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The conference officially adjourned deliberations on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. The Serenity Prayer was shared by three delegates in Spanish, French and English.

On Saturday morning we attended a closing brunch and heard farewell remarks by rotating trustees: George Vaillant M.D., Class A; Ric D., Class B, Western Canada; and Ted S., Class B, West Central Region, U.S.

That afternoon we traveled to Stepping Stones, the home of Bill and Lois in Bedford Hills. This was truly a spiritual experience and one I will cherish always. There just wasn't enough time to soak it all in. We were there for several hours, but I could have stayed for several days. Everything is as if Bill and Lois could walk through the door at any time and life would be the same. There was an indescribable presence, especially sitting at the original kitchen table where Ebby 12-Stepped Bill, and Bill's desk where he wrote much of the literature we still use today. I touched a part of our heritage that day, and have an even stronger sense of responsibility now that I did before to help safeguard Alcoholics Anonymous!

SUMMARY

The 134 voting members of the conference shared a full week of discussion, deliberation and camaraderie. (There were actually only 132 voting members - Charlie B., Class B trustee-at-large for the U.S., and Allen Ault, Ed.D, Class A trustee, were not able to join us due to extended health concerns, please keep them in your prayers). The conference approved 25 Conference Advisory Actions. There were five floor actions requested; two became Advisory Actions and three were not considered. Items discussed by committee, but no action taken, are known as Additional Committee Considerations. The conference reviewed 52 of these committee items. The discussion was lively at times and many of the considerations may include the request for additional information to be discussed at a later date or by the next conference.

What is an Advisory Action? It actually starts as an agenda item for consideration by the conference (an idea that was brought to the conference from an area, district, group or individual member). It is first discussed by the trustees' committee, forwarded to the conference committee (which consists of delegates), and may be brought to the entire conference (134 voting members) as a recommendation. In order for a recommendation to become an Advisory Action it must pass by at least two-thirds of those voting. So, essentially an Advisory Action has gone through the group conscience by discussion from the groups, districts and areas, discussion by the trustees conference committees, the delegates that serve on the conference committees, and then finally to the conference floor for more discussion and vote. Based on that important process an Advisory Action is something that the fellowship as a whole would like to see implemented. It is then moved forward to a trustee committee, A.A. World Services Board, Grapevine Board or General Service Office for implementation.

It is amazing to see how the committee process works. It all culminated at the conference when I experienced a recommendation coming from a committee discussed, voted on, and passed by 'substantial unanimity' (two-thirds). It is a huge responsibility to know that the decisions made can and will affect A.A. as a whole for many generations to come.

As it states in our Conference Charter (found in its entirety starting on page S93 of The A.A. Service Manual, 2003-2004 edition): "The General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous is the guardian of world services and of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous." "The Conference will act for A.A. in the perpetuation and guidance of its world services, and it will also be the vehicle by which the A.A. movement can express its view upon all matters of vital A.A. policy and all hazardous deviations from A.A Tradition."

The six General Warranties of the Conference are clearly stated in Article 12 of the Conference Charter and further explained in Concept Twelve. These warranties are some of the most spiritual guides the conference should adhere to and helped me personally as your delegate when I was at the conference. They embody the principles that guide all of us serving A.A. As found on page S96 of The A.A. Service Manual, 2003-2004 edition: "In all its proceedings, the General Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the Conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth and power; that sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, be its prudent financial principle; that none of the Conference members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others; that all important decisions be reached by discussion, vote and whenever possible, by substantial unanimity; that no conference action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy, that though the Conference may act for the service of Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain democratic in thought and action!"

It is an honor and privilege to serve as your delegate! I am truly grateful for the opportunity! The experience has enriched my life and I am a better person for it. As the long form of the 12th Tradition reminds me; "And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has a spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us all!"

In Love and Gratitude,

Brenda L.
Delegate, Panel 53
Area 36, Southern Minnesota

What Advisory Actions or Additional Committee Considerations will need follow-up throughout the year?

1.     Agenda Committee   Advisory Actions (the following theme and topics are great for discussion and/or workshops throughout the area at district meetings, group activities or area assemblies).

