Preface by Robert P
24 March 2016
A few months ago I set out to visit every Nar-Anon group meeting in my region. I had several goals in mind.
Our regional meeting directory had errors that needed to be corrected.
I was preparing to transition to a regional service position and wanted to “know” the meetings first hand.
I was curious to know how effective our communication was between meetings and within the region.
I believed that attending meetings is a way to be of service and to give back to our program.
I was at a point in my life when I needed more meetings.
I have now visited nearly all of the Nar-Anon meetings in the Southern California region as well as many meetings in the Central and Northern California regions and a few in Eastern Pennsylvania. On each visit I arrived at the location early, collected address details for corrections to the regional directory, attended the entire meeting, participated as a respectful newcomer to that meeting, stayed for informal fellowship after the meeting, and chatted informally with Nar-Anon meeting members as appropriate.
I summarized my key observations and, in a few cases, I also included relevant observations based on previous visits to meetings in other 12-step fellowships. I shared my initial write-up with several Nar-Anon program friends, asking for their thoughts and comments. This document contains my original key observations and also incorporates input from several contributing Nar-Anon members.
My goal in this paper is to discuss Nar-Anon group meetings in California. However, I think my ideas and suggestions might also be useful to group meetings in other regions of Nar-Anon. Going forward, I will continue to gather input from Nar-Anon members. Then, I hope to draft a pamphlet containing the most useful suggestions for Nar-Anon group meetings. Eventually, the pamphlet could go through the process of becoming Conference Approved Literature (CAL).
Overview
My key observations fall into a few main topic categories. Each topic is summarized in the list below; additional detail is provided in the remainder of this paper.
Address of a meeting location should be easy to identify; the meeting listing information (in the printed directory and on websites) should be correct, complete, updated, and meaningful.
Signs posted outside the room help newcomers know they have found the right meeting location.
Greeting the newcomers gives them a warm first impression.
Sanctuary is created through anonymity and through a focus on meeting safety.
Literature provides continuity between meetings and aides the newcomer in understanding our program.
Communication interconnects our members and meetings through an overlapping web.
Service is required to make it all happen.
Address
In an ideal world, every new meeting submits a meeting registration form to the World Service Organization (WSO). WSO then adds the meeting to the nar-anon.org website and notifies the region. The region then adds the meeting and its address to the regional website and the regional directory. But any error in this process can be devastating to a newcomer who is already torn between seeking help and returning home to isolate. If a newcomer’s first tentative step leads to a dead end, they might never get the help Nar-Anon offers.
A meeting address might be wrong. The original registration might have been submitted incorrectly, or the address that was submitted was only a temporary address. The listed address might be incomplete or insufficient to guide a newcomer to that meeting.
It helps for the meeting location address to include the name of the building, the wing, the floor, etc. Including this specific information can help a newcomer find the right location.
It helps if the GSR (Group Service Representative) periodically checks the directory and website to ensure their meeting is listed correctly.
A meeting might close without giving any notification. Sometimes, members from other meetings can help identify a closed meeting and can ensure it is removed them from the websites and directories. In other cases, it is only possible to learn that a meeting has moved or closed by going there. When there are questions about a meeting location, the World Service Organization (WSO) can provide the contact information for that meeting. It is important that the website and directories be corrected so that newcomers do not travel there only to be disappointed.
If you know that a meeting has closed, please notify WSO through the web, by email or phone.
A meeting might move to a different location.
If you attend a meeting that has moved, please notify WSO through the web, by email or phone.
A meeting might move multiple times. This can create confusion for members and for newcomers. A member who misses a few meetings may not know when the meeting moved or where it now meets. If each move is not immediately and accurately updated, various directories and websites will list different addresses for the same meeting. A newcomer might be directed to the wrong location for this meeting.
If you attend a meeting that has moved, please notify WSO through the web, by email or phone.
It is helpful to minimize the number of times a meeting moves within the same year.
When you get an updated meeting directory, please destroy all old copies.
Signs
Signs posted outside the meeting room provide assurance that this is the right address. They also help guide the newcomer to the correct room for the Nar-Anon meeting.
Many meetings have signs they post outside the room before the meeting to guide the newcomers. Signs can be handwritten, purchased from WSO, or professionally printed. Signs can be temporary, permanent, or ruggedized for use in harsh weather.
Signs reassure the newcomer they have found the right location.
