Group Conscience

Guidelines

Sober Sisters determines our Group Conscience at our monthly Business Meetings. All sisters are invited to join. We want to hear everyone’s opinion, no matter how long they’ve been sober or what their experience is with AA. This is our meeting. It’s ever-evolving, and shaped by us.

Our business meetings are held on the first Friday of the month, immediately following our Step Speaker Meeting. A couple days prior, our Overall Chair emails out a copy of the Meeting Agenda for all sisters to look over beforehand to ensure attendees are as informed as possible before stepping into the meeting.

Group problems are often evidence of a healthy, desirable diversity of opinion among the group members. They give us a chance, in the words of Step Twelve, to “practice these principles in all our affairs.”

Almost every group problem can be solved through the process of an informed group conscience, A.A. principles, and our Twelve Traditions. For all involved, a good sense of humor, cooling-off periods, patience, courtesy, willingness to listen and to wait — plus a sense of fairness and trust in a “Power greater than ourselves” — have been found far more effective than legalistic arguments or personal accusations.

The group conscience is the collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial unanimity on an issue before definitive action is taken. This is achieved by the group members through the sharing of full information, individual points of view, and the practice of A.A. principles.

         -The A.A. Group pamphlet

We intend to be a supportive, nurturing, empowering community of women; an undivided sisterhood where women can safely share everything from their struggles and challenges to their triumphs and joy.

Each meeting is to begin with a brief meditation.

The ambience of the meeting be created by the meeting chair, the lighting is included as such (9/19)

When no one is volunteering to share, it is up to the Chair Person whether to call on someone or to sit in silence. (6/20)

he/she / gender inclusive language for God in the 12 Steps

Fucking cursing is allowed, just don’t curse a bitch out (6/20)

Pay rent at the beginning of the month. That gives us time to make rent if we do not have it, so we won’t be scrambling at the end of the month. (10/19)

Meeting Chair cannot be Secretary, Treasurer or Overall Chairperson, as to maintain the democracy and integrity of the meeting. (12/19)

Meeting has gotten bigger and we want to allow as many people as possible the opportunity to share. Sharing Boundary is 3 minutes. (1/20)

Overall Chairperson, Treasurer, Community Registrar, Correspondence Secretary, Business Secretary, Webmistress are 1 year commitments. Meeting Chair and Set Up are every 3 months. (2/20) (3/21)

Overall Chair, Secretary and Treasurer commitments begin in July (2/20)

Elections for Overall Chair, Treasurer, Community Registrar, Correspondence Secretary, Business Secretary, Webmistress commitments will be in May in order to give the upcoming position holders the materials and time to begin learning how to do the positions, allowing the current position holders to seamlessly hand over their position in July. (2/20) (3/21)

3 month Commitments begin : Jan/April/July/Oct (2/20)

A sign-up sheet for Meeting Chair will be circulated the 3 months prior to Meeting Chair election (2/20)

Intergroup Rep will be a 1 yr commitment and she must have 1 yr continuous sobriety (3/20)

Minimum Sobriety for Meeting Chair Commitment is 3 months. (4/20)

All the people that currently have service positions have access to the Google Drive. (4/20)

Spiritual Timekeeper (Hostess) verbally gives a 1 minute cue and calls Time at 3 minutes. (6/20)

Sober Sisters’ Member List is reserved to Service Positions. We do not widely distribute the member list, to protect anonymity. (7/20)

If someone wanders into our meeting room or email inbox, and is male or cannot turn on their video as per safety protocol, and is in need of a meeting and/or fellowship: we will not ignore them or completely push them away. We will provide them with resources to find a meeting or a person to contact. (7/20)

Sober Sisters is a closed women’s meeting, allowing only those who are female or identify as female to attend.

Our children are welcome.

No personal emails will ever be posted on the website. (10/20)

Sponsors are recommended to have been sober for 1 year, and have worked through the steps. (11/20)

Friday @ 7pm EST & Sunday @ 9:30am EST will stay on Zoom permanently. (12/20)

If you drank or used in the last 24 hours, we ask that you refrain from sharing during the meeting, but please stay after and talk with us. (1/21)

Our first Friday business meeting will be an hour long. (7/20)

We do not allow a woman who has drunk or used in the last 24 hours to participate in discussion or have voting privileges in a business meeting. (1/21)

90 days and increments of 1 year celebration coins will be mailed out at the beginning of each month to Members of Sober Sisters (people who have signed our Member List) who have provided their physical address to the Coin Commitment sister. (1/21)

We are inclusive; we are all part of this meeting. We do not tolerate discrimination along the lines of culture, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender binary, or mental health. (7/20)

We do not use male voices in our all-women’s meeting for the meditation. (2/21)

No crosstalk includes the chat box (4/21)