The following is the proposed draft for the Phone Bridge Intergroup Service Manual – Group Chairperson/Leader role description. Please comment below or email comments to Phone Bridge Trustees: http://greysheetmeetings.org/contact-trustees/
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I think its important to emphasize about sticking to the format. There are a few people who lead meetings who add so much commentary that that its takes up first 15 minutes of the meeting before the qualification begins.
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Looks like you covered everything!! LOL! Probably not, but all looks good to me. NMW
To the committee: Thank you so much for the obvious effort you put into defining these service postitions and for your service to the community.
I am in the “less is more” camp, so to me, the attempt to codify every action of the leader is intimidating. But a minor disagreement with the committee
But what concerns me much more are these two requrements:
Eats only foods specifically listed on this food plan;
Does not include long-term/chronic medical adjustments to the plan;
There are 2 members of my face-to-face community who I am thinking of in particular. One came in after gastric by-pass, desperate and afraid of what would happen to her body if she couldn’t stop binging. With slight modification to the greysheet she’s been abstinent for over 10 years.
The other is a long-timer who survived colo-rectal cancer but with an ostomy bag that may be permanent. She also requires a modification to the greysheet.
I do not want to consign these women to “second-class” membershp status.
Finally, these rules will disqualify people who chew candy-coated gum (foods we avoid on the greysheet), who are allowed parsnips (not on the vegetable list), the biggest raws (should be “3 small raws”), or me whose line allows caesar salads in restaurants.
Oy.
Respecfully,
Elly in Boston
Grey Sheet abstinence is based upon the food plan and worked out with one’s GSA sponsor. In the Qualification section at the top, no mention of sponsor is made. This should be included and abstinence should not be determined by Phone Bridge Trustees.
I disagree with excluding leaders who have medical adjustments to food plan, who need to eat at different intervals, or who have individually negotiated food changes.
People have many individual differences and medical issues and can still work an abstinent program working this out with their sponsor and medical advice when needed. . . We are not Doctors and do not need to be “the police.”
My abstinence date back to back on the gs food plan is 5/22/81.
I have a few comments on this draft. Thanks to everyone for the effort they took to work on it. In my opinion we cannot be strong enough in our support of gresysheet abstinence as written from the GS , 3 meals a day with nothing in between and no foods added, without exception. For years in Cambridge/Boston area we battled with OA trying to infiltrate our meetings by comng in and talking about other food plans, and diluting our very strong and vigorous and positive sobriety with food.
So except for the change in wording I’m suggesting below, I like all of the bullets under “We understand this to mean”
Under description of back to back abstinence: first bullet should say “at least 90 days of back-to-back greysheet abstinence.” This might be redundant considering the second bullet but it’s clearer.
There should be no reference to a doctor’s food plan (I saw that somewhere else in the documents I was reading this week). That opens the door to anything goes. We are not regular OA and we should not be trying to be inclusive. There are many other programs people can attend if they want to go outside the boundaries of GS.
One more comment on the format: Under “the leader is empowered to interrup to address distractions” I would like to see a reference to mentioning specific religious dieties. I am tired of hearing a member talk about Jesus when she shares. While this is not specifically stated in the text of the 12 traditions I believe it’s part of our overall traditions of calling Higher Power God or just Higher Power. Naming a specific diety is offensive to many and implies that we endorse a certain god. We dont want to drive people away. So I think this should be listed among the reasons for interrupting someone’s share.
I don’t eat no matter what and I learned that here in the tough love GS program that bloomed in Cambridge, MA. We kept it simple and I am concerned that while we are trying to organize we are opening up the program for anyone who wants to do anything. that’s not how we grow. We keep our program strong by being different from all of the others and our strong and committed and consistent abstinence is what attracts people. Let’s not mess it up, folks.
IDENMW
Cathy B.
I agree with the final draft. — last sentence, add ‘diet soda’.
Thanks for your service NMW.
Group Chair Person/Leader
1. Qualifications: 3 months of back-to-back abstinence (“We require that our meeting leaders be abstinent at least 3 months on the GreySheet” as stated in our GreySheet Group Purpose). To lead a meeting on the phone bridge a leader must:
a. Have at least 90 days of back-to-back abstinence;
b. Follow the GreySheet food plan (©1972 by Overeaters Anonymous) and re-published by GSA in 2014;
c. Eat only three weighed and measured meals per day with nothing in between except black coffee, tea, or .