Some meetings do not use signs. One member reported spending over half an hour at a location address searching for the Nar-Anon meeting. There were people there for a festival, a wedding, a business meeting and some other event. But none of them knew where the Nar-Anon group met. The visitor scanned the parking lot for people carrying Nar-Anon books. Finally, a kind person led him to the meeting. Once in the meeting, the visitor asked if this group put up signs for the newcomers. The members told him there was no benefit to having signs. Perhaps they have been attending the same meeting location for so long they did not realize how hard it was for a newcomer to find their room.
Most newcomers are already frustrated and do not need more stress.
If you think like a newcomer, you might see ways to help a newcomer find your meeting.
A meeting might need a proliferation of signs. One meeting has a sign they put on the door of their designated meeting room for the times when they meet there. They also have a sign that says the meeting has moved from the first floor to the fifth floor. And they have a sign to say that the meeting has moved from the first floor to the fourth floor. And they have a sign that the meeting is in the cafeteria. Their meeting gets bounced around a lot, so they come prepared.
Signs are especially helpful if a meeting moves around within the address location.
Occasionally a meeting needs to close for a day. Holidays, construction and other events can push a meeting out. The meeting might then move to a temporary location, or it might decide to not meet. But, newcomers and visitors might still show up anyway.
If the group will not meet, please notify WSO so they can post a notice about this on the website.
When the group is not meeting, please post a sign to tell people when you will next meet.
While holidays often pull people away from meetings, sometimes holidays are the reason newcomers show up. Since the newcomer is the most important person in the meeting, it might be worthwhile to meet anyway. Even two people can have a great meeting!
Greeting
Sometimes the meeting address is correct, but unofficial “greeters” get in the way.
One member went to a meeting and talked with several people who were waiting for the meeting to start. Unfortunately, they were waiting for a different meeting in a different program which just happened to be held at the same address. Even though some had been attending their meeting for many years, no one in this group had ever noticed that there was a Nar-Anon meeting in an adjoining room. The visitor became convinced that this was the wrong address and missed this meeting while trying to determine where he had taken a wrong turn.
An official greeter is especially helpful when there are other meetings in that location.
While waiting for a meeting to start, a visitor chatted with two other people who were also waiting outside. These two were happy to explain the program to him. However, they were quite confident that this was not a Nar-Anon meeting. After some delay, the door opened and the meeting started. During the introductions the two people who were confident this was a different program both identified themselves as newcomers to Nar-Anon. So, even though they had never been there before, they were willing to tell a visitor about a program whose name they did not know. This would probably not have been an issue if the meeting had started on time, or if a Nar-Anon member had come over to greet the three newcomers.
The newcomers do not know if they are in the right place: they do not know if the this is the right address or the right program. Greeting the newcomers assures them they are in the right place.
Starting on time is important. Starting on time shows respect for people’s time.
If the person with the key is late, then it is possible to start the meeting in the parking lot, in the lobby, or wherever you are. But be careful to protect members’ anonymity.
Newcomers search for a place where they are included. They can stay home if they want to be ignored and isolated.
There are meetings that only an insider can find. One group meets inside a gated community. The people who regularly attend know the code to open the security gate. Newcomers cannot get in unless escorted by a member that knows the security code.
Some meetings become complacent that everyone who needs to know already knows. But how many newcomers might have stood outside banging on the gate and gone away in despair?
If there is a guard at an entrance, then the guard can guide people to the right location. Of course, this assumes that the guard knows the right location. Some facilities have a helpful guard who knows when and where the group meets. However, at one facility, the guard stated that there was no Nar-Anon in this location and left the newcomer waiting in the lobby. In another location, the guard directed a visitor to the wrong room. And while the wrong room turned out to be a wonderfully peaceful garden, that visitor would have missed the meeting if someone from the Nar-Anon group had not came looking for the lost newcomer.
If you are in a closed community or closed facility, it is helpful to check occasionally and ensure that the guard or receptionist knows about your meeting. The guard or receptionist might even benefit from a Nar-Anon pamphlet or booklet to help them learn more about our program.
Several meetings make a point to greet newcomers. A few meetings even have a designated greeter who waits outside to help people find the room and ensure they get a warm reception.
Visitors and newcomers report that it is helpful to have someone greet them if for no other reason than just to get some assurance that they have found the right address, right room, right program and people who understand.
