It’s A We Program One of the first things I was told when I sobered up was that the first word of the first step was “We”. It was a “We” program and I never had to do anything alone again.

I thought that meant working the steps. I thought that meant that I would get a sponsor and WE would work the steps together. I soon found out that it also meant that on Saturday mornings several of us would get together and WE would clean the meeting hall. As early sobriety progressed I learned that WE also made decisions together through a group conscience. But it wasn’t until I became a GSR and began serving the Fellowship outside the group that I found out how much WE really covered.

There is a saying I heard, or read, someplace that defines WE for me. It is “Some of us are more ca-pable than others of us, but none of us are as capable as all of us.” It’s not a conferenced approved saying, but I think it describes perfectly how AA functions for recovery and service.

Until I went to my first district meeting I really didn’t realize how much there was to A.A. A.A. was meetings. I took meetings into the county jail. I didn’t think about who took meetings into the city jail, or the treatment center. I never thought about how people that called the A.A. group found the num-ber. I didn’t know that A.A. printed its own literature or how it got to the groups. At that first district meeting I quickly found out why we had districts and why “WE” covered not just members working the steps, but also applied to groups working together to carry the message in a way one individual or even one group could not.

In my district we had 3 jails, 3 treatment centers, 3 hospitals, 2 treatment centers, 2 newspapers, 1 TV station, etc. Certainly more than one group could cover, but easy for several groups working togeth-er. Each district meeting I attended there was time to report what had been accomplished since the last meeting. And time to review and coordinate between the groups everything that needed to be covered during the next month. The district purchased a set of public service announcements for radio stations. This was possible because all the groups contributed to the district and they also shared the usage of the PSAs. Schedules were set for which group was going to work with which station. There was so much to do. So many aspects of A.A. To cover it all it was easy to see why WE could do it better than any one of us or any one group could do it alone.

When I returned to the area assembly it was a little different than my first trip. First of all 6 of us trav-eled together. My first van trip. The dollars that I was given to help me attend the assembly went a lot further when WE pooled our financial resources. More people could fulfill the responsibilities they had accepted for less cost. The more experienced members of the trip took me under their wing. They guided me from committee to committee and showed me all the important stuff like where the coffee and bathrooms were. Slumber parties were never meant for slumber. At night WE shared a hotel room. WE were definitely able to do more together than any of us could afford to do separately.

My questions about the day’s activities were answered. Stories of what would happen the next day were told, but that was the least of it. What I remember the most, was the feeling of being a part of something wonderful. At the time being the newcomer I was, for sure, the least experienced and prob-ably therefore the least capable. But being a part of WE I never felt that way.

And so as a Fellowship we have developed not only a program of recovery but also a structure of ser-vice based on “WE”. Based on bringing together our ideas and talents and energy. By working togeth-er we can do some amazing things. WE can stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.

Cheri

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Birthdays, Over

Thirty 2

Calendar of Events 3

Area & District

Meetings

Obits

4

Donation info 5

Group Changes,

Recurring Events

Office numbers

6

How an AA group

works 7

Central Office

Delegate Minutes 8

Concepts 10

Special of the

month

Letter to the Editor

11

Group Donations 12

Co Finances

13

This is the Year of Service!

Changing Times July 2016 Volume 47, Issue 7

P a g e 2 C h a n g i n g T i m e s

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Dana P. 5 Years Hope Group

Tamika B. 8 Years Paseo Group

John J. 25 Years Northeast AA

Carol N. 38 Years Bill’s Friends

These are folks who have donated at

least one dollar a year in gratitude

for their sobriety to YOUR Central

Office. There are birthday envelopes

available at the office or you can get

them from your Central Office Dele-

gate. We appreciate the people who

show their gratitude this way. Con-

gratulations!

Don’t know what to get that special person for his/her AA birthday??

Come see us! We are expanding our line of “drunk junk”! We also

have all the AAWS Books, Grapevine Books and many other things

that all of us want! Come on in for some coffee, conversation and a

little shopping!!

The Over Thirty Club

Keep Coming Back!

Harold S. 38 Years Courage to Change

Carol N. 38 Years Bill’s Friends

Mike M. 37 Years N. Kansas City

B.J. W. 34 Years Bethel

Garry B. 34 Years Nuts & Bolts Lawrence

Bob K. 33 Years Chapter 5

Steve G. 32 Years Wing & A Prayer

Bob H. 30 Years Bethel

All of these people got their

names in the paper because

someone took the time and trou-

ble to let us know they were cele-

brating. Be proud of your old-

timers! Call the office 816-471-

7229 and let us know of anyone

who is celebrating 30 or more

years of sobriety. Let them know

you care enough to share!