  1. Theme for the 2005 General Service Conference "Basics of Our Home Group - Recovery, Unity and Service."
  2. Presentation/Discussion topics for the 2005 General Service Conference:
  3. Workshop Topic for the 2005 General Service Conference: "Do I Carry the A.A. Message Or My Own?"

2.    C.P.C. Committee   Committee Considerations included:

  1. That information be gathered from the fellowship for possible inclusion in the CPC Workbook on ways that CPC committees are approaching and contacting professionals about A.A. via sending letters.
  2. The committee encouraged input from local CPC committees about literature that may be useful in informing legal professionals about A.A.

3.    Correctional Facilities Committee   Committee Consideration:

  1. The committee unanimously requested that we continue to gather and review additional sharing from Area Delegates, Correctional Committees, Cooperation With the Professional Community Committees, and Bridging the Gap Area Chairs on the topic of introducing A.A. into training programs for correctional personnel, and that this information be used to write guidelines for the development of workshops and training sessions on introducing A.A. to correctional personnel.

4.    Finance Committee   Committee Consideration:

  1. The committee requests that the trustees' Finance Committee review the level of delegate area participation (delegate fees and area contributions) to the General Service Conference forwarding this information to the 2005 Conference Finance Committee.
    FYI: Each area is currently asked to send $800 to help defray the expense of their delegate to the General Service Conference. Direct cost per voting member for the 2003 Conference was approximately $4,527.00. That cost does not include G.S.O. Staff support costs before, during and after the Conference. Total costs for the 2003 General Service Conference were $1,177,800.00.

Although the following items were not a recommendation or committee consideration from the trustee or Conference Finance Committee, I believe it is appropriate for the questions raised in the presentation from Vincent Keefe, (Class A Trustee) from the trustees' Finance & Budgetary Committee, to be further discussed within our area (perhaps setting aside some time at a group business meeting, district meeting or area assembly).

Vincent pointed out three trends currently taking place in A.A.

Trend #1 - Group contributions have stopped growing, essentially flat in the last three years. It was noted that contributions stopped growing at about the same time we reduced the price of the Big Book to lower the prudent reserve. Has the message of an excessive Reserve Fund been interpreted as a declining need for contributions? If so, what will happen as operating expenses continue to increase due to inflation? Will we be forced into a cycle of needing to continually increase literature prices as a way to balance the operating budget? What actions should we take?
I've added a couple of additional questions: How do we get more groups to contribute? What services do the groups/fellowship want from G.S.O.?

Trend #2 - Grapevine magazine subscriptions continue to decline; therefore the Grapevine is becoming more dependant on developing additional income from other literature items to balance the operating budget. The 2002 A.A. membership survey totaled over 1.2 million members in the U.S. and Canada, yet March 2004 Grapevine subscriptions totaled a little over 91,000, 7.2% of our membership. Because of our focus on other literature sales for the Grapevine, are we starting to lose focus on the primary purpose of the Grapevine magazine? Is the Grapevine "fading away" right before our eyes? Have we become complacent?
I have a couple questions of my own on this as well: Does the fellowship really want the Grapevine? If we do, why don't we support it? If we don't, why do we keep producing it?

Trend #3 - We continue to focus on the management of our reserve fund to keep it in range of 9-12 months. The means by which we do this is through literature pricing. The course of action we took a few years ago was reducing the price of the Big Book and it worked exactly as planned reducing the fund from 11.6 months to 9.7 months. Now we see a different situation developing with the fund starting to head below the acceptable range, so we are increasing the Big Book price up $1.00 to reduce deficits. While our processes are efficient and keep finances in balance, could we be focused on the wrong objective? Is our objective to balance the finances or is our objective to "reach out to the still-suffering alcoholic?" Would we reach more suffering alcoholics if we focused more on service work and less on the prudent Reserve Fund?

Professionals currently estimate 20 million people in the U.S. and Canada suffering from alcohol dependency or meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse disorder. Would more service work increase our reach? What if this topic were a Fellowship-wide discussion?

