Aa history Lovers 2004 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page
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Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 10:20 PM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Conference Approved Literature Hi everyone, I'm looking for a little information and thought maybe one of you may be able to help. The question arose in one of our groups recently as to whether or not the use of non-conference approved literature by those in the Program was acceptable, or if it constituted a violation of of AA principles. I seem to recall having read something about the use of conference approved literature by AA members--it may have been in a newsletter or at this site, but I searched previous postings and didn't find anything. Did Bill W. speak or write about this in his later years or do you know of any relevant articles? Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Roseanne S. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1868. . . . . . . . . . . . Painting that is signed "Helen Griffith" From: silkworthdotnet . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/16/2004 9:41:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The following was sent to me @ silkworth.net: Name: Ann Email: ag......@c...... Subject: Painting signed "Helen Griffith" Hello, I am an Art Researcher in Seattle, WA. I have a painting which is signed "Helen Griffith". The painting dates, by my estimate from late 1920's. It is titled, "Gig Harbor - Fishing Village". I believe it may have been painted by the Helen Griffith who helped Bill and Lois, get their 1st house. I have read the most recent biography about Bill Wilson and the background for Helen Griffith could be a match. Do you have any other details about Helen? Was there possibly an obituary, when and where she died? Any help, references, or additional resources would be greatly appreciated. Of course, it would be an amazing coincidence that I would be so lucky to find this painting if it is by YOUR Helen Griffith. I am the mother of a son who is the 1st in 3 generations (of alcoholics I have known and loved ) to find recovery (after being on death's doorstep at age 17). He now has 7+ years of sobriety and is an amazing person. Best regards !and thanks for the help on retracing Helen Griffith's background. -Ann G. ======================================= I will direct Ann to AAHistoryLovers to see if anyone has responded and posted information about the above information. Kind regards, IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1869. . . . . . . . . . . . I need help encouraging more Closed meetings From: Lance . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/16/2004 10:09:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Anyone who can cite where out literature or other sources may say that closed meetings are one way to help us stick to our Primary Purpose...I'd be grateful for those references! Thanks so much! HUGS!!! Lance from colorful Colorado! Lance_1954@yahoo.com IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1870. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: I need help encouraging more Closed meetings From: Gilbert Gamboa . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/17/2004 10:34:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII First of all read Tradition 5-it states our primary purpose, also tradition 3 talks about membership(not attendance of meetings) being for alcoholics..step 12 also states our primary purpose, and page 159 (third edition)it reads - "IN ADDITION TO THESE CASUAL GET TOGETHERS,ITS BECOME CUSTOMARY TO SET APART ONE NIGHT A WEEK FOR A MEETING TO BE ATTENDED BY ANYONE OR EVERYONE INTERESTED IN A SPIRITUAL WAY OF LIFE.ASIDE FROM FELLOWSHIP AND SOCIABILITY,THE PRIME OBJECT WAS TO PROVIDE A TIME AND PLACE WHERE NEW PEOPLE MIGHT BRING THEIR PROBLEMS".(problems in this sentence refers to alcoholism !!!!!) again we are here for the newcomer,its important to understand that most reasons for making a meeting a closed one is because of sharing of personal problems we are having that day.see somthing wrong with that?these things arent for the meeting where is the solution in sharing personal problems in a meeting,that should be left to your higher power and your sponsor.A meeting is to hook up the new-comer to a solution and remind each other (50 years sober or 30 days sober) where we found that solution. Trust God,Clean house,Carry hope Gilbert G. Lance Anyone who can cite where out literature or other sources may say that closed meetings are one way to help us stick to our Primary Purpose...I'd be grateful for those references! Thanks so much! HUGS!!! Lance from colorful Colorado! Lance_1954@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1871. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Conference Approved Literature From: Danny S . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/18/2004 4:35:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The term "Conference Approved" did not even exist in our Fellowship prior to the First Annual General Service Conference held in April 20- 22, 1951. Not even the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous could be "Conference Approved" before that year. Today not all AA material distributed through AA has gone through the rather tedious conference approval processed, nor does it require approval of the General Service Conference in order to be considered by members as AA literature. All references to use of the term "Conference Approved" in the Report of the First Annual General Service Conference appears to point heavily toward the creation of a process by which we could officially distinguish which literature we hold publishing rights and therefor control over the proceeds that such literature generates. This also would establish a firm precedence in order to prevent non-AA entities from profiting out the sale of AA literature. No small issue. There is no written record, to which I am aware that would indicate that "Conference Approved" should construed by AA members as a "stamp of approval" for content. Peace,