Most members who regularly attend form close friendships with others in the meeting and we act like family. We eagerly look forward to those before-meeting and after-meeting conversations. However, if we get too focused on our own Nar-Anon family we might make it awkward for newcomers.
Does the newcomer get greeted before the meeting? Is this a quick hello, or is there someone willing to take time to explain the program?
Does anyone take time after the meeting and during breaks to chat with the newcomer? And, if after chatting for a few minutes you realize there is someone else in the group that has a story similar to the newcomer, can you make the introduction?
Sanctuary
Our meetings should create a safe, welcoming space. Some members come to our meetings scared and battered from dealing with their qualifier. Most of us have already been verbally assaulted by friends and family who think they know best. Our meetings should allow anyone to come in and find sanctuary. Creating a safe environment has two aspects: social safety and physical safety.
We get social safety through anonymity.
Anonymity means that we do not share personal information outside the meeting.
We do not acknowledge where we have met when we greet someone outside the meeting.
We do not discuss personal information when other people can listen in on our conversation.
We follow the guidance available in Nar-Anon literature regarding anonymity.
Anonymity also means that we do not share outside information within the meeting.
We breach anonymity when we discuss members’ health, struggles or personal life within our meetings, unless that member has given us permission to share that information.
Physical safety is also vital.
Some members lie to their qualifiers in order to go to a meeting. Some qualifiers find the meetings and lurk outside, or even come into the meeting. These are obvious safety issues that link directly to the reason we need the meeting. In addition, we also have the same safety concerns as do other gatherings: we do not want to get robbed or assaulted on a dark street; we do not want to be accosted by vagrants.
One member described his experiences when he took his qualifier to several NA meetings. He was amazed to see how those NA meetings created a neutral space where people belonging to rival motorcycle gangs and rival street gangs could attend in safety. Members were told not to display their gang affiliation during the meeting. The meeting itself is too important to jeopardize. Their rivalries must wait until later. The importance of twelve-step work is demonstrated by the example set by those groups. While their gang affiliation was a lifelong requirement, their twelve-step work took precedence. They knew recovery was a lifetime commitment; they knew losing focus was a death sentence.
Perhaps death seems less imminent to those in our Nar-Anon program. We are not looking at the possibility of a sudden death two hours from now caused by a drug overdose. And yet, even some of our meeting attendees might be subject to serious or life-threatening risks. For example, one Nar-Anon member occasionally found her qualifier waiting in the parking lot to confront her. To help increase her safety, that group adopted a strategy of exiting as a group so that no member was outside alone. The member knew her recovery and her disconnect from her qualifier was a matter of life and death. With support from her group, she also knew she had an extra measure of safety while attending Nar-Anon meetings and working on her recovery.
At another Nar-Anon meeting, there were many people wandering the nearby streets. That group welcomed the street people who wanted to get value from the fellowship. Many of those guests understood the concept and put the program to use in dealing with their friends and family. Others showed up and acted as unexpected speakers from NA, explaining the addicts point of view. Some became regular members. But not all of the people wandering around outside were friendly.
It is safest to exit the meeting in groups.
It is safest to wait in the parking lot, and then exit the parking lot in groups.
When anonymity is broken or physical safety is threatened, then the sanctity of the meeting is damaged.
One member visited an NA meeting where the speaker was heckled by members from a rival street gang. The meeting leader called a break and told them to take it outside. There was some name calling, but just about everyone came back into the meeting after the break. The members valued that meeting. They needed it for their recovery. Some needed it for their court cases. But unfortunately, their behavior in the meeting had changed it from a place of sanctuary to a place of rivalry. The following week, the police showed up at that meeting. They started shoving people into patrol cars as members scrambled to get out the exits. The Nar-Anon member went back to that meeting another time but found it had become a weak meeting, unable to offer a safe haven for the members.
While street gangs are seldom a problem in Nar-Anon, anonymity means we leave our outside affiliations outside. We do not discuss politics, religion, sports, or any other affiliation in our meetings.
One member felt his own safety was put at risk after a Nar-Anon meeting. Around the time the meeting ended, someone called the police and reported a fictitious crime in that neighborhood. This had nothing to do with this member and therefore he had no knowledge of the incident. The police arrived, in force, shortly after the other members left; leaving this member alone, shocked and confused. That member no longer felt it was safe to go to that meeting.
