On-Line Area 59 Pre-Conference Sharing Session

Dear Fellow Members,

With the current public health situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, your Area 59 Officers have been working to understand and follow PA health officials’ advice regarding our event planning. As previously announced, Eastern PA General Service (Area 59), has cancelled our April 5th Pre-Conference Sharing Session that was to be held at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

We are developing a system that will enable all AA Members to gain access to a set of discussion threads and to share their perspectives on 13 select Agenda Items. The following link can take you to the site:

https://groups.google.com/a/area59aa.org/d/forum/pcss

Once you are there, you click “apply for membership” and our site administrator will set your email up to access the “Area 59 Pre-Conference Sharing” section. Once you agree to follow some good manners guidelines and state that you are a Member of A.A., you will be given access. Then you will be able to click on individual items, access the Agenda Item background information and see other Member’s sharing on each topic

The purpose of the sharing is to give our Delegate an idea of the group conscience from across Area 59 in order to prepare to participate in the annual General Service Conference (G.S.C.). (Only elected Delegates participate in the G.S.C.) The G.S.C. is where final deliberations and decisions are made with regard to the group conscience for all of A.A. on the Agenda Items. This year, the G.S.C. will be held the week of April 17th and it will be a virtual conference through online meeting technology due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

So, as a Member, please know that we value your input. You can find additional information on our Area 59 website: www.area59aa.org. You should also feel free to contact any Area 59 Officer or your Delegate (delegate at area59aa dot org.) If you have questions or issues with the sharing site or in gaining access to it, please contact officer-at-large at area59aa dot org.

Virtual Meeting Readings

How It WorksPreambleThe Promises

On-Line Blue Card

This is an On-Line meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. We are glad you are all here — especially newcomers. In keeping with our singleness of purpose and our Third Tradition which states that “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking,” we ask that all who participate confine their discussion to their problems with alcohol.
When we use digital media, we are responsible for our own anonymity and for protecting that of others. When we post, text, or blog, we should consider whether we are publishing at the public level. When we break our anonymity in these forums, we may inadvertently break the anonymity of others.
Please No Recording Screen Sharing/Shots and remove your last name from participants list. > Click Participants > YourName > More > Rename
Thank You

This is a variation of a service piece provided by: (The 1987 General Service Conference) for on-line groups who wish to use it.)

Protect Anonymity Change Default Zoom Settings

For Zoom users: With the rush to shift to online meetings, many of us did not take time to investigate what this meant to the spiritual foundation of our recovery – namely, anonymity. Now that online meetings are accessible, we want to pass on best practices for protecting anonymity. These have been curated from the membership and online resources. 

The default Zoom settings run counter to AA’s spiritual foundation of anonymity. The meetings are publicly accessible and full names and faces are often displayed. Additionally, by default all Zoom meetings are recorded to the cloud. Turning that feature off is simple, fortunately.

There are other settings in the Meeting subtab that can also be adjusted, such as disallowing remote control of devices, file transfer, data sharing with Zoom, and screen sharing.

Here are some suggested settings for your meeting to use. Please note that most, if not all, of the settings below are not the Zoom default:

Go to: Settings > Recording and click off the Local and Cloud recording features.
In the Zoom Settings section, under the Meeting subtab:

  • Require Encryption for Third Party Endpoints
  • Disable Auto saving chats
  • Disable File transfer
  • Disable Feedback to Zoom
  • Disable Screen sharing
  • Disable desktop/screen share for users
  • Disable Remote control
  • Allow Virtual background (this is the Zoom default and allows the user to use a virtual background instead of the inside of their apartment, for example)

In the Zoom Settings section, under the Recording subtab:

  • Disable Local recording
  • Disable Cloud recording
  • Disable Automatic recording 

We will update this page with additional information as we learn it and encourage you to share tips and tricks with us that we can include. And stay tuned for information on Seventh Tradition contributions.

Tips On How To Zoom Meetings

We have upgraded our Zoom package to bring this to more people who are in need of this information.  We will have a max of 500 participants.  Because so many people have contacted us about this webinar we decided to do it again this 
Sunday, March 22nd at 7pm EST … Details to join and itinerary are below. 

What we will go over:
Zoom Best Practices
Zoom Meeting Controls
Roberts Rules Of Order In Zoom
Zoom Third Legacy Voting
Starting an Online meeting via Zoom
Q&A 

Details to join: Zoom Best Practices and 3rd Legacy Voting (Option 2)
Time: Mar 22, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/521468240 Meeting ID: 521 468 240

Power Point Presentation
Zoom Best Practices and 3rd Legacy Voting

Covid 19 Updates

Our District meeting are in person on the first Wednesday of each month. Hopefully we will not need to update this Covid Updates page but it will remain here just in case. Contact Us for more information.

District 23 Meetings on SEPIA Web Site and Meeting App Please Check Your Meeting For Accuracy and If it is listed as Active or Suspended.

Meeting Status Update Form or Call phone: (215) 923-7900

As we move forward with re-opening our groups we can share our experience and ensure we do our part to reach the still sick and suffering alcoholics in a safe responsible manner. There are many people in our community who have fallen into the clutches of full blown alcoholism in this pandemic shut down and will be scared at best to reach out to us for help. Lets do our part to make our fellowship the safe haven it has been for so many despite current conditions. Our Primary Purpose Is To Reach the Still Sick and Suffering!

