Blake

There was a heated debate in my home group buisness meeting friday night.

A motion was made to purchase some literature to be donated to the parish jail.

THe intentions were well placed and it would promote NA's primary purpose.

The debate ensued in how this was to be done, the people that brought the motion wanted to purchase the literature and give it to the person that brings the meeting into the jail.

The other side of the argument was that it was an H&I issue and any donations should me made to area with it being noted that the money was for "Purchase of jail literature"

It got heated and eventually it passed to just buy the lit and give it to the panel leader of the jail meeting.


I personally thought that it should have been handled through the H&I subcomittee, am I wrong? Is it okay for individual groups to work with an H&I facillity outside of the H&I comittee?

THe main thing is that the jail is going to get the lit it needs, which is good. I just have a problem with how it is being done.......why have a comittee with a literature chair at all?

Moontime

Hey Blake- I'm the H&I chair of our area. Our Subcommitee has an $85 budget for 5 facilities. It was a motion that was passed when I was the vice-chair. Now we get $85 a month and we get literature and order it as a subcommitee

Blake

Our H&I comittee has a decent budget, $150/month for 7 regular facillities, The problem is that the jail meeting is somewhat new and has been going for a little less than 6 months, they have restrictions on what kind of literature can and can't be brought in, they have been kinda squeezed into the budget and are usually a little short.

What I see as a possible problem is if my home group buys lit for the jail AND H&I buys lit for the jail.....I just think it would have been better to send the money to area, that way on place isn't overstocked while others are hurting.

Moontime

H & I fundraiser is another way to fly. Speakerjam, covered dish foods, auctions.

Moontime

I didn't see that it was a home group issue until I re-read it. It's an area issue in my opinion.


H & I is a subcommittee that serves your area. . another opinion

Blake

I agree, but abunch of people didn't....

THe thing is, friday my homegroup passed the motion to donate lit to the jail.....sunday at ASC the problem with the lit shortage was addressed through the H&I subcomittee, like it was supposed to have been done.......maybe if more people in my home group actually went to ASC and subcomittee meetings the whole argument could have been adverted......then again if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle.....thanks for the input.

I'm vicechair of the A&F comittee and we haven't ever had a speakerjam in this area, we have been floating new ideas around to try to get some new functions in the works and I'm gonna bring this up at the next A&F meeting (we were given homework....come up with 10 new ideas for functions by next meeting)

godsonmyside

The home group has a good idea, but the home group can suggest through a motion to the ASC and 2nd by another home group and other groups can help in that sense.

Maybe as A&F your committee can get with H&I and put on a Speaker Jam, get speakers to come in from other areas and set up some topics and a Dance after and the Primary Purpose of the fundraiser be for H&I literature reserve.

Peace,
Todd J.

andyaddict

How ironic lol.

A few years back I was H&I chair of the North Louisiana Area and faced the same dilemma, except that I was on both the giving and receiving end. Most of my sponsees and I made up a home group there, the largest one in Shreveport. We (I) decided to donate our excess group money directly to H&I (which was also me) so as to expedite the restructuring of that committee.

BOY WERE THOSE CLOWNS AT AREA PISSED AT ME!! lol

They were outta the loop, either they had to show up at the group or show up at H&I, else they really had very little say in the matter, HA!

Groups are autonomous, welcomed to self-government and encouraged to support the service structure as they see fit. Just as my home group (big evil grin) found it necessary to further the H&I purpose (I pat me on the back), so your group is welcomed to do the same thing.

However, what I did was an abstract and bold thing to do. Those without much experience in service ought never try this trick at your home groups. Nevertheless, just as Jimmy K once held the World Service Office in his garage, so did I take the steps necessary to further the purpose of that committee in its floundering days.

When I was finished with my take-over antics, every panel had their own folders, briefcases, literature, laminated reading cards, and laminated formats; every committee person in both the H&I and Area committees had their own copies of the new, improved, and approved H&I guidelines. Looking back, I wouldn't have traded that controversy for the world.

And to top it off, even after all that, two years later I was nominated for and elected Louisiana Regional H&I Chair of which I served a stint. Maybe my program philosophy wasn't so unethical after all. Things that make you go hmmmm.

andyaddict
Los Angeles

godsonmyside

Have also seen groups fold and die because of personal agendas. There are always 2 sides.

Things that make you go hmmmm.


Peace,
Todd J.

andyaddict

Hence the reason I mentioned not to try this trick at home kids.

There were also far too many variables to explain, which led me to do what I did. The committee needed help, not next month, or later that year, it needed help yesterday. I took the job and made decisions that were not immediately popular, however the results were quite welcomed.


andyaddict
Los Angeles

godsonmyside

Alot of times we as Committees(I'll use Public Information as an example) do things that other will say "Well we've never done that before", invite you out to be creative and then tell you how creative you should be. LOL We don't really do Service to be popular, do we Andy. I know through PI I have been called every name in the book like Dope fiend, Self-Willing som sh!t, but it has boiled down to a committee serving to further the primary purpose and leaving the ego aside.

I believe that sometimes we stand alone on principle in Service, waiting for the Spirit to arrive on the other end, isn't it funny we believe so much in NA, and we argue over these things, who'd thought we would be doing this. When we serve and we serve God for Goodwill purposes, people aren't knocking me or you, they are knocking God.

Peace,
Todd J.

Blake

Andy,

I can see where sometimes actions like that would be warrented (weak H&I committee, struggleing with finances) but this case wasn't like that, in fact the H&I vice chair is in my home group and he said that he'd be more than happy to bring any donations to the ASC on sunday and he'd personally make sure that it went to the purpose it was intended for.........the people that wanted to skirt the service stucture wanted to have the lit donated in "rising star's" name instead of "North Shore area H&I committee's" I just didn't see the need to avoid the proper channels, but that's me and the group did, I guess the group knows best.