JULY 2016

9 VOICE OF TRUTH FISH FRY 6 PM 611 E. Walnut Raymore, MO 64083 Potluck! Please bring a dish to share!

9 BLUE SPRINGS AA DANCE 8PM to 12AM 499 HWY 7 Blue Spr ings, MO 64105 $5 Dona

tion. Raffle prizes and Sobriety Countdown ! See flyer in this newsletter! 10 CENTRAL OFFICE DELEGATE’S MEETING 10AM Bethel Group 7856 Leavenworth Rd.

Kansas City, KS 66109 913-334-5636 ALL ARE WELCOME! 15-17 AREA 25 ASSEMBLY Quality Inn2110 W. Crawford Salina, KS 67401 Let your groups’ voices be heard! For an agenda, go to the Kansas AA website www.kansas-aa.org and click on doc uments. 23 KC CENTRAL OFFICE SPONSORSHIP WORKSHOP 1:30PM Hosted by the Basehor

Group 14604 State Ave. Basehor, KS 66007 913-724-5172 Bring your best questions and a snack to share! See flyer in this newsletter!

29-31 65TH ANNUAL MO STATE CONVENTRION Capital Plaza Hotel 415 W. McCar ty St. Jefferson City, MO 65101 Hotel # 1-800-338-8088 See flyer in this newsletter! 30 NUTS AND BOLTS KC 23RD ANNIVERSARY Cedar Ridge Chr istian Church 8835 Lack man Road Lenexa, KS 1PM—3PM Workshop 7PM Speaker See flyer in this newsletter!

Calendar of Events

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7

The Kansas City Central Office publishes the “Changing Times”. The views and opinions expressed

are not necessarily those of the Central Office or AAWS, Inc. The editor reserves the right to edit for

length and clarity, and for accuracy concerning the quoting of AA material. “Changing Times” is

about, by, and for the members of the Fellowship of AA. Quotes from Alcoholics Anonymous, the

Twelve Step and Twelve Traditions, The Service Manual and Conference Approved literature and pam-

phlets reprinted with permission of AA World Services, Inc. and the Grapevine, Inc. There is a sub-

scription form on the back page of the issue. It is $12.00 per year. All groups get one sent to them at

no cost. Thank you all for your contributions and support of the Changing Times and your Central Of-

fice. We publish something for everyone, the mistakes are in the newsletter for a reason, so everyone

will have something to appreciate.

IT’s A BLAST

If you would like to get e-mail blasts with event information,

Please visit our website at www.kc-aa.org and sign up

Service, Service, Service

P a g e 4 C h a n g i n g T i m e s

District Service Schedule

DISTRICT 9 KS

Second Thursday of each month at the Bethel Group, 7856 Leav-

enworth Rd. Kansas City, KS 66109. Committees meet at

6:30PM, District meeting at 7PM.

DISTRICT 10 KS

First Thursday of the month at the Steps in Action Group, 10300

Antioch Rd., Overland Park, KS 66212. Committees meet at

6PM, District meeting at 6:30PM

DISTRICT 23 KS

Second Saturday of the month at Westside Presbyterian Church

1024 Kasold, Lawrence, KS 66044 at 10AM

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

DISTRICT 1 MO

2nd Sunday of the month at 5:15PM at the

Methodist Church at 1st and Main in Maryville, MO

DISTRICT 2 MO

September 11, 2016 2PM at Sober Skirts

28th & Sacramento (Huffman Methodist Church Enrichment

Center) Sr. Joseph, MO 34507

DISTRICT 3 MO

July 10, 2016 2PM Liberty Group 1323 E. H Hwy Liberty, MO

64068 816-781-9766

DISTRICT 6 MO

July 24, 2016 1:30PM at Kansas City Group #1 311 W. 80th

Terrace Kansas City, MO 64114 816-523-1583

DISTRICT 7 MO

July 17, 2016 12:30pm at Grassroots 12905 7th St. Grandview,

MO 64030 816-761-9953

August 21, 2016 2:00pm at Englewood Winners

September 11, 2016 12:30pm at Blue Springs (Elections)

DISTRICT 10 MO

July 10, 2016 2PM at Garden City Group

310 Main Garden City MO 64747

September 11, 2016 2PM at Harrisonville Group

106 N. Independence Harrisonville MO 64701

November 13th, 2016 2PM at Wing and a Prayer

500 N. Scott Ave, Suite H Belton MO 64012

Corrections Committee Meeting at

Voice of Truth 611 E. Walnut Raymore, MO 64083

fourth Thursday of the month at 7:15PM

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Area Service Schedule

AREA 25 COMMITTEE MEETING

July 15-17, 2016

Quality Inn 2110 W. Crawfard, Salina, KS

1-785-825-2111

AREA 39 ASSEMBLY

Sept. 17 & 18, 2016

Best Western Inn 3120 S. Limit Ave. Sedalia, MO

1-660-826-6100

We have found much of Heaven and we have

been rocketed into a fourth dimension of

existence of which we had not even dreamed.

