Editorial June 2020

Entirely ready! Step Six is short on words but it packs a mighty punch. By the time I got to this a lot of work had been done but now came the challenge. Am I ready to change? To leave stuff behind me? Destructive stuff but stuff I perversely quite like at times. Our Twelve Step Programme is simple but no one ever said it was easy and they were right. But as the work continues so does my sobriety. Keep at it my Fellows!

My thoughts today are with the newcomers. People new to AA may have looked up details about us online or made a call to our National helpline. What has changed drastically is our meetings have now moved On-Line. As a Fellowship we are well set up to welcome the newcomer as they hesitatingly approached the door of our meeting. We choose a ‘Greeter’ whose service position is to look out for newcomers and to welcome you. The Greeter offers to take you into the meeting room, give you a cup of coffee and introduce you to the groups Secretary and other members. We all understand how you feel as we had all been in your position as a newbie. Someone explains about what happens during the meeting, we chat to you during the tea break and after the meeting, give you AA literature and our phone numbers as a support.

We can still do that but in a different way. A ‘Newcomers Pack’ can be downloaded online. We look out for new faces at our online meetings and make sure we say hello and welcome you. But it is all too easy for you to just click out and leave. Can we just encourage you to stay and have a chat with us after the meeting? We are here to help.

Download the full issue here, or read the articles below.