"Are we focusing on the Right Question?"

5.    Literature Committee   Advisory Actions:

  1. The Conference approved updating stories in the pamphlet "Young People and A.A.", adding new, younger age stories solicited from the Fellowship to reflect current experience.
    This means, young people in our area should consider writing their story and submitting it for possible inclusion in this pamphlet. I will report the criteria guidelines for doing this as soon as I receive them from the trustees' Literature Committee.
  2. The Conference approved moving forward with producing the Spanish-language Third Edition Big Book, Alcoholicos Anonimos using the trustees' recommendations on contents, process and story solicitation.
    Next steps in moving forward would include soliciting stories from the Spanish-speaking A.A. membership from the United States, Canada and other Spanish-speaking countries. I will report this request as soon as I receive information from the trustees' Literature Committee.

6.    Policy/Admissions Committee   Advisory Actions:

  1. The committee recommended that the current practice for viewing or examining all materials other than service material submitted for Conference approval be continued adhering to the principle of the "right of decision" throughout the Conference process.

    This recommendation was approved by the conference; however, after hearing the minority opinion there was a motion to reconsider. Although the motion to reconsider did not pass, 40 members voted to reconsider their original vote.

    Based on the numbers to reconsider, and what I believe to be a lack of understanding in the original motion that came from our area, it would be my recommendation that as an area we continue to discuss this matter.

FYI: Our original proposal to the Conference read: Develop a consistent policy stating, "All Conference members shall be allowed to review (non-service) materials submitted for Conference approval prior to deliberation and voting at the General Service Conference. This includes an item of literature, a collection of work, a film, video, or any other statement." This policy should be included with all information discussing "Conference Approved" literature.

         Policy/Admissions - Committee Considerations:

  1. The committee requested that the trustees' Committee on the General Service Conference consider forwarding a recommendation to the 2005 Conference Committee on Policy/Admissions regarding the broader use of self-powered personal digital assistants (PDAs) and/or similar electronic devices with no attachments for note taking at the General Service Conference.
    Note: Further discussion from areas, districts and groups would be appropriate for this request.

7.    Public Information Committee   Committee Considerations:

  1. The committee requested that all Conference Areas review whether and how Alcoholics Anonymous is listed in the white pages of local phone books.
    Note: This request is to help local PI efforts reflect specifically what the public service announcements are saying in their tag line, "Look us up. Check your phone book, newspaper or aa.org."

8.    Treatment Facilities Committee   Committee Considerations:

  1. The committee requested that the Treatment Facilities staff person request further shared experience on the scope of Treatment Facilities Committee activities from areas, districts and Intergroup/central offices in the U.S. and Canada.
    Note: This item could offer a wonderful opportunity for workshops to discuss Treatment Facilities Committee activities in our area, districts and Intergroup offices.
  2. The committee discussed ways of carrying A.A.'s message of singleness of purpose, which includes mailing letters and making visits to treatment facilities professionals, and conducting workshops for A.A. members and professionals on what A.A. is and is not.
    Note: This is also a consideration that could enhance Treatment Facility Committee activity in our area and districts.

9.    International Conventions/ Regional Forums Committee   Committee Considerations:

  1. The committee discussed ways to encourage interest in Regional and Special Forums and suggested that areas with web sites consider linking to the General Service Office Web Site in order to provide members in the area with easier access to information about Regional and Special Forums.

10.    Floor Action #5

"That the A.A. Grapevine Corporate Board produce a collection of stories for young people drawn from previous issues of the A.A. Grapevine Magazine, similar to "Spiritual Awakenings." Note: This action was not considered by the conference; however, as an area, we may wish to have further discussion regarding this motion since we've already entertained this option in our consideration of additional literature for young people.

As you can see from the above items, there is plenty to review and discuss in the upcoming months. It is important that districts and groups take the time to discuss these items and share their voice. Our general service structure is in place for the whole of A.A. I will continue to report any updates or information that I receive.

Yours in Love and Gratitude,

Brenda L.
Delegate, Panel 53
Area 36, Southern Minnesota