Bob W. Bill’s Friends

Sam H. Kansas City, KS

Bob W. N E JO CO

George S. N E. JO CO

Clemente B. We Are One

They will

be missed!

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7

It suggested that each group pay its bills and establish a prudent reserve based on monthly

expenses. Once this is done, the excess amount may be distributed as follows:

10% to District

10% to Area Committee

30% to General Service Office

50% to Central Office

This is one suggested distribution plan from the pamphlet, “Self-Support: Where Money

and Spirituality Mix. F-3. It is available here at the office.

GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE PO Box 459 Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163 Or online at www.aa.org

KS DISTRICT 23 Treasurer PO Box 1939 Lawrence, KS 66044

WAMO DISTRICT 4 Treasurer Lewis B. 202 Lake Street Sweet Springs, MO 65351

KANSAS AREA 25 KASO PO Box 1773 Salina, KS 67402-1773 Or online at www.kansas-aa.org

WESTERN AREA MISSOURI AREA 39 WAMO TREASURER 25904 E. 267th Harrisonville, MO 64701

WAMO DISTRICT 6 Treasurer PO Box 410894 Kansas City, MO 64141

YELLOW CAN FUND PO Box 67711 Topeka, KS 66667

WAMO DISTRICT 1 Treasurer Tim C. PO Box 62 Rock Port, MO 64481

WAMO DISTRICT 7 Treasurer 5229 Fuller Drive Kansas City, MO 64133

KS DISTICT 9 Treasurer PO Box 12518 Kansas City, KS 66112

WAMO DISTRICT 2 Treasurer 2248 175th Road Wathena, KS 66090

WAMO DISTRICT 10 Treasurer 25904 E. 267th Harrisonville, MO 64701

KS DISTRICT 10 Treasurer PO Box 15436 Overland Park, KS 66285

WAMO DISTRICT 3 Treasurer 609 Central St. Unit #1310 Kansas City, MO 64105

WAMO DISTRICT 17 Treasurer 19577 Bow Drive Linneus, MO 64653

P a g e 6 C h a n g i n g T i m e s

Group Changes !

OP Fellowship Group 12251 Antioch Rd. Over-

land Park, KS 66212 Tuesday 7:330PM Men’s BB

Study is no longer meeting.

Turner AA Group 4835 Shawnee Drive Kansas

City, KS 66102 Add: Monday 7PM Open BB

The MAPS Group 9091 Stateline Rd. Kansas

City, MO 64114 is no longer meeting.

Marceline Group 190 W. Crocker Marceline,

MO 64658 All meetings now open

Alive Again Group 919 S. Delaware Independ-

ence, MO 64050 Delete all 8:30AM meetings.

Parkhill Group 216 Business Park Lane River -

side, MO 64150 816-584-0768 Change Thursday

8PM to 7:30PM.

Lawrence Community Shelter 3655 E. 25th St.

Lawrence, KS 66046 Delete: Mon & Fri AM Meet-

ings Add: Sun & Wed. 8PM Closed

Shawnee Group 5725 Niemen Rd Shawnee, KS

913-631-1212 Add Wednesday 5:30PM Closed

Warrensburg AA Group 300 2nd St Warrens-

burg, MO 64093 New phone # 660-624-4132 Only

meeting times are Tues & Thurs at 7PM.

Freedom II Group 105 N. 13th St. Kansas City,

KS Change Monday, Wednesday & Friday 8PM to

7PM

New Groups!

Welcome to the Family!

Living Sober on Baltimore 1708 Baltimore Kan-

sas City, MO 64112 Friday 6PM Open Living So-

ber Meeting No meeting first Friday of the month.

Wednesday Women’s 201 Westpor t Rd. Kansas

City, MO 64111 Wed. 6PM C and child friendly

Enter door from parking lot behind church

Recurring Events

24 & 7 11 E. Gregory Suite 100 Kansas City,

MO 64114 See flyer in this newsletter!

