SCA members,

The annual conference for SCA’s International Service Organization (ISO) took place from March 24th-26th in Los Angeles CA. 

Among other business matters, the ISO did the following:

—approved the new  design for our international SCA website  www.sca-recovery.org. We expect this to become operational later this spring, replacing the current format that exists on that site. Our thanks to the website redesign committee, headed by Marty S.(Online Intergroup) who worked so diligently on this over the past several years. 

Our needs: a webmaster to put the finishing touches on this work and to oversee the site, going forward.

—approved a pamphlet on sponsorship. This was originally submitted by SCA’s LA fellowship and has been extensively worked on by the Literature Development Committee. It will be published later this year, after final editing details, such as chapter headings and cover design are completed. We also welcomed Peter C (LA) as Literature Development Chair.

—conditionally approved a “draft version” of a commentary on the 12 Traditions of SCA. This will be published and made available for distribution quickly, which will allow time for further review and comments by the membership, pending possible final approval at next year’s ISO. Our thanks to Mike O. (Chicago)  and the Recovery Book Subcommittee, which labored over this literature. One of our goals is for existing and new literature to eventually be  compiled into the making of SCA’s own Big Book, which is an ongoing multi-year project.

–The Fiduciary Committee, chaired by John F. (Paris) proposed a new policy regarding the wholesale pricing on literature (which was approved unanimously). Among other things, this will cut the price of the Little Blue Book for Intergroups and Meetings by 40 %.  In addition, we authorized “printing on demand” of the Little Blue Book. Our first copies are being made by a subsidiary of Amazon, and will be sold via Amazon and its extensive network of affiliated online retailers. This will raise SCA’s profile in the Recovery literature world.

–The ISO gratefully heard and accepted a report from the History & Unity Committee, (chaired by Jim M., St. Louis) and read by Bill E. (San Diego). The existing histories in the Little Blue Book focus on LA and NY, with several gaps.  This report provided new and interesting information which was well received by all. It is still a work in progress. 

Our needs: someone to serve as SCA’s Archivist, whose expertise can help in this work.

–The ISO also approved a slight change in the well known “4-Fold”, which will provide a section on how to donate to SCA directly through our website: http://www.sca-recovery.org/donate. It will also have space for the various Intergroups and Meetings to add labels with their own contact and website information.

–ISO also amended  one section of its By-Laws, eliminating the 2nd Outside Director position, which had never been filled. It also increased the Director-at-Large’s term from one-year to two-years , starting in 2018, and who will be elected in even-numbered years thereafter. ISO thanked Kevin B. (Toronto)  for completing his 4 years of serving as Director-at Large.

–ISO elected the following to serve 2-year terms on the Executive Committee:

Gordon B. (NYK)  Chair

RIch K. (LA) Outreach Chair

Linda Engstrom (non-SCA) Outside Director

–ISO elected Dan W. (LA) to serve a 1-year term as Director-at Large

–Our Literature Distribution Chair, Phideaux X (LA) is stepping down after several years of service. David N. (Nyk) has agreed to serve in that capacity, as needed, also to write a service manual on that position, and to train Phideaux’s successor. Our thanks to both.

–ISO has tentatively selected St. Louis, MO to host its 2018 Annual Conference (pending final approval by the St Louis Intergroup). It also selected Chicago, IL to host the 2019 Annual Conference.

Finally, may I remind everyone that ISO is YOUR service organization. If you would like to contribute ideas, start new meetings, work on literature, serve on our various committees, distribute literature, etc, we would love to hear from you. 

Our needs: people who would like to help stay in contact with and provide support for  Intergroups and meetings throughout the world. I am happy to report that Rich H. (St. Louis) has agreed  to serve as Regional Coordinator for the Midwest (USA), and Victor M. (NY) to serve as the Regional Coordinator for Asia-Pacific.

Our needs: people who would be willing to serve as Out-of-Meeting Sponsors, to help members who don’t live near, or who cannot attend SCA meetings. Over the past year, we have seen an increase in volunteers for this service.

Our needs: money. We ask each Intergroup to mindfully consider regular donations to the ISO, and we also welcome donations from Individuals. This can be done on our website — http://www.sca-recovery.org/donate.

Thanks again to all those who worked so hard to make the ISO Conference a success, beginning with the LA Host Committee (Rich K.) and to all those who attended, either in person or via conference call.

yours in service,

Gordon B. (NY)

ISO Chair

Hey everyone, it’s that time again. 

SCA New York invites you to register for the winter retreat and join us in Ivoryton, CT on Friday February 17th through Sunday, February 19th. View and print a PDF of the retreat registration form.

A retreat creates a special period of time for connection, community, silence, rest, simplicity and contemplation. It can be both a “time out” from life’s daily stresses as well as an opportunity to deepen one’s experience of self and our connection to our program. 

Los Angeles will host the 2017 International Service Organization (ISO) annual conference March 24 – 26, 2017.

They are currently looking for members who are interested in being of service for the host committee.

If you enjoy event planning, hospitality and socializing, this is a great opportunity for you.

As the host city, they need to organize the following:

• Saturday evening special SCA meeting.
• Friday evening dinner ice breaker.
• Saturday lunch/dinner host
• Recording secretary for meetings
• Snacks and beverages for hospitality.
• Lodging arrangements for members who may be able to host visitors.

Please send an email to scalosangeles@yahoo.com if you are interested or have a question for the host committee.

Los Angeles Intergroup is promoting a regular monthly get-together, complete with the accompanying flyer. Others may want to try something similar, and visitors might want to attend when in town.

