CONFERENCE ADVISORY ACTIONS OF THE 63^rd GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE

The following could be of interest to most: (details of all on the Abridged Version)

4.      A commemorative 75^th Anniversary Edition of the first edition, first printing of Alcoholics Anonymous be published in April 2014.

6.      The statement in the section Referrals From Court and Treatment Facilities in the pamphlet “If You Are a Professional…,” is revised as follows (AKA Court Cards):

“Each group is autonomous.  Some groups, at the request of the prospective member, have the A.A. group secretary sign, initial or stamp a slip that has been furnished by the court.  The referred person provides the slip to the court as proof of attendance.”

12.    The draft pamphlet “A.A—Spiritual not Religious” is a go. The trustees’ Literature Committee will further discuss and it will be brought back next year.

17.    The 63^rd General Service Conference affirmed that Internet, Social Media and all forms of Public Communications are implicit in the Short Form of Tradition Eleven, which reads: “….at the level of press, radio and films.”

18.    A.A. World Services is permitted to utilize commissionable support and distribution technologies for the sale and distribution of digital A.A. literature. Yep, that is e-books; no longer will Apple users be the only ones (if they so chose). Developing an App proved so costly for Apple users that other platforms weren’t considered.

19.    Correct typos in the article “Leadership in A.A.:  Ever a Vital Need,” “…badly disturbed or uniformed…” be corrected to “…badly disturbed or uninformed…” in the next printing (noting that this typo has existed since the first printing [‘60s] of Twelve Concepts for World Service).

21.    Added the rotation issue in The A.A. Service Manual, after the section entitled “Stimulating Interest in General Service”:

“The Principle of Rotation

“Traditionally, rotation ensures that service positions, like nearly everything else in A.A., are passed around for all to share. Many positions have alternates who can step into the service positions if needed.

“To step out of an A.A. office we love can be hard.  If we have been doing a good job, if we honestly don’t see anyone else around willing, qualified, or with the time to do it, and if our friends agree, it’s especially tough. But it can be a real step forward in growth—a step into the humility that is, for some people, the spiritual essence of anonymity.

“Among other things, anonymity in the Fellowship means that we forgo personal prestige for any A.A. work we do to help alcoholics. And, in the spirit of Tradition Twelve, it ever reminds us ‘to place principles before personalities.’

“Many outgoing service position holders find it rewarding to take time to share their experience with the incoming person. Rotation helps to bring us spiritual rewards far more enduring than any fame.  With no A.A. ‘status’ at stake, we needn’t compete for titles or praise—we have complete freedom to serve as we are needed.”