September 2026 Bulletin
Step 9
Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Motivation and Honesty:
Am I truly making this amends to repair harm, or do I have a hidden motive like seeking praise or forcing forgiveness?
Am I trying to make the other person feel guilty or place blame on them?
Am I using an apology to defend myself or argue my side of the story?
Safety and Impact:
Could contacting this person cause them physical, emotional, or financial harm?
Did I talk through my doubts and safety concerns with my sponsor or counselor before moving forward?
Who on my list is unavailable? Is an indirect or living amend more appropriate?
Action and Acceptance:
What specific behavior or restitution is needed beyond just saying "I'm sorry"?
Am I prepared to accept whatever response or reaction the person gives without trying to control the outcome?
Which amends require changes in my daily actions rather than a direct conversation?
Meeting Notes and News
New Meeting in Norco: Norco Noon, Mondays at Noon, First Baptist Church, 626 5th St., Norco, LA.
High Noon For Women in Thibodaux, is no longer meeting.
Imagine Recovery: Has moved to 1476 Magazine St. I don’t know where Up & At ‘Em is going.
132 Group is moving to new Imagine Recovery Location.
Open on Sundays: Has moved to St. Francis of Assis, 631 State St.
BYOB: Has moved to St. Francis of Assis, 631 State St.
Tradition 9
Short Form: A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve
Long Form: Each A.A. group needs the least possible organisation. Rotating leadership is the best. The small group may elect its secretary, the large group its rotating committee, and the groups of a large metropolitan area their central or intergroup committee, which often employs a full-time secretary. The trustees of the General Service Board are, in effect, our A.A. General Service Committee. They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General Service Office in New York. They are authorised by the groups to handle our overall public relations, and they guarantee the integrity of our principal newspaper, the A.A. Grapevine. All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole. They derive no real authority from their titles; they do not govern. Universal respect is the key to their usefulness.
Tradition Check list from the the Grapevine:
Is our group over organised? Are our leaders servants or do they take control?
Am I aware of the service structure of AA? Of the upside-down triangle?
Do I feel that our service structure is accountable? Do I understand how it is accountable?
Do I serve to the best of my ability or do I leave the work to others because ‘it’s not my job’ or ‘someone else will do it’ or judge that it’ll be ‘good for the newer member’?
Am I aware of those I am responsible to in my A.A. work?
Do I resist formal aspects of A.A. because I fear them as authoritative?
Does ‘not organised’ mean no organisation?
Have I read the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions? How about the pamphlet “AA Tradition - How it Developed”?
Service Board Notes - August
Service Board Budget
A draft budget for the current physical year was presented and is being taken back to the homegroups. If your Service Board Representative forgot to get one, a copy can be found in the above link. For those with concerns, please make sure you inform your SBR so they can voice them at the next Service Board Meeting.
Website Progress
We are working to put group contributions on the website.
Committee Appointments
Carolyn has been appointed to the Pi/CPC committee. Carolyn is also the chair of ad hoc policies and procedures committee to amend / update the bylaws and job descriptions of the Service Board.
Convention and Committee News
Big Deep South 2027 has its board but is still in need of committee chairs.
dAAy in the Park’s meets every other Tuesday, and are next meeting this Tuesday, September 15,at Audubon Park, Pavilion 11, off St. Charles Ave. For more details, please consult the events page of this website.
Bylaws and Amendments
The amendment to the bylaws passed with substantial unanimity. The bylaws now reads, “The Service Board is responsible for maintaining a Prudent Reserve, which consists of six to nine months of its annual operating expenses (i.e., the total expenses for the previous fiscal year less the expenses for the Big Deep South Convention and Central Office Inventory purchases).”
AA Trivia
Our recovery history:
What was the first name of the third permanently-sober member of the fellowship?
Who was the primary founder of the Cleveland Group?
Who agreed, in 1938, to contribute $5,000 (in $30 weekly increments) to help support Bill and Dr. Bob’s efforts?
What was the name of the corporation formed by Bill W. and others in the late 1930s for the purpose of publishing the Big Book?
Answers provided in next month’s bulletin.
Answers from last month’s Trivia Questions:
In which state was Dr. Bob born and raised? Vermont.
Who was offered, but declined, the opportunity to write the chapter “To the Wives”? Anne Smith, Dr. Bob’s Wife. It was actually written by Bill W.
In what popular national magazine did Jack Alexander write his 1941 article introducing and supporting AA? The Saturday Evening Post.
Who was Bill W.’s secretary in the late 1930s? Ruth Hock
Concept 9
Short Form: Good service leadership at all levels is indispensable for our future functioning and safety. Primary world service leadership, once exercised by the founders, must necessarily be assumed by the trustees.
Long Form: Good service leaders, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are at all levels indispensable for our future functioning and safety. The primary world service leadership once exercised by the founders of AA must necessarily be assumed by the Trustees of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Concepts Questions, part of Service Material from the General Service Office, Concepts Checklist
Do we discuss how we can best strengthen the composition and leadership of our future trusted servants?
Do we recognize the need for group officers? What is our criteria for elections? Do we sometimes give a position to someone “because it would be good for them”?
Do I set a positive leadership example?
Central Office Report
Central Office hasn’t burned down yet. The bills are being paid and literature is being bought. Still working on making sure we don’t run out of chips.
Volunteers Needed: We still need volunteers for most shifts. If you are interested please email us at office@AANewOrleans.org or call us during business hours at 504.836.0507. Thanks for thinking about taking action.
Donations Spreadsheet: We are in the process of creating a spreadsheet that lists all the meetings that have donated to central office from January to now, and will continue to update it as donations come in. The completed spreadsheet will be published on the website.
Area 27 Conference: I attended the Area 27 conference and was honored to report on the successes and challenges we have had both at Central Office and with Big Deep South.
Pamphlet Price: Pamphlet pricing has been adjusted to eliminate pennies. The price of all pamphlets have been changed so that, with tax, the price is now rounded to the nearest nickel.
Monthly Blog: We have added Meeting News and Updates to our bulletin. We are still playing with where to place it.