Sober @ 7 1522 McGee Kansas City, MO

64108 Wed & Fri at 7AM No better way to start

your day!

Unity on the Plaza 707 W. 47th Kansas City,

MO 64112 Last Saturday of the month 6PM is

ASL (American Sign Language) Tues. 6PM is

also ASL

Lenexa Group 13005 W. 92nd Place Lenexa,

KS 66215 Big Book Study with Jimmy C. start-

ing Monday, January 11,2016 8PM.

Simply AA KC 8801 Nall Prair ie Village, KS

66208 Sunday 7PM Beginner’s BB Study

Post your on-going events here! Let people know about

what is happening at your group. Call us and we will post

it here and on the web.

CENTRAL OFFICE CALLS

MAY 2016

GROUP INFORMATION 161

12 STEP 4

BRIDGE THE GAP 0

ALANON 4

OFFICE INFORMATION 45

NA/CA/OTHER 2

DETOX/TREATMENT 5

MISC. 79

WEBSITE 0

WET DRUNKS 14

VISITORS 292

AFTER HOURS HOTLINE 271

P a g e 7 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7

How an AA Group Works

Rarely have we seen a group fail that has thoroughly followed AA Traditions. Those who do not follow them are

groups who cannot or will not accept these simple principles, usually groups that are constitutionally incapable of being

humble . There are such unfortunate groups. They are not at fault, they seem to have been developed that way. They are nat-

urally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of functioning which demands practicing group humility. Their chanc-

es of surviving are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from affiliation and guruitus, but many of them do

survive if they are willing to refrain from these activities.

Our group meetings disclose in a general way how we handle our affairs, remain in unity, and seek to carry AA’s

message. If a group decided it wants recovery, unity and service to be its experience, and is willing to practice humility to

get them– it is then ready to adopt certain principles.

At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, more effective way. But we could not. With all

the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold

onto money, power and prestige and the result was chaos until we practiced the Traditions in all of our group life.

Remember that we deal with alcoholics, seeking to direct rather than be guided, affiliate rather than cooperate, to

accumulate rather than to pass it on. Without help unity is beyond our reach. But there is One who has all power, that One is

God. May you find Him in your group conscience now!

Warping the Traditions availed us nothing. We began to see our coming destruction. We asked His guidance toward

unity with honest humility .

Here are the principles which are suggested as the way towards group unity:

Tradition One – “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.”

Tradition Two – “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”

Tradition Three – “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.”

Tradition Four – “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.”

Tradition Five – “Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”

Tradition Six – “An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enter-prise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.”

Tradition Seven – “Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.”

Tradition Eight – “Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ spe-cial workers.”

Tradition Nine – “A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly re-sponsible to those they serve.”

Tradition Ten – “Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.”

Tradition Eleven – “Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.”

Tradition Twelve – “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles be-fore personalities.”

Many of us exclaimed, “Those don't apply to this situation.” Do not be unique. No group has had the misfortune of “curing” all alcoholics or people with other problems. We are not magicians. The Traditions are not as old-fashioned as they seem. The point is they guide us in how to be of service to fellow sufferers. The principles set down are guides to group progress. Better to be of a service to some than of no use to all. We hope to see our group progress, that is why we have group inven-tories. Not to become the model for AA as a whole.

Continued on page 11

P a g e 8 C h a n g i n g T i m e s

Central Office Delegate Meeting Minutes at Macken Park – June 12, 2016

John J. – opened meeting at 10:05 a.m. with the Serenity Prayer.

Janet B. – Secretary’s report was given and approved by the delegates.

Art S. – Financial report for May given by Sue Ann in Art’s absence. Income $10,422.65 ~ Expenses $10,727.81 ~ leaves a net

loss ($305.16). Group donations were down, leading to the loss. We depend on group donations to keep the doors open so

please keep them coming.

Bill B. – Board Report from May. Old business – packets went to groups with information about Central Office. We discussed

the workshop on 13th Step and will have it in Sept at NEJC. More info to come. A flyer for a conference with some controversial

language was brought forward to decide if it should be included in the newsletter and after much discussion, it was decided to go

ahead and include it.

Sue Ann K. – Office Report: The shelves are stocked and the bills are paid. Need a Wed volunteer – someone with at least 1

year of sobriety, some office experience and computer literate. Experience with QuickBooks would be great, but not required.