Danny S IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1872. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Painting that is signed "Helen Griffith" From: Mel Barger . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/17/2004 8:12:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi Ann and History Lover friends: I stayed two weekends at Stepping Stones while working on "Pass It On." The story I got from Lois was that a Griffith had lived there in the 1920s and had a drinking problem. The coincidence is that Griffith was Bill's middle name and also the family name of his maternal grandparents. But perhaps the real estate agent was named Griffith too. In any case, she pushed hard to persuade the Wilsons to visit the house which they were reluctant to do because they were flat broke and didn't even have money for a down payment. After getting them to see the house, the agent worked out a deal so they could get it for $6500 with no down payment and $40 a month payments. Since they were already paying $20 a month to store their furniture, all they had to do was come up with another $20 and they were home free, which they did. The bedrooms were very tiny and it wouldn't have been a good family home. But it was fine for a couple and would have been great for a person with an artistic bent. The Wilsons were happy there and Lois wouldn't have moved even when her income had soared to half a million a year and she could have moved into the swankiest Manhattan apartment. She was a great gardener and knew where everything on the eight or ten acre place was planted. Mel Barger ~~~~~~~~ Mel Barger melb@accesst ~~~~~~~~ Mel Barger melb@accesstoledo.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "silkworthdotnet" To: Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 10:41 PM Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Painting that is signed "Helen Griffith" > The following was sent to me @ silkworth.net: > > Name: Ann > Email: ag......@c...... > Subject: Painting signed "Helen Griffith" > > Hello, I am an Art Researcher in Seattle, WA. I have a painting > which is signed "Helen Griffith". The painting dates, by my estimate > from late 1920's. It is titled, "Gig Harbor - Fishing Village". I > believe it may have been painted by the Helen Griffith who helped > Bill and Lois, get their 1st house. I have read the most recent > biography about Bill Wilson and the background for Helen Griffith > could be a match. Do you have any other details about Helen? Was > there possibly an obituary, when and where she died? Any help, > references, or additional resources would be greatly appreciated. Of > course, it would be an amazing coincidence that I would be so lucky > to find this painting if it is by YOUR Helen Griffith. I am the > mother of a son who is the 1st in 3 generations (of alcoholics I have > known and loved ) to find recovery (after being on death's doorstep > at age 17). He now has 7+ years of sobriety and is an amazing person. > Best regards !and thanks for the help on retracing Helen Griffith's > background. -Ann G. > ======================================= > > I will direct Ann to AAHistoryLovers to see if anyone has > responded and posted information about the above information. > > Kind regards, > / Jim Myers > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > This message was scanned by GatewayDefender > 8:18:46 AM ET - 6/17/2004 > IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1873. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Re: Conference Approved Literature From: Susan Krieger . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/18/2004 2:13:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII In the 1977 conference actions report: It was suggested tha A.A.groups be discouraged from selling literature not distributed by the General Service Office and the Grapevine. p44 A Summery: Advisory Actions of the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous 1951 - 1986 susan
baltimore ----- Original Message ----- From: "Danny S" To: Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 2:35 AM Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Re: Conference Approved Literature > The term "Conference Approved" did not even exist in our Fellowship > prior to the First Annual General Service Conference held in April 20- > 22, 1951. Not even the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous could > be "Conference Approved" before that year. > > Today not all AA material distributed through AA has gone through the > rather tedious conference approval processed, nor does it require > approval of the General Service Conference in order to be considered > by members as AA literature. > > All references to use of the term "Conference Approved" in the Report > of the First Annual General Service Conference appears to point > heavily toward the creation of a process by which we could officially > distinguish which literature we hold publishing rights and therefor > control over the proceeds that such literature generates. This also > would establish a firm precedence in order to prevent non-AA entities > from profiting out the sale of AA literature. No small issue. > > There is no written record, to which I am aware that would indicate > that "Conference Approved" should construed by AA members as a "stamp > of approval" for content. > > Peace,
> > Danny S > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1874. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Re: Conference Approved Literature From: Arthur . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/19/2004 7:43:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi I don't believe it's a stretch to suggest that when groups stress that they will allow only
Conference-approved literature, they are likely trying to achieve three things:
1. Keep out the proliferation of 'recovery'' writings that are emanating from more and more varied sources (e.g. Barnes and Noble has a 'Recovery'' section in their book stores). 2. Ensure that there is no blurring of the distinction between AA and the proliferation of other '12 Step Fellowships.'' 3. Stay with literature that has been reviewed by a Conference standing committee to ensure that it conforms to AA principles. It would likely be better to use the term 'AA literature'' instead of 'Conference-approved literature'' since a fairly substantial body of AA literature is not required to go through the Conference-approval process. Some examples: 1. Grapevine (and its non-English counterparts). 2. Box 459
3. Guidelines (the "yellow sheets") 4. Workbooks (e.g. Archives, PI, CPC, TF and CF service committees) 5. Markings (the GSO Archives newsletter) 9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;"> 6. About AA (PI releases) 7. Directories 8. Advisory Actions of the General Service Conference of AA (M-39) 9. Final reports of the General Service Conference 10.
