exciting to talk about here. But as always is the case - still waters run deep. We had a rousing discussion on how to handle language differences and whether or not we are fully utilizing the Grapevine. It was noted that if anyone were to read the Grapevine for an entire year - they would more than likely read their own story in it. Thus reducing the need for many of the "specialty" pamphlets produced to help folks identify with us.

Enthusiasm and excitement continued to run high on Saturday evening. Beginning with another General Session, and ending with a late night session in which we continued the discussion of General Service Conference Agenda items, the core was provided by a wonderful sharing of personal experience by Elaine McDowell - our Chairperson of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, and additional presentations by regional Delegates.

Many folks were wondering how a non-alcoholic, Class A, Trustee could give a talk at an AA meeting. Virtually everyone I talked with afterwards said they began to identify with Elaine just a minute or two into her talk. By the time she had finished, a dry eye was hard to find.

Having the difficulty of following Elaine, the regional delegates did excellent jobs of continuing to expand on the idea of "Living The Principles In All Our Affairs". While there was little time for discussion of the points they made - they provided much food for thought.

Sunday morning began with our Regional Trustee sharing his perceptions of AA service in our region, how it is progressing, and his gratitude for having a place in it.

The final send off was provided by members from our own Area. Our delegate, Brenda, chaired the session on "Sponsorship - Accepting Our Differences". The Area Alternate Chairperson, Sonja, and our Area Chairperson, Mark, did a most excellent job of covering the subject. There was no doubt that folks in our Area understood the topic, if their presentations were any indication.

First of all I want to thank our Area for the opportunity to attend the Regional Conference, and most of all I want to extend both an invitation, and offer a suggestion, that many others from our Area attend this function next year. Next year we get to make another of those wonderful "road trips" to Wyoming. As the Big Book says, "...an experience not be missed."

Dennis B.
Website Committee Chairperson