Also need to have good knowledge of traditions and concepts – need to apply these when on the phone. We need to support our

PI and CPC committees to get the word out there about AA. Easy to hand that blue card to your doctor – let’s spread the word

because there are still a lot of people who do not know that Alcoholics Anonymous is here to help! Basehor group is hosting the

next Central Office workshop on Sponsorship – please bring a snack to share. Keep Teresa’s brother in your prayers. He had a

stroke on Friday and is doing better, but prayers are always a good thing!

Cheri J. – IT Report.

Seminar – we are getting registrations. People want to come to KC for BBQ and the day trip to the Psychiatric Museum. Just

waiting now for more registrations to come in and getting the information recorded.

IT – Travel Icon coming to the website to click to find Central Offices around the country to help those going out of town to lo-

cate meetings.

NEW EMAIL FOR FLYERS: flyers@kc-aa.org

Will get flyers on website quicker. KEEP IN MIND – we have to print in black and white so keep in mind it may not look good if

we are printing to include in the newsletter. Also, vertical fit in the rack at office and fit better on bulletin boards. Lastly –

MAKE ADDRESS CLEAR WITH CITY, STATE & OR ZIP.

Delegate Topic:

none

Group Reports:

Nuts & Bolts – things are going smooth. Paseo Group – GSR went to the Forum in Denver and agrees that our Central Office is

the best! The group is increasing donations by $25/month – invite other groups to join in on this to help Central Office! Wing

and a Prayer is planning an August picnic and they have meetings galore! Park Hill have low attendance at their 8:00 meetings so

they are going to try moving one to 7:30 to see if it helps. They are also going to pass a can for Central Office donations. They

want to help with hospitality for Seminar. Leavenworth Group #1 starting speaker meeting on 4 th Friday each month. Sat morn-

ing meeting going well. Still going to CCA & Valley Hope. Had a minor problem with intolerance, ironically the two involved

have same sponsor. Suggestions welcome how to handle. South KC – still losing money, had to get new AC, but signed new

lease for 5 years. Spring Fling yesterday went well. Pflumm Sober picnic well attended, finances are great. Sober at 7, all is

good. About 75% of attendance from rescue missions and need more people with sobriety to attend and help out. Women’s

meeting just started called Wednesday Women’s Group, meet once a week, filling all positions. Sunshine Group, current GSR is

moving, need to replace. Picnic on Memorial Day weekend was great, thanks to Jimmy for speaking. Mustard Seed all is ok – no

report. Liberty good attendance, group is doing great. North Oak great attendance. 24 / 7 group - all is well, have added 2nd open

meeting on 3rd Sat of the month. We Agnostics, set up on autopay for donations to CO – encourage others to do the same. Au-

gust anniversary – anyone with questions, please come see us so you can make an informed decision instead of having contempt

prior to investigation. Free Thinkers are starting to plan their anniversary. Bills Friends attendance increased and delighted about

that! Englewood Winners attendance picked up a little and people stepping up to chair meetings. Picnic June 25 at 11am. 24 & 7

P a g e 9 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7

our open meeting is next Saturday, afterwards will have game night. Bring a snack and all are welcome. Bethel Group, finances

down a little, not unusual for summer. They are hosting next month’s Central Office meeting in little red house. A lot of new

people, some are staying. 3 of our founders are celebrating. Turner group – celebrate 2 years next month. Just added a Monday

night Big Book meeting at 7pm, now it’s 3 meetings/week. They are going to Johnson County Detox and Mirror. Growing slow-

ly but surely. Basehor attendance dropped for summer, may look for new meeting hall, but just at the discussion stage. Looking

forward to hosting the Sponsorship workshop for Central Office next month. Bonner Springs, attendance is good, finances good.

Now have alt treasurer and passing basket second time for donations. NEJC (Northeast Johnson County) – all is good. Down-

town Basement group & Roe Center all is good. Blue Springs still meeting prudent res, attendance is up, several new people: 25

over past 2 months. Like the idea of a sponsorship workshop and going to get together in their group to work on sponsor connec-

tions. Primary Purpose going to treatment and corrections, all is good. Will have their Anniversary picnic on June 26 at Wyan-

dotte County lake. Increase in number of people coming in from Mirror and people coming back later – seeing the message be-

ing heard! Started new thing where newcomers sit at table to get them involved. Getting old-timers coming back to see all the

newbies coming in. Voice of Truth – 2nd Sat in July is 5th annual fish fry. Join us! KCMO group #1 had successful 75th anniver-

sary and ate at Jess & Jim’s. Awesome food! Alive Again all is well. Live and Let Live lots of meetings, all is well. We Are

One 39th Anniversary – Sue Ann will be speaking. Trying new 4:30-6 period of time to come in and just listen. A Vision for

You all is well. You are Not Alone doing good. Unity on the Plaza – sign language every Tuesday at 6pm and the last Saturday

each month. Still in basement during construction, probably for another 2 weeks. Humble Beginnings growing - they started

with 4 and have grown to see more than a dozen show up at some meetings. Paseo will have their 69 th anniversary in August.