“Acceptance Is the Answer” is the theme this year for Chicago Intergroup’s annual day of recovery on Saturday, November 12, 2016.

It will be held from 9 to 5 at Unity in Chicago, 1925 W. Thome Avenue, with Noah B.E. Church as Keynote Speaker. 

Besides Noah Church (pictured), author of “WACK: Addicted to Internet Porn,” there will be speakers, workshops and fellowship. Lunch is included. The suggested donation is $25 pre-sale, or $30 at the door.

The event is open to members of all S-fellowships and supportive partners.

L.A. Intergroup’s next workshop is on the Tool of Writing, with an emphasis on Journaling, Saturday, October 8th, 2016 from 9:30 a.m.., to 12:30 p.m.., in Art Room #2 at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., in the City of West Hollywood. Want to do accurate Tenth Step inventories? Want to release some of those pent-up feelings, and express yourself in a healthy way?

To download a flier or for more information, visit http://scalosangeles.org/content/workshops

Hi, I’m John F., chair of the Fiduciary Committee of the International Service Organization. We run the “back office” side of SCA internationally. If you’re the kind of detail-oriented person who likes working on projects, you’ll find a home here.

Most of our service opportunities are tied to specific geography. So, for example, if you want to take the mail from our Post Office box and forward it to the right person, you need to be able to get to Old Chelsea Station in New York City on a regular basis. That’s where the box is located.

Other positions can be filled from anywhere, in our “virtual office”. For instance, we need someone to maintain the electronic “masters” of all our literature. These are stored as editable files, then converted to PDFs for printing. This work can be hectic at times, in case new literature is being published for the first time, but for the most part, our literature doesn’t change much (if at all) from year to year, so this is more a job of stewardship.

According to the bylaws:

The Fiduciary Committee is responsible for the daily business of ISO. It maintains ISO’s financial records and is responsible for its budget and for its bank accounts, whose signatories are designated by ISO. It publishes and distributes ISO-approved SCA literature in a timely manner. It manages literature sales and inventory. It handles legal records, including copyrights of ISO literature. It maintains the ISO Archives. It produces minutes of ISO and Executive Committee meetings. One year’s membership in SCA is suggested for joining the Fiduciary Committee.

Here’s a list of what kinds of service we do. One of the advantages of our committee system is that you don’t need to make a long-term commitment. And if only a small part of a task interests you, sign up for that.

• Fiduciary chair. This is a two-year commitment, and it’s expected that you have previous service at the international level. My term ends in 2018, so if you’re interested, start now!
• Treasurer. The requirement for this job is that you must be a U.S. citizen (or green card holder) and reside in the United States. Our current treasurer, Russell P., has been doing an excellent job for some time now, but he can always use help, and because of the tradition of rotation of service, it would be good to have a backup in training.
• Literature Distribution. This is currently a one-person operation based out of Los Angeles. The tasks include shipment of orders in a timely manner, making sure we have enough stock on hand, contacting a printer for more copies if we run low, and preparing a report on all this on a regular (quarterly) basis. If you’re in the L.A. area and want to help, let us know.
• Electronic masters. As mentioned above, this task can be done from anywhere. It involves proofreading our existing literature and preparing masters when new literature is approved by the International Service Organization’s annual conference. Those masters are sent to the chosen printer when the Literature Distribution operation determines that we have run low.
• Ebook sales. The electronic masters are also posted to the three bookstores we use as electronic sales channels: Amazon, Google Books and Apple iTunes. Each bookstore has its own peculiarities that require occasional attention. For the most part, this is purely financial, and that aspect is handled by the treasurer. But if new literature needs to be posted or something goes wrong, we need someone to step in.
• Website maintenance. We rarely make changes in our site except for making changes to the International Meeting List. This task can be done from anywhere and involves perhaps an hour a month.
• Website redesign. We are in the midst of a long-term project to redesign our website from the ground up. Marty S. is handling that aspect but could always use a hand.
• Email address maintenance. We have addresses at sca-recovery.org (like mine, “fiduciary”) that forward to personal addresses. Those change when the list of officers changes, normally once a year. This is a low-work task that can be done anywhere.
• Copyright. When we publish new literature, we register it with the U.S. Copyright Office. We also use one of our ISBN numbers for each new work, and that has to be tracked.
• Incorporation. There are several tasks currently being carried out to protect the International Service Organization through incorporation in Delaware. Just ask.
• Privacy. We have drafted a privacy policy and could use legal advice on how best to proceed.
• Archive. We have a small archive based in New York City and would love to have a volunteer to be its steward.
• Recording Secretary. This is a one-off position for the annual conference of the International Service Organization, which will be held next year in Los Angeles. It involves attending the conference, taking notes in real time, and typing up the Minutes of the conference in a timely manner.
• Phone Moderator. Another one-off position for the annual conference. Like the Recording Secretary, the Phone Moderator is usually appointed by the host committee — in this case, Los Angeles Intergroup. It involves monitoring those who call in to the annual meeting (because they cannot physically attend). It’s important to control the volume levels, make sure the chair knows if someone wants to speak, and keep track of who is present virtually for voting purposes.

If you’re interested in any of these positions, contact me or Tony D., chair of the Inreach Committee, which is responsible for recruiting.

John F., fiduciary chair, ISO

The 2016 DC SCA Fall Retreat will be held Sept. 23-25 at the beautiful Claymont Mansion in historic Charles Town, WV. The retreat theme is “Relationships 102: Making the Most of Them!” While full details are still pending, preregistration is now open. Book early to get the best room selection.