Literature published by GSOs other than the US/Canada and AAWS 11. Final reports of the World Service Conference 9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;"> 12. Memento booklets from International Conventions 9.0pt;font-family:Verdana;"> 13. Literature catalogs and flyers (AAWS and Grapevine) 14. Non-English interpretations of books/pamphlets 15. Various and sundry GSO publications called 'service pieces.'' (And I've probably missed others) There is literature, published outside of AA, that is not Conference-approved but which is certainly valuable and beneficial. There are some wonderful historic and spiritual works. If you visit GSO in NY and go the Archives exhibit, you'll see an entire wall of books that are not Conference-approved - which is fine for anyone engaging in serious research. On the other hand there is an awful lot of nonsense, 'recovery psycho-babble'' and revisionist history that gets published as well. So how do you deal with all of this? I believe most groups draw a line by adopting a guideline to only allow Conference-approved literature. What does GSO have to say on the matter? The information below is a transcription of a service piece (re 15 above) that is included in a packet that is sent to a new group when it registers with GSO. It also appears in a number of service committee kits. Cheers
Arthur *CONFERENCE-APPROVED LITERATURE* *Service Material From G.S.O.* *'Conference-approved''--What It Means to You* The term 'Conference-approved'' describes written or audiovisual material approved by the Conference for publication by G.S.O. This process assures that everything in such literature is in accord with A.A. principles. Conference-approved material always deals with the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous or with information about the A.A. Fellowship. The term has no relation to material not published by G.S.O. It does not* bold;"> *imply Conference disapproval of other material about A.A. A great deal of literature helpful to alcoholics is published by others, and A.A. does not try to tell any individual member what he or she may or may not read. Conference approval assures us that a piece of literature represents solid A.A. experience. Any Conference-approved booklet or pamphlet goes through a lengthy and painstaking process, during which a variety of A.A.s from all over the United States and Canada read and express opinions at every stage of production. *How To Tell What Is and What Is Not Conference-approved* Look for the statement on books, pamphlets and films: *'This is A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature''* *All 'A.A. Literature'' Is Not Conference-approved* Central offices and intergroups do write and distribute pamphlets or booklets that are not Conference-approved. If such pieces meet the needs of the local membership, they may be legitimately classified as 'A.A*. *literature.'' There is no conflict between A.A. World Services, Inc. (A.A.W.S. - publishers of Conference-approved literature), and central offices or intergroups - rather
they complement each other. The Conference does not disapprove of such material. G.S.O. does develop some literature that does not have to be approved by the Conference, such as service material, Guidelines and bulletins. *Available at Most A.A. Groups* Most local A.A. groups purchase anddisplay a representative sampling of Conference-approved pamphlets, and usually carry a supply of hardcover books. Conference-approved literature may be available at central offices and intergroups, or it may be ordered directly from G.S.O. Groups normally offer pamphlets free of charge, and the books at cost. *Copyright* Conference-approved literature is copyrighted with the Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. To insure the continued integrity of A.A. literature, and to make sure the A.A. recovery programs will not be distorted or diluted, permission to reprint must be obtained from A.A.W.S. in writing. However, A.A. newsletters, bulletins, or meeting lists have blanket permission to use the material, providing proper credit is given to insure that the copyrights of A.A. literature are protected. The A.A. Preamble is copyrighted by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. (not by A.A. World Services). Beneath it, these words should appear: Reprinted with permission of the A.A. Grapevine, Inc. The Steps and Traditions should be followed by these words: Reprinted with Permission of A.A. World Services, Inc. *10/93*
F-29 (handwritten) -----
*From:* Susan Krieger [mailto:susank@qis.net] *Sent:* Friday, June 18, 2004 2:14 PM *To:* AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com *Subject:* Re: [AAHistoryLovers] Re: Conference Approved Literature 12.0pt;"> 10.0pt;">In the 1977 conference actions report: It was suggested tha A.A.groups be 10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";"> discouraged from selling literature not distributed by the General Service Office and the Grapevine. p44 A Summery: Advisory Actions of the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous 1951 - 1986 susan baltimore ----- Original Message ----- From: "Danny S" To: Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 2:35 AM Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Re: Conference Approved Literature > The term "Conference Approved" did not even exist in our Fellowship > prior to the First Annual General Service Conference held in April 20- > 22, 1951. Not even the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous could > be "Conference Approved" before that year. > > Today not all AA material distributed through AA has gone through the > rather tedious conference approval processed, nor does it require > approval of the General Service Conference in order to be considered > by members as AA literature. > > All references to use of the term "Conference Approved" in the Report > of the First Annual General Service Conference appears to point > heavily toward the creation of a process by which we could officially > distinguish which literature we hold publishing rights and therefor > control over the proceeds that such literature generates. This also > would establish a firm precedence in order to prevent non-AA entities > from profiting out the sale of AA literature. No small issue. > > There is no written record, to which I am aware that would indicate > that "Conference Approved" should construed by AA members as a "stamp > of approval" for content. > > Peace,
> > Danny S > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 1875. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Conference Approved Literature From: jbackman1@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/19/2004 5:19:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII In a message dated 6/15/2004 2:31:05 PM Central Daylight Time, meggie1270@wideopenwest.com writes: , There is an unconscious movement to make the term "Conference Approved" mean something that it does not mean. The simple summary of "Conference Approval" is that it is literature written for AA that has been voted on in General Service Conference meetings as representing the thinking of the majority of Yüklə 1,35 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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