Lenexa Group (Little House) will have a picnic on Oct 9 – Chief’s Bye week, at Shawnee Mission Park Shelter 12. The Big

Book Study with Jimmy C. is still going on Monday nights at 8pm.

Speaker: John S. from Liber ty Group with 52 years of sobr iety will share his story with us, followed by the picnic lunch.

Remember to call Central Office with birthdays over 30 years from your home group so we can list them in the Changing Times!

Directories are here, regular size and large print

Be sure to sign in on the sheets here with your own home address to get the Changing Times in the mail.

Next meeting:

July 10, 2016, 10:00am at Bethel Group, 7856 Leavenworth Rd, Kansas City, KS 66109

Aug 14, 2016, 10:00am at Sunshine Group, 2415 Clinton Parkway, Fir st Presbyter ian Church, Lawrence, KS 66044

Sept. 11, 2016, 10:00am at Leavenworth Group #1 409 S 7th Street Leavenworth, KS 66048 913-682-2616

Oct. 9, 2016, 10:00am at Englewood Winners 2530 S Crysler Independence, MO 64052 816-461-0039

Meeting adjourned at 11:20am with the Lord’s Prayer.

Delegates – 32

Board Members – 8

Donations: $152

Respectfully submitted by Janet B, Secretary.

P a g e 1 0 C h a n g i n g T i m e s

The Conference recognizes that the Charter and the Bylaws of the General Ser-

vice Board are legal instruments: that the Trustees are thereby fully empowered

to manage and conduct all of the world service affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous.

It is further understood that the Conference Charter itself is not a legal document:

that it relies instead upon the force of tradition and the power of the A.A. purse

for its final effectiveness.

This Concept attempts to clarify the relationship and “balance of powers” between the Con-

ference and the General Service Board. “This . . . may look like the collision of an irresistible

force with an immovable object.” On the one hand, “the board is invested with complete le-

gal power over A.A.’s funds and services; on the other hand the Conference is clothed with

such great influence and financial power it could overcome the legal rights of the board.

“Thus, the practical power of the Conference is, in the final analysis, superior to the legal

power of the board. This superior power derives from the traditional influence of the Confer-

ence Charter itself; from the fact that the delegates chosen by the groups always constitute

more than two-thirds of the Conference members”; and finally from the ability of the dele-

gates to cut off financial support by the groups. “Theoretically, the Conference is an advisory

body only; but practically speaking, it has all the ultimate power it may ever need.” The Con-

ference “recommends” — though its recommendations have the force of directives to the

board. The board executes these recommendations. The board does have the legal authority

to veto a Conference recommendation — but in actual practice, it never has done so. As Bill

tactfully puts it, the trustees “simply refrain from using their legal right to say ‘no’ when it

would be much wiser, all things considered, to say ‘yes.’

“If. . . the Conference will always bear in mind actual rights, duties, responsibilities and legal

status of the General Service Board, and if the trustees . . . will constantly realize that the

Conference is the real seat of ultimate service authority. . . neither will be seriously tempted

to make a ‘rubber stamp’ out of the other. . . In this way, grave issues will always be resolved

and harmonious cooperation will be the general rule.”

P a g e 1 1 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7

Continued from page 7

The Traditions as written, the experience that developed them and the

chaos resulting from their avoidance or misuse make clear three perti-

nent ideas.

A) That a group, unguided, could destroy everyone’s chance of re-

covery

B) That probably no amount of human power could get alcoholics to

make MY solution for the group work out right

C) That God would grant a humble unity when we follow the Tradi-

tions.

Author Unknown

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Thank You Group One!

Group One brought the speaker to my first

meeting of AA when I was in Missouri State Hos-

pital #2 at St. Joseph, MO.

When I was released from Treatment on

June 8, 1972 I had a thirty day supply of Antabuse

and the advice of Dr. Worrick, “Those people who

get better and stay better are those people who get

active and stay active in AA.”

I started meetings at Group One on

Wednesday at 1:30pm. The meeting was lead by

Margret D whose sobriety date was in 1946. Char-

lie Miller sometimes dropped in. His sobriety day

was June 10th, 1941.

The first piece of good advice that I ig-

nored was about major decisions. My girlfriend

and I wed on August 12th, 1972. This month I will

celebrate 44 years of sobriety.