We should treat our meeting place as a sanctuary and never do something that puts others at risk.
Many members come into Nar-Anon while they are already entangled in the legal process trying to get custody of their children or grandchildren, trying to evict, separate from or divorce their qualifier. We should do all we can to avoid complicating their lives. Any encounter with the police can damage the complex legal issues they are already working to resolve.
Literature
In some ways meetings are like coffee shops. Many newcomers need to try a few to find out which blend they like best. Some meetings have soft couches. Some have hard chairs. Some have great snacks. And some have stale leftovers. But many meetings have the same “menu” - the same meeting format, the same literature and the same understanding about our program.
Many meetings are relatively isolated. Some meetings do not know how to order Conference Approved Literature (CAL). Some meetings still use Al-Anon literature. Some meetings use old versions of Nar-Anon CAL literature. One meeting repackages parts of official Nar-Anon literature into their own unique but unofficial booklet and prints it with their own copyright. If you show up with a SESH book but the meeting is reading from “Courage to Change,” then you are out of sync with their program. Or, if you show up with a Nar-Anon blue booklet and they have their own version, then you are not on the same page.
There is a reason that we are Nar-Anon and not something else. Our literature defines what is unique about our program. When we blend in literature from other programs, we dilute our message.
If meetings do not know how to access the WSO website or order CAL, perhaps more effective communication from Nar-Anon area or regional service would help.
Based on many visits, it seems that meetings which use the CAL meeting format, the SESH book, and the blue booklet are the most receptive to visitors. It is quite refreshing when there is such a high level of consistency with CAL. It means that that a visitor from any other Nar-Anon meeting can walk in and know what to expect.
As it says in our blue booklet, we should all use CAL and only CAL in our meetings.
Perhaps, just as some members have made more recovery progress in working their program, some meetings have also made more progress towards becoming a mature or healthy meeting.
There is probably a correlation between member recovery, meeting health, and a willingness on the part of members to expand into doing service work.
Communication
Members create neighborhoods by crossing between meetings.
An example of a network of connections one member found shows how four people overlap five meetings.
K goes to the S meeting and also to the H meeting.
D goes to the H meeting and also to the V meeting.
P goes to the V meeting and also to the C meeting.
And J goes to the C meeting and the T meeting.
Looking at that network, it would seem like any communication that reaches K, D, P or J should get to the S, H, V, C and T meetings. It would be nice if all five meetings consistently sent a GSR to the regional assembly. It would be nice if all five meetings had a GSR on the email distribution list. But, if at least one meeting has a GSR, it would seem like news should be able to reach all five meetings. But it does not. Now, if there was some juicy gossip, it could surely traverse the world in a few days without anyone sending an email or making a phone call. But, when we ask for volunteers to help, the message gets lost.
If we cannot get consistent GSR representation from every meeting, then maybe we should look at ways to enhance our informal web of connections.
Areas are like neighborhoods, except areas are formally defined. The neighborhoods are defined by members’ willingness to go to another meeting. Areas are something we draw on a map and then use for governance. Area governance means that people who could have been GSRs are instead dedicated to area service positions and to the service that is required to support that organizational structure.
In Southern California, we seem to struggle with areas.
In Southern California we have one effective, active governance area - San Diego. All but one of the meetings in that area participate in their area meetings, and through their participation in the area, they are also participants in the regional assemblies.
One member is working today to organize an area for the Inland Empire. Many of the members in those meetings feel that they are too far away from Torrance to participate in the region. If they can form an area, then we will have more effective communication with those meetings. We do not know, however, whether or not an Inland Empire area will be an effective means of representation, especially if having an area lets GSRs feel like they no longer have an obligation to participate in the region. However, San Diego has been able to get more GSR participation because they get together as an area and join the regional assembly by phone. We might be able to increase the number of Inland Empire meetings that participate if they can also meet in a location convenient to their area and then phone into the regional assembly.
Temecula is an example of a meeting that belongs to the San Diego neighborhood, but is described as belonging to the Inland Empire area. There are members in San Diego meetings that go to Temecula when they need an extra meeting. There are members in Temecula that go to San Diego meetings when they need an extra meeting. Perhaps Temecula can be better served if it can be drawn into the San Diego area.
