For the edification of the Chairman (et al) of Poole Intergroup

Extract (in full) from 2010 edition of AA (GB) Guidelines:

“GUIDELINES for A.A. in Great Britain
From the General Service Office, P.O. Box 1, 10 Toft Green, York Y01 7NJ
SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES Revised January 2000 No. 3

GROUP SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
(GSR)

Bill W said, “the strength of our whole structure starts with the Group and with the General Service Representative (G.S.R.) that the Group elects”. Working via the Intergroup the GSR is the Groups` link with the General Service Conference, through which groups share experiences and voice AA’s collective conscience.

More from Bill W………..

“The G.S.R.- as the general service representative is known - has the job of linking his or her group with A.A. as a whole. The G.S.R. represents the voice of the group conscience, reporting the groups’ wishes to the committee member and to the delegate, who passes them on to the Conference and to the movement. For this, G.S.R.’s need the confidence of the group. They also need a good ear for listening. We all realize whatever “authority” there is in A.A. resides in the group conscience. Because of this, a G.S.R. can determine exactly what a group needs, what a group thinks about a situation, and can pass this information along to where it will be most useful in policy-making. This is a two-way street, allowing the G.S.R. to bring back to the group the problems and remedies that affect A.A. unity, health, and growth. To the extent that a G.S.R. keeps the group informed, then expresses the group conscience, only to that extent can the Conference feel it is acting for A.A. as a whole”. (From “The A.A. Service Manual”)

Responsibilities

The suggested responsibilities are:-

• Share with their group all Fellowship mail, communication and news items.
• Keep members informed about local service activities.
• They may be contacts for referral to carry the AA message.
• GSRs can also help their Group solve problems by drawing upon the facilities of the General Service Office in York where the staff is ready to relay helpful AA experience from all over the World.
• They can help see that up-to-date group information for the AA directory is sent promptly to GSO.
• The GSR is the vital link in the chain of two way communication between the Group and Intergroup. Each represents his or her Group at Intergroup service assemblies, sharing experiences with neighbouring GSRs in workshops and sharing sessions.
• Prior to attending Intergroup Meetings, fully discuss agenda items with the Group.
• Represent and express the Group’s conscience at all Intergroup Meetings. The GSR should faithfully express the Group’s opinions whatever his or her feelings maybe: thus putting principles before personalities.
• Following Intergroup report back to the Group.
• The GSR has a responsibility to attend all such meetings and, if this is impossible, to brief thoroughly an alternate, chosen by the Group to stand in.
• Encourage observers to attend Intergroup in order to foster their interest in the Fellowship and sponsor other members into Service.
• Only GSR’s and members of the Intergroup Committee are entitled to vote at Intergroup meetings.
• It is the GSR’s responsibility to know the Group so well that should unexpected matters come before the Intergroup meeting he or she will have a fair idea of Group’s conscience.

Qualifications

Groups should take due care in electing their GSR, giving particular regard to the following:

• It is suggested that the GSR should have at least two or three years’ continuous sobriety and preferably not hold any other Group office. (It should be remembered that the GSR may be eligible for candidature as a Regional representative or as a Conference delegate).
• The GSR should have a working knowledge of the AA publications referred to in the introduction
• The GSR should have a good knowledge of the structure of AA.
• The GSR should be a regular weekly attender at his or her own Group and therefore be able, should necessity arise, to stand in for any other officer of the Group who is unable to be present.
• The GSR should be prepared to serve for a minimum of two years.”

(our emphases)

Comment:
To reiterate:

“We all realize whatever “authority” there is in A.A. resides in the group conscience”

and under Responsibilities:

“Represent and express the Group’s conscience at all Intergroup Meetings. The GSR should faithfully express the Group’s opinions whatever his or her feelings maybe: thus putting principles before personalities.”

We also refer the Chairman (see here) to the “Structure of Alcoholics Anonymous in Great Britain” (taken from AA website archives). If he and and his associates are unwilling to accept the expressed conscience of the constituent groups of Poole Intergroup then he (and his supporters) have really only one option – to resign! If he (and they) should fail to do so (which we strongly suspect will be the case – this type rarely do!) then a vote of no confidence should be proposed and if carried the intransigent Intergroup officers should be removed from their positions with immediate effect. Whichever line of action is taken failure by this Intergroup to act in accordance with the conscience of the groups brings it (and AA) into disrepute and is a direct breach of Tradition Two. We cite accordingly:

“For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”

Cheers

The Fellas