But enough of me stuff.

The 75th Anniversary of AA Group #1

Kansas City, MO was a huge success for me. The

Long timers meeting had four speakers with over

50 years of sobriety. Several in the forty year

range and more in the thirties. One member with

50 years elected not to speak.

The Sunday dinner speaker was a woman

who came to Group One an unwed Mother of two

children. She was a student at a Beauty School.

Her dad was a member of Group One. She said,

“Thank you, Group One! Thank you for your fel-

lowship when I showed up and the fellowship that

has continued to this day. I currently run my own

beauty business worth over 300 million dollars. I

have been successful in the main stream of Ameri-

can business. It has not changed the level of AA

meetings and sponsorship that I practice. I owe it

all to AA and Group One.”

This speaker paid her own way to group

One’s Anniversary. So did Jet Z from Philadelph-

ia, Mike C. from Tennessee and Bill H. from Los

Angeles.

Thank you Group One. There are not a lot

of groups in the country that can claim continuous

meetings since 1941. Area 25 and Area 39 meet-

ings come from meetings at Group One. Group

One has a glorious history and humble existence.

Thank you Group One!

A Grateful Member of Group One.

P a g e 1 2 C h a n g i n g T i m e s

Group Donations

Jun 16 YTD Jun 16 YTD

24 & 7 GROUP 0.00 6.00 HONEST DESIRE GROUP 20.00 40.00

449 GROUP 20.00 140.00 HOPE GROUP 0.00 671.27

A VISION FOR YOU GROUP 0.00 300.00 HUMBLE BEGININGS A.A. 300.00 425.00

AA STRAIGHT UP GROUP 0.00 40.00 ITS NEVER TOO LATE GROUP 0.00 238.20

ACCENT ON SOBRIETY GROUP ST JO 0.00 125.00 JAYWALKERS GROUP 0.00 210.87

ACORN GROUP 60.25 422.00 JUST US GIRLS GROUP 0.00 173.00

ALIVE AGAIN GROUP 50.00 464.00 KANSAS CITY GROUP #1 300.00 300.00

ATCHISON ALANO GROUP 0.00 100.00 KEEP IT SIMPLE GRP OP 0.00 95.47

BASEHOR GROUP 0.00 30.00 KNIGHTS OF SOBRIETY 20.00 140.00

BETHEL GROUP 50.00 200.00 KNOB NOSTER GROUP 0.00 20.00

BEYOND SOBRIETY WOMENS MTG 0.00 122.65 LATHROP GROUP 0.00 150.00

BILL'S FRIENDS GROUP 25.00 150.00 LEAVENWORTH # 1 GRP 25.00 454.49

BIRCH HOUSE GROUP 0.00 197.25 LEAWOOD PRAIRIE VILLAGE GROUP 0.00 300.00

BLUE SPRINGS GROUP 0.00 250.00 LEE'S SUMMIT GROUP 0.00 40.00

BONNER SPRINGS GROUP 0.00 313.00 LENEXA GROUP 0.00 210.00

BROOKFIELD GROUP 0.00 40.00 LIBERTY GROUP 100.00 600.00

CAMERON CROSSROADS GROUP 0.00 100.00 LIVE & LET LIVE GROUP 37.50 225.00

CHAPTER FIVE GROUP - CLAYCOMO 0.00 75.00 LIVING MIRACLES 60.00 135.00

CHILLICOTHE AA GROUP 0.00 80.00 MAPLE STREET GROUP 0.00 152.00

CLINTON GROUP 0.00 20.00 MIRACLE ON 75TH STREET GROUP 0.00 21.00

CORE GROUP 0.00 200.00 MONTICELLO GROUP 0.00 200.00

COURAGE TO CHANGE AA GRP 0.00 110.00 NEVADA MO GROUP 0.00 120.00

DESOTO, KS GROUP 0.00 20.00 NEW CHOSEN FEW GROUP 0.00 50.00

DISTRICT 07 MO 0.00 80.00 NEW FELLOWSHIP 0.00 100.00

DISTRICT 09 KS 100.00 100.00 NEW TONGIE GROUP 0.00 150.00

DISTRICT 11 MO 0.00 20.00 NEW VISION GROUP 0.00 24.00

DOWNTOWN BASEMENT MEETING 200.00 300.00 NORTH KANSAS CITY GROUP 43.26 250.46

ENGLEWOOD WINNERS GROUP 20.00 120.00 NORTH OAK GROUP 80.00 480.00

ENTIRELY READY GROUP 0.00 20.00 NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY GROUP 100.00 600.00