One member is trying today to organize a Spanish meeting area. That area is not geographically defined. The need that those meetings express is assistance with language. Many of the people who are willing to serve as GSRs do not feel comfortable participating in an English language regional assembly. We hope that a GSR from each of the Spanish language meetings will participate in a Spanish language area meeting. And then the communication with the region can be effectively translated and communicated to the Spanish meetings. Today they are isolated. With a language based area they will be connected, but not represented because only GSRs that attend the regional assembly can vote. However, even voting participation might be possible if the area meets and one or two members translate the regional assembly into Spanish and then relay the votes from those GSRs to the assembly as the assembly meets.
The greatest impediment to areas and regions is the reluctance of members to serve. Members often share in meetings about terrible weeks spent repeatedly driving distances of fifty or more miles, each way, to go rescue the addict. And yet, when that same member says how much they need more meetings they will not drive even ten miles to help them self. We seem willing to go to great lengths to rescue others and yet unwilling to treat ourselves to the same courtesy. We begin by being unable to say no to the addict and unable to say yes to our own needs. It seems that we then learn to say no and get stuck in that mode. We say no to the addict and we say no to requests for service. Perhaps the progression goes as follows:
We want the magic wand to fix the addict.
After a while, we accept that we are the ones that need help.
Slowly we learn that the meeting cannot survive if we do not serve. Some groups have been meeting for a decade or more relying only on a small number of dedicated members who keep serving the newcomers. It is an awesome commitment those members make. It is sad that so many newcomers come in, get what they think they need, and then leave.
A few learn that the meeting will be isolated if no one reaches out and communicates. Some then travel to other meetings. A few accept service positions to help their area or region.
After a while, some learn that the conventions, Narathon, and other gatherings only work because there is a region that has the ability to communicate with the meetings and pull them together.
But only gradually do a few learn that the newcomer will not have literature, the meetings will not have a format and the regions will not survive without a strong world conference.
Perhaps, with time, some members progress to where they want to be a conference delegate.
Service
It is important to remember that Nar-Anon is a fellowship and not a business. The most important person in Nar-Anon is the newcomer. But the newcomer will not find hope unless members show up and hold a meeting. And the meeting will not be helpful without literature and a leader. Leading a meeting is a direct, tangible form of service. Creating literature is a complex process. While a few people could get together and write literature, Nar-Anon literature is created, reviewed and approved through a process that asks for worldwide participation. Getting an update to Nar-Anon literature begins with a group electing a GSR.
Many meetings do not have a GSR, do not participate in an Area, do not communicate with their Region and do not participate in any of the activities that are coordinated for our worldwide fellowship. One member has visited a few nearby meeting and discussed the GSR role with members in those meetings. And, while the meeting wanted to know more about upcoming events, no one wanted to be a GSR.
It seems that the members feel it is too far to drive to go to a regional assembly.
One GSR from a neighboring meeting offered to take a member from another meeting. But the members in the other meeting felt the travel was too difficult.
It was suggested that members from these meeting could join the regional assembly via a conference call, but the members said that would be too complex.
It was suggested that someone could just dial up the cellphone of another GSR attending the regional assembly and participate that way, but the members said that was too much of a time commitment.
It was suggested that one or two members could subscribe to the regional email list and get updates that way, but the members thought those quarterly emails would be more than they want to read.
However, the members in these meetings would appreciate it if the region could send someone over to their meeting periodically to give them updates.
And the members in several of these meetings are concerned that it is taking the literature committee so long to create the literature updates they want to see.
Nar-Anon depends on member participation:
Literature cannot be approved unless there is a world conference. And the world conference cannot occur unless enough regions send delegates. And the regions cannot send delegates without fundraising events. And those fundraising events will not succeed unless there is GSR participation.
Some meetings have GSRs, but still do not participate. In one meeting the GSR is ill and cannot make a commitment to travel or to even join through a phone call. And, while she enjoys being the GSR, she cannot go to a regional assembly, call into a regional assembly or even read the emails that would be available if she subscribed to the email list.
Being a GSR should not be a burden, nor should it be an award; it is an opportunity to serve.
Perhaps, when someone is temporarily unable to do the service work that service position should go to another person.
The key service provided by a GSR is communication. The GSR brings the group’s concerns to the region. The GSR takes back news from the world and region to share in their meeting.