It’s not about us going to meetings
It’s About Us being there for the New Comer.

GSO Letter May 2020 7th Tradition

Reopening Groups Area 59

Reopening Groups Area 48 Ad Hoc (Helpful Information)

A Letter from our General Service Office About Corona Virus and AA Meetings

Grapevine and La Viña Are Here to Help…. 2020 Issues & Audio FREE On-Line

Shareable link of readings for On-Line Meetings Preamble How It Works Promises etc.

On-Line & Telephone Meeting Information

For our members of high risk or those who want to avoid face to face meetings there is an abundance of online and telephone meetings.

Philadelphia Area Online Meetings

District 23 On-Line Meetings

 Worldwide Online Meetings 

Phone Meetings

In addition to these there are meetings listed from other areas when online you can attend meetings anywhere from the convince of your home.

Tips For Starting and Participating
Zoom On-Line Meetings

Before attending or creating new Zoom meetings take a look at these guidelines for protecting our anonymity.
ZOOM MEETINGS: PROTECTING ANONYMITY & DEFAULT SETTINGS

New Zoom Protection Tips (from NYIA)

BEST PRACTICES FOR A DIGITAL 7TH TRADITION

The digital 7th tradition practices was written on the A.A. Intergroup of SF & Marin

Setting Up Online Meetings: Help! Google HangOut, Zoom, Phone and More
Very well written with illustrations from Inter-Group Association of A.A. of New York

If you have access to other quality on-line resources contact us. If your group in SE Pennsylvania has started an on-line meeting be sure to inform SEPIA.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

Meeting Time Change There Is A Solution

Effective December 7th 2019

Meeting Information
Doylestown There Is A Solution Group

Salem United Church of Christ 186 Court St
186 East Court Street
Doylestown PA 18901

Saturday, 11:00 am Changes To 10:00 am

  •  Big Book
  •  Open
  •  Wheelchair Access

This meeting is open and anyone may attend.

AA Grapevine announces FREE SHIPPING Limited Time Only

AA Grapevine
The Gift Of Sobriety

AA Grapevine is pleased to announce FREE SHIPPING* for the U.S. and Canada. Hurry! This special offer is available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY. Offer good on purchases from 11/1/19 through 12/31/19 only. A great way to support AA Grapevine and do holiday shopping at the same time.

Shop AA Grapevine Store

Here are some items available with this offer:

  • 2020 One Day At A Time Calendar
  • 2020 One Day At A Time Pocket Planner
  • Take Me To Your Sponsor: Best Jokes & Cartoons from AA Grapevine
  • AA in the Military: Stories of experience, strength and hope from Grapevine
  • One Big Tent: Atheist and agnostic AA members share their experience, strength and hope
  • Voices of Women in AA: Stories of experience, strength and hope from Grapevine
  • Our Twelve Traditions: AA members share their own stories of experience
  • Un Día A La Vez: Nuestras historias de esperanza y recuperación publicadas en La Viña
  • Making Amends: Finding a new freedom
  • The Language of the Heart: Bill W.’s Grapevine Writings
  • Sober & Out: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender AA Members Share Their Experience, Strength and Hope
  • One On One: AA Sponsorship in Action
  • Young & Sober: Stories from AA Grapevine
  • Beginners’ Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA
  • Grapevine Daily Quote Book
  • CDs, Artwork, Commemorative Special Editions of Grapevine and much more

Now is the perfect time to order a gift and something for yourself

Shop The Official AA Grapevine Store

Twelve Tips on Keeping Your Holiday Season Sober and Joyous

12 Tips for Sober Holidays
  1. Line up extra AA activities (help on the phones, speak, empty the ashtrays).
  2. Be host to friends, especially newcomers, at home or at a coffee shop.
  3. Keep your AA telephone list with you at all times.
  4. Find out about holiday meetings or celebrations in your local groups.
  5. Skip any drinking occasions you’re nervous about.
  6. If there’s one you can’t skip, take an AA friend–or keep candy handy.
  7. Don’t think you have to stay late (plan an “important date” in advance).
  8. Go to church. Any church. And don’t forget about extra meetings.
  9. Don’t sit around brooding; catch up on reading, museums, walks, letters.
  10. Don’t project about holiday temptations: remember “One day at a time.”
  11. Even if you cannot give material gifts, enjoy the beauty of holiday love.
  12. Carry the message. Give the joy away, and it will be yours to keep.

    — Adapted from Box 4-5-9

Download or Print the 12 Tips for Sober Holidays here

The holiday season can be a stressful time for anyone but for us Alcoholics we need to be on extra guard. With office parties and family gatherings it is very easy to be within arms length of Alcohol. Not to mention the gifts (booze) that can keep on giving us trips to jails, institutions or death. These twelve tips published in Grape Vine magazine and Box 459 have been used by our members for years to help survive the holiday season. Print out some copies and take them to the meetings you attend.

Carry the message. Give the joy away, and it will be yours to keep.