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS GROUP 0.00 82.35 NORTHLAND MIRACLES GROUP 25.00 50.00

GARDEN CITY GROUP #1 0.00 75.00 OLATHE GROUP 520.00 1,590.00

GRASSROOTS GROUP 40.00 120.00 OSAWATOMIE DOWNTOWN GRP 25.00 25.00

HARRISONVILLE GROUP 0.00 50.00 OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE 0.00 50.00

HIGGINSVILLE GROUP 0.00 387.00 OVERLAND PARK FELLOWSHIP GROUP 75.25 226.51

P a g e 1 3 V o l u m e 4 7 , I s s u e 7

Central Office Finances

Income June 2016 $ 13,572.71

Expense June 2016 $ 11,722.34

Net Loss/Gain $ 1,850.37

.These are preliminary numbers

We now have a four month prudent reserve. At the

October, 2015 Board of Directors meeting a motion

was made, seconded and passed that Central Office

establish a six month prudent reserve. We are a lit-

tle over half way there.

2016 Donations June $5186.60

2015 Donations June $5460.54

Each group has the ability to make these

numbers change If you do not see your

home group listed here, it is because Cen-

tral Office has not received a donation.

Please ask why. If your group feels we

need to be of more service in some area,

please let us know. We cannot change that

of which we are ignorant.

As per your request, we are now publishing a

more complete financial report. I hope this pleases

those of you who have asked for it. If not, please let

me know what else you would like to see. After all,

this is your money! We at Central Office try to be

good stewards of it.

Our Accountant, Janet B. of the Lenexa

Group tries to come in as soon after the first of the

month as possible so you can get final numbers.

There will be months, however, that we will print

preliminary numbers because of the publishing date.

That will be noted above,.

Group Donations

Jun 16 YTD

P III 0.00 520.00

PARKHILL GROUP 0.00 349.42

PASEO GROUP 25.00 150.00

PFLUMM SOBER GROUP 75.00 450.00

PLATTSBURG GROUP 0.00 30.00

PLEASANT HILL GROUP 0.00 51.00

PRIMARY PURPOSE KS 87.18 446.28

RECOVERY PLUS 0.00 577.31

ROE CENTER GROUP 20.00 120.00

RULE 62 GROUP LAWRENCE KS 0.00 50.00

SHARE GROUP 0.00 30.00

SIMPLE SOBRIETY GRP 0.00 50.00

SIMPLY AA KC 43.00 76.00

SOBER AT 7 GROUP 65.00 135.00

SOBER SKIRTS GROUP 0.00 62.62

SOUL SEEKERS 50.00 50.00

SOUTH KANSAS CITY GROUP 0.00 360.00

SOUTH LEAWOOD GROUP 1,258.66 2,721.28

SOUTH PARK LAWRENCE 0.00 200.00

STEPS IN ACTION GRP 146.00 305.25

STOCKTON GROUP 0.00 100.00

SUNFLOWER ROUND-UP 0.00 1,000.00

SUNSHINE GROUP LAWRENCE 25.00 150.00

SWEET SPRINGS GROUP 0.00 30.00

THE WAY OUT GROUP 0.00 59.50

TURNER AA GROUP 0.00 341.43

UNITY ON THE PLAZA 0.00 734.20

VILLAGE GROUP 0.00 98.00

VOICE OF TRUTH AA GROUP 0.00 115.00

WE AGNOSTICS - KC 25.00 100.00

WE ARE ONE GROUP 0.00 80.00

WING & A PRAYER GROUP 552.00 1,104.00

WITH NO RESERVATION 25.00 25.00

YOU ARE NOT ALONE GROUP 100.00 200.00

WWW.kc-aa.org

N O N - P R O F I T O R G .

U S P O S T A G E

P A I D

P E R M I T N O .

7 4 6

K A N S A S

C I T Y , M O

6 4 1 1 6

This is the all new expanded edition of your Changing Times. Please call the office and let us know how you like it !

For only $12 a year, you can have your own copy of the Changing Times. Please send a check with the following infor-

mation to: KC Area Central Office, 200 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, MO 64116.

NAME___________________________________________________________________________________________

STREET ADDRESS__________________________________________________________________________________

CITY, STATE, ZIP___________________________________________________________________________________

KANSAS CITY AREA CENTRAL OFFICE

200 E. 18TH AVENUE

NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO 64116

816-471-7229 FAX 816-777-2390

kccentraloffice@kc-aa.org

JULY 2016