One member visited a meeting which has consistent member overlap with another Nar-Anon meeting. And while both meetings have GSRs, there was no announcement during the first meeting about two upcoming Nar-Anon events. Wanting to communicate information to the meeting, the visitor made the announcement and distributed flyers at an appropriate time during the meeting. Many members were enthusiastic about one of the events, so the visitor gave the meeting leader extra copies to take to the second meeting. About a week later another visitor went to the second meeting and noticed that no announcement was made and no flyers were distributed regarding these upcoming events. Apparently, our efforts at communication had failed. Even though these meetings had GSRs that attend the regional assembly, had GRSs on the regional email distribution, had an overlap in membership between meetings, and had a visitor bring materials to them -- none of the information about the upcoming Nar-Anon events reached the second meeting. And, if our efforts at communication cannot cross between two meetings in the same vicinity with shared membership, then what does that imply about our ability to communicate between more widely separated meetings?
Conclusions
Address information must be communicated so that newcomers or members that missed a few meetings can find our groups. The simplest approach is for a member to use the “Edit Group” form on the WSO website. It is important to notify WSO whenever:
A new meeting starts.
A meeting changes address, meeting day or meeting time.
A meeting closes, whether for a day or permanently.
Signs are to newcomers like slogans are to old timers – a short quick way to convey a wealth of information.
Signs tell newcomers they have the right address, right building, right room and right program.
Signs tell newcomers and members if the meeting moved or is closed for a day.
Greeting people is a service that helps the newcomers, old timers and the meeting as a whole.
Greeters help direct newcomers to the right room.
Greeters give newcomers a welcome that sets the tone for their meeting experience.
Greeters help members make the transition from worldly stress to meeting serenity.
Greeters are members doing service work which helps them get better connected with their meeting.
Greeters have an opportunity to improve their own understanding of our program as they explain it to newcomers.
Sanctuary is created through anonymity and through meeting safety.
Anonymity means we do not share meeting information outside the meeting.
Anonymity means we do not share outside information within the meeting.
Meeting safety is a group responsibility.
Meeting safety is improved when we take steps to ensure members are not vulnerable as they enter or leave the meeting.
Meeting safety is improved when we do all we can to avoid conflict and confrontation before, during and after our meetings.
Literature within our meetings should always be CAL.
Literature from other sources dilutes our message.
Literature from other sources can create conflict, confusion and confrontation within our meetings.
Communication occurs through an informal web of connections and through a formal service structure.
Areas help bring groups together and improve communication.
Areas can provide services to the groups, such as buying literature, chips and such in bulk and then distributing those items to the groups as required.
Areas can provide service by organizing outreach events within their area.
Areas require addition service positions that can be difficult to fill when only a small number of meetings or a small number of people provide service.
Areas can be unsustainable if there are not enough people willing to do the work.
Neighborhoods are created by members acting as ambassadors traveling between meetings.
Ambassadors can fill the communication gap with meetings that are not active in an area or region.
The challenge is to find a way to help isolated meetings without enabling their isolation. Newcomers do not know our program and they need old timers to show them how it works through their example. Some meetings act like newcomers and do not know what is expected. We cannot justify their isolation and enable their lack of service by sending people to cover up for their own lack of participation. But, as long as people are going there anyway, it can be beneficial to ask those “ambassadors” to also pass along a few event flyers, announcements and such.
Perhaps if the meetings that do not have GSRs began receiving regular communication from their neighborhood, then perhaps they will come to see the benefit of electing a GSR.
Service is vital to our recovery.
Service helps members grow. As it says in Step 12: “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
Service allows members to practice “helping” that is not “enabling.”
Service is required if meetings are to survive.
Service, however, is sparse. There are always more opportunities for service than there are volunteers.
Service should not be a burden. We all have an abundance of burdens elsewhere in our life. Service is an opportunity to give from the extra time we now have because we are no longer living in chaos.
Service positions are not an award. Service positions are opportunities to work. We need service. The group needs service in order to survive. The Areas and Regions need service in order to represent the groups and provide services beyond the group. And the Conference needs service so that we have an organization that can unify our groups and provide literature, communication and outreach.
If we had more effective two-way communication with the meetings, we might be able to increase the number of members that want to serve. That is, after all, what is described in Concept 8: “Regular, two-way communications are essential to the fulfillment of all these concepts and the integrity and effectiveness of our services themselves.”
Service is an outward expression of